Page 136 of Bellini Born

I spent a restless night tossing and turning. All I could think about were those two little girls who depended on me, who had opened their hearts so freely to claim me as their mommy after only a few short months. And how did I repay them? By cutting and running when things got hard.

That wasn’t fair to them. Hell, it wasn’t fair to me. They’d given me purpose, and being without them now, life felt meaningless.

The longer I stayed away, the longer the people I loved suffered. And my heart couldn’t bear the thought of hurting any of them a single moment longer.

Yes, Matteo’s world was full of danger, but separating myself from him wouldn’t completely eliminate the possibility that a tragic event might befall me in the future anyway. Every day, people without ties to the mafia became the victims of rape, muggings, drive-by shootings, and human trafficking.

Ultimately, I came to the realization that while a life without him—and his girls—might be safer in the long run, it would be completely meaningless.

They were my family. The loves of my life.

And I didn’t want to spend even one more day separated from them.

Gabi stared up at me from her perch on the living room couch in surprise when I emerged from the guest bedroom, fully dressed, with my hair and makeup done.

“Uh, going somewhere?”

When I reached where she sat, I bent down to give her a tight hug. “Thank you for everything.”

“Does this mean . . .”

Pulling back, I nodded, a smile tugging at the corners of my lips for the first time in what felt like forever. “Yeah. I’m going home.”

She stood. “Need a ride?”

“Nah. I have a feeling there’s an SUV or two permanently parked outside this building.”

A knowing grin flashed on her face. “You would be right about that.” She gave me a pat on the arm. “Getting a little sick of those goons giving me the stink eye every time I step outside, like I’m personally responsible for their boss’s wife leaving him. So if you could get them to beat it, that would be great.”

She didn’t need to tell me twice. I bolted from her apartment, tapping my foot impatiently during the entire elevator ride down to street level. Rushing through the lobby, I pushed through the glass doors and onto the sidewalk.

With my head on a swivel, I clocked one giant black SUV across the street, another parked halfway down the block. Opting not to cross midtown traffic, I hustled my butt toward the one on this side of the busy street.

A quick tap on the glass startled the beefy man in the passenger seat, and his eyes widened when he realized who was trying to get his attention.

He opened the door and stepped out. “Mrs. Bellini.”

“Can you take me to the penthouse?”

“Of course, ma’am.” All business, he held open the rear door.

“And do you think you could maybe not tell Mr. Bellini that I’m coming?”

He visibly paled, shifting on his feet. “Uh.”

“I promise I won’t let you get in trouble . . .” I waited for him to supply his name.

“Gianni.”

I gave him a warm smile, placing my hand on his forearm. “Gianni. You would be doing this as a personal favor to me.”

A war played out behind his eyes, but after about a minute, he ducked his head. “Just this once, Mrs. Bellini.”

“Thank you.”

The ride from Gabi’s place to Matteo’s took twice as long as it usually did; every light on the way turned red right as we approached. Anticipation buzzed beneath my skin, making it impossible to sit still. I was chomping at the bit to squeeze my daughters, kiss Matteo, and promise all of them I was never leaving again.

We finally made it to the underground garage, and I hopped out of the back before Gianni could offer me a hand. The ascent to the penthouse level was spent picturing my husband’s reaction when I walked inside to surprise him.