Page 85 of His Playground

“What’s wrong? Fuck, Antonia, you said you were feeling better,” he curses.

“I am. I’m fine. I just got dizzy for a minute,” I tell him.

“You’re not fine. You should be in bed.” Carlo wraps his arms around my waist and holds me against him.

“Yeah, that’s kinda hard when your home is broken into by people who want to kill you,” I remind him.

“That should never have happened. I’m sorry.” He sighs.

“It’s not your fault. I don’t know why my father wants you dead, but you need to make sure he doesn’t succeed, Carlo. I’m just getting used to being your wife. I’m not ready to become your widow.”

Carlo’s body stiffens. “You think I’m gonna let you off that easily? We’ve got a lifetime together, babe. We’re going to grow old and have grandbabies running around.”

I lean back. “Jazzy said something.”

“What?” he asks.

“She said that men visited her mom. She’d hide Jazzy from them, but the poor kid heard the men asking about you, Carlo. Do you think they were my father’s men?”

“Why would your father do that? He knows where I am?” Carlo counters.

“I don’t know why Joey Marciano does anything he does.” I shrug.

“I’ll sort it out,” Carlo says. And I know that he means he’s going to kill my father.

There’s a very small part of me that feels remorse. What kind of daughter is okay with their parent dying? He wasn’t father of the year by any means, but he was the only parent I knew. Unlike my mother, he didn’t leave me.

“Come on, let’s go get Jazzy.” Carlo doesn’t let go of me. I take a step back, and his hands shift to my arms to make sure I’m steady on my feet.

“How long do we have to stay here?” I ask him.

“I don’t know, but do me a favor. Make sure you’re with me or one of our guys. Don’t wander off alone.”

“You don’t trust Emmanuel?” I raise a brow.

“I do. It’s the men working under him I don’t trust,” Carlo grumbles.

“I’m aware of the type of men they are.”

We found Jazzy still bowling with Sammie. The guy seemed a little off. I’m guessing it has something to do with Lailani, but I wasn’t about to bring up that elephant.

Jazzy was exhausted, so I found a guest room for her. And now I’m sitting in here while she sleeps. Carlo went to meet with the guys. I know they’re planning to attack my father. I want to help. I also know there is no way my husband is going to agree with my plan.

The door opens, and Charlotte and Evie walk in. “We came to check on you. How you feeling?” Charlotte asks.

“I’m good. You?”

“I’ve been better, but I wanted to thank you. And reprimand you at the same time,” Charlotte says.

“For what?”

“For shoving me in that panic room and not getting in it yourself. Don’t do that again.” She smiles, but I know she means it.

“I didn’t want Jazzy to be in there alone, and you’ve already been shot once. That’s more than enough for a lifetime.” I shrug.

“Still, don’t put yourself before me. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if anything happened to you,” she says.

“I’ve been trained for these situations my whole life,” I tell her. “Actually, I need to find Carlo. Could you sit with Jazzy for me?”