Page 31 of Ruthless Secrets (Alpha Mafia Daddies #6)

Chapter Twenty-Six

MARCO

I’m sick to my stomach as I buckle Zoe into her car seat. She’s half asleep, dressed in her pink onesie that used to belong to Holly, clutching her bunny.

As I look at my daughter, I know that I would take a thousand bullets for her if needed. I will do whatever it takes to make sure she is safe, even if it costs me my own life.

Arms wrap around my waist from behind, and I catch a waft of Clara’s fruity shampoo.

I hold her arms and squeeze them, hoping I could hold on to her forever. “Ready to go?”

She hugs me tighter. “No.”

My chest is being cracked open. I can’t let this be the last time the three of us are together.

Turning around, I wrap Clara up in my arms and kiss the top of her head. Neither of us speak. Instead, we just savor the feeling of being with one another.

“Marco.” Jax snaps me back to reality.

I look up to him nodding his head toward his car.

It’s time to go .

After making sure Lila, Rosa, and Holly are situated with Jax, I climb behind the wheel of my own car and start making the drive toward the highway.

Alio’s cabin is not easy to find, so Andre texted to let me know our cousin would be meeting us along the way.

We drive in silence.

I’ve said everything I’ve been wanting to say for a while.

When I told Clara I loved her, the words didn’t feel strange or foreign. If anything, they felt natural. I just hope I get the chance to tell her how much I love her every day for decades to come.

The roads are practically empty at this time of night.

After an hour of driving, I finally reach the turning where I’m supposed to meet Alio and notice a silver Mercedes already waiting.

“That’s Alio,” I explain to Clara as he flashes his headlights at us.

I follow Alio’s car down off the highway, and we drive for a few more miles until we reach a narrow, winding dirt road, through the forest, which stretches endlessly on both sides.

It’s dense and dark, swallowing any sign of civilization, which is exactly what I want.

This place is impossible to find unless you know where to look.

I glance in the rearview mirror to see Clara stroking Zoe’s hair. The fear in her eyes as she meets my gaze in the reflection is like a knife in my chest.

I’ve done this to her.

Somehow, I manage to keep my hands steady on the wheel and my expression neutral.

If Clara could see how I was really feeling, it would send her into a panic.

When we finally reach the cabin, I exhale slowly.

It’s made of thick walls with reinforced doors and security cameras covering every angle. The place runs entirely off its own power, so there’s no fear of security failing if the main power lines go down.

It makes me feel marginally better that even if someone did manage to find it, getting inside would be a different story.

As I cut the engine, Alio’s wife, Marissa, steps out onto the porch to greet her husband as he gets out of his car.

I’ve not seen my cousin since my father’s funeral over a decade ago but under the warm porch lights, he looks exactly the same, except his dark hair is now flecked with gray, and he’s gained a few more lines on his face.

I feel comforted to know that I’ll be leaving my family in the hands of someone I trust.

Alio had previously spent years working for my father before he died, so I know he can handle himself. Although, he ended up walking away from the family business when Andre took over.

I remember feeling hurt at the time but after learning the shit my father did behind all of our backs, I don’t blame him. If it weren’t for my father, none of us would be in this mess.

I turn in my seat and offer Clara a warm smile. “It’s just for a little while.”

She swallows hard as she strokes Zoe’s hair, her eyes shining with tears. “I know.”

I wish I could stay with her, but I can’t put all of this responsibility on Andre. He’s leaving his wife and child behind in order to protect our family, and I have to do the same.

After helping Clara and Zoe out of the car, I approach Alio, who offers me a grim smile.

Alio claps me on the shoulder. “I wish we were meeting under different circumstances. ”

“I appreciate you and Marissa doing this for my brother and me.”

“Of course. You are family. Besides, having the children around will be good for Marissa.”

I nod, my throat too thick with emotion to speak as I watch Marissa hurry over to Lila to help with Holly.

My cousin and his wife were never able to have children of their own. They suffered multiple miscarriages before determining that parenthood was not in their future.

If Alio hadn’t agreed to help, I’m not sure what Andre and I would have done. We might know plenty of safe houses, but none as secure as this, and even then we couldn’t guarantee that Alfonzo and Tommaso wouldn’t know about them already.

“This cannot be darling little Rosa.” Alio smiles as my sister gets out of the car, her eyes bloodshot and her cheeks tearstained. He chuckles, holding his hand barely a foot off the ground. “You were this tall the last time I saw you.”

Rosa looks at me anxiously, and I nod. My cousin is a good man, and he will protect my sister like she is his own.

Rosa shifts her weight from one foot to the other. “Do you have to go?”

I didn’t tell her as much as I told Clara, but Rosa is smart. She knows all too well the danger that comes with what Andre and I do. I can see it in her eyes that she realizes this might be the last time she sees me.

Lila appears at her side and wraps an arm around my sister’s shoulders. “Your brothers will be back before you know it.”

I don’t think I’ve ever felt so grateful to Lila than I have at this moment. Despite the danger she is currently in, she’s managing to stay so calm for my sister and for Clara.

“Be good.” I flick Rosa on the nose. “Otherwise, you’ll have me to answer to. ”

She manages to roll her eyes like usual, which has my lips twitching.

I give Lila a hug and kiss Holly before finally turning to face Clara and Zoe.

This is the part that is going to hurt like hell.

Zoe, now wide awake despite it being the early hours of the morning, squirms in Clara’s arms as she tries to reach for me.

“Come here, princess.” I take her from Clara and hold her tightly against my chest. “Daddy loves you very much.”

I press my lips against her dark hair.

When I glance up, fresh tears roll down Clara’s cheeks.

Alio steps closer to place a reassuring hand on Clara’s shoulder.

“We’ll keep them safe. You know that.”

“I do.”

He’s the only reason I’m able to walk away, but that doesn’t make it any easier.

I take the burner phone that Jax sorted out for me out of my pocket and press it into Clara’s hand. “Only call if it’s an emergency. I’ll text when I can.”

She nods, her eyes glistening as she clutches the phone. “Promise me you’ll be careful.”

I cup her face, brushing my thumbs over her cheek to wipe away her tears. “I promise.”

Clara reaches up on her tiptoes to kiss me.

I would give anything to freeze time so I can stay in this moment, but I can’t. The longer I stay here, the more time I’m giving to Alfonzo and Tommaso.

“Come back to me,” she whispers against my lips.

I hand Zoe back to her and turn to walk back to the car without another word.

My body feels weighed down with grief .

Even if Andre and I manage to get through this, who’s to say something like this won’t happen again?

As I pull away from the cabin, I keep my eyes locked on the road ahead to stop myself from looking in the rearview mirror.

I can’t bear to see Clara standing there with Zoe in her arms, knowing that I might never see them again.

The drive back to Andre’s house is a blur. We decided to meet back there as there’s a high chance it will be targeted first.

There’s enough security to buy us some time, and I know Andre has enough weapons hidden throughout the property to give us an edge.

I find my brother sitting on the couch in his office, scouring over a mess of papers and maps.

His shirt sleeves are rolled up to his elbows, and his hair is disheveled.

From the half empty bottle of whisky on the table, it seems he’s trying to numb himself too.

“How did it go?” He doesn’t glance up at me.

I shrug, grabbing a glass from the cart and taking a seat beside him. “As good as it could.”

I pour myself a glass as I try not to think of Clara.

He nods as his eyes scan a document in front of him.

“I say we hit Alfonzo first thing in the morning. If he doesn’t attack us first.”

I raise an eyebrow. “And you think he’ll just back off if we tell him to?”

Andre snorts. “Not a chance.”

I take a long drink, the whisky burning my throat on the way down. “Then why bother? ”

“He’s the weaker out of the two. If we can scare him into backing off, then it might buy us some more time. Tommaso might not have the balls to go up against us without the help of Alfonzo.”

My brother makes a good point. It would be easier to go after Alfonzo, but I don’t like that we have a hell of a lot riding on him backing down. If it doesn’t work, I’m not sure what other route we could take that wouldn’t involve both Andre and me getting killed.

“And what if we don’t?”

Andre finally looks at me, his expression dark.

“We do what needs to be done, Marco. We don’t have a choice.”

I think of Clara and Zoe and nod.

He’s right. We don’t have a choice.

We sit in silence for a while, the weight of what’s to come settling between us. Eventually, Andre leans back and studies me like he’s trying to decide if he wants to say something.

“What?”

“You love her.”

I stiffen. “What?”

“Clara.” He tilts his glass toward me. “You love her.”

“Yeah, I do.” I set my drink down harder than necessary on the table. “It’s fucking terrifying. Every second, I’m afraid I’ll lose her or Zoe. Even if we take out Alfonzo and Tommaso, I don’t think that fear is going to diminish.”

“You’re right, it won’t.”

I scoff. “Way to make me feel better. I was hoping for some advice or some shit.”

Andre is quiet for a moment. His eyes stay glued on mine.

“The pain and fear that comes from loving another person is worth every second. Because without it, we’re just empty shells.”

I mull over his words in my head .

Deep down, I already know Andre is right. Clara and Zoe are the only things that make any of this worth it, but that just means I have more to lose.

I nod. “We should get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be a long day.”

It’s all I can do to hope that by the time it’s over, my brother and I are both still left standing.