Page 58 of Secret Baby for the Mafia Don

“I clearly have some faith in you. I’m here, aren’t I?”

“You’re not here because you trust me. You’re here because you fucked up and need a babysitter.”

She glares at me. “I’m showing you everything I’ve collected, even from Agent Blackwood. I’m not doing that because I need a babysitter.”

I have to admit she’s right.

Still, she’s not showing me her hand because she trusts me.

She’s showing it because she wants to get to the bottom of who’s targeting her father.

It’s the reason I shared what little I did.

“We’re on the same side when it comes to protecting Antonio. We can both trust that.”

A small, enigmatic smile plays at her lips.

"I'm keeping my options open where it comes to you." She taps the folders. "And my evidence close."

I get my drink, downing it.

The woman is going to turn me into a lush.

Gabriella stretches, her sweater riding up to reveal a sliver of skin.

I look away when my thoughts turn to wanting to run my tongue over her smooth skin.

“It’s getting late,” I say.

She checks her watch. “Time flies when you’re having fun.” She begins to gather the papers into a pile.

I realize that we've been at this for hours.

I should be exhausted, irritated by Gabriella's presence.

And to a certain extent, I am.

At the same time, I feel like a corner has been turned.

Her animosity toward me is dialed down to the point that sometimes, I don't feel it at all.

“You know, we could feed Blackwood false information,” she says once her papers are all stacked.

“By we you mean you, right? That’s a hard no. The point of this arrangement is to protect you from La Corona. Talking to the Feds makes that impossible.”

“Not if I’m doing it for La Corona.”

It could work, but there’s no way I’m going to let Gabriella be a double agent.

It’s too fucking dangerous.

I think of what happened to Isabella.

She was nearly killed.

Had she died, I’m sure I’d have lost Roman.

It’s another reason to avoid love.