Page 99 of The Bonventi Hitman

"I'm pregnant," I say as tears roll down my face. "I'm pregnant with your child."

"What did you say?"

"I'm pregnant," I repeat and pull my left hand away as he loosens his grip. I place it over my right hand instinctively, protecting my stomach. "I just found out today."

Gabriel takes a step back, his gun lowering to his side as he stares at me in disbelief.

His eyes flicker between my face and my stomach as he processes what I just told him.

"Are you sure?" he asks, his voice low and deep.

I nod again and wipe the tears from my face. "I took a test."

Gabriel turns away from me, bracing himself against his desk. I can see the tension in his shoulders relax, and it's as if he went limp.

"A baby," he says, more to himself than to me. "My baby."

"I know this changes things," I say softly. "I know you have every right to hate me for lying to you. But this child is innocent in all of this. It's a part of both of us—maybe our best parts."

Gabriel turns back to me, his eyes dropping to my stomach. I see a flash of something tender in his gaze. Then, as quickly as it appeared, it's gone, replaced by a storm of conflicting emotions.

"How do I know this isn't just another lie?" he demands, but the edge has gone out of his voice.

"Because I love you," I say simply, my voice breaking. "And I love this baby. I would never use our child as a bargaining chip, Gabriel. Never."

He lets out a sigh.

"Fuck," he mutters under his breath. "Is this why you came clean? Because you're pregnant?"

I nod, feeling tears prick at the corners of my eyes. "Yes. I couldn't keep lying to you. Not about this. Not about our baby."

His eyes soften, and he puts his gun away. The fact that it's no longer visible helps me relax. I don't know what he's thinking or what he's going to do, but at least I've told him everything.

After a few seconds of silence, which feel like an eternity, he straightens up and looks at me.

"I don't know what to do with this," he admits, his voice low and rough. "I'm still... I'm still so fucking angry, Sof... Anna. An FBI agent? Enzo will have me killed."

"We can figure something out," I say, my tone hopeful.

He shakes his head. "I don't think there are any options. I need to leave."

I watch Gabriel turn away, and my heart pounds in my chest. I can't let him walk away, not now.

"Gabriel, please," I plead, taking a step toward him. "Don't go. We can figure this out together."

For a moment, I think he might lash out again. Instead, he takes a deep breath. "You have no idea what you've done, do you? If Enzo finds out?—"

"Then we don't let him find out," I say, desperation creeping into my voice. "We can leave, Gabriel. Start over somewhere else. Just you, me, and the baby."

He laughs, but there's no humor in it. "You think it's that simple? That we can just walk away from all of this?"

"It can be. We can make it that simple."

Gabriel shakes his head and walks past me, and out of instinct, I turn and grab his arm. "Gabriel, please."

He stops and jerks his arm away. "Get your fucking hands off me."

He walks out and slams the door.