Page 163 of Vows of a Mobster

My hands shook, my eyes darting among everyone in the room.

“You lie,” Declan’s younger brother spat. “You just want to save Giovanni.”

“No,” I told him. “I mean yes, I want to save him. I- I… please. I’ll tell you everything,” I begged. Giovanni’s bloody face was a mess. “I am so sorry, Giovanni. We- I didn’t tell you everything when I asked for the favor.”

His eye was swollen shut.

I took another step forward but Mateo pulled me back, his gun pointed at the Irish.

“Brie, no,” Marissa whispered. I locked eyes with my best friend and knew the moment she realized there was nothing she could say to convince me to change my mind. It felt like I’ve known her my whole life.

Finally, she nodded. It was her confirmation she’d make sure Emma was taken care of, if this went really south.If it went,I scoffed.It was already south.

I turned to face the men of this world; a world that was so foreign to me. The members of the Irish mafia stood in front of me and the members of the Italian mafia stood behind me. I turned to look at Mateo. I was smitten with him from the moment I spilled that coffee on him. He was ruthless but he was also caring and protective.

“I can’t hide behind you, Mateo,” I spoke softly to him. I didn’t tell him how much I loved him but I hoped he knew. “Promise you won’t start shooting,” I swallowed hard. “Unless you guys and Marissa are in danger.” Silence stretched, his eyes stubborn. “Promise me you won’t start shooting unless you are in danger.”

“No,” he gritted between his teeth. His jaw was pressed tight so hard, I could hear his molars grind.

I pressed the palm of my hand against his cheek. He gave me everything and so much more. “Please,” I begged.

“No.” His eyes flashed with anger and hurt.

I turned my gaze to Antonio. “Unless you guys are threatened, don’t start a bloodbath. Okay?”

Antonio’s acknowledgement was barely detectable but he acknowledged me.

“I’m the boss here,” Mateo spat. “You don’t tell my men what to do.”

“I’m sorry,” I whispered and then turned around and stepped away from him. He grabbed my arm but I pulled it away from him. I walked over to Giovanni and untied him.

“Go to Marissa,” I told him.

Mateo took a step towards me and this time, I pulled the gun out and pointed it at him.

“Don’t come any closer, Mateo,” I warned him and his step faltered. I would not have him get hurt because of me.

“Brie,” Marissa whispered in shock.

I turned my gaze to the Irish. My eyes traveled over Declan, his brothers, then stopped at the old man. He looked to be about seventy but no less deadly. His eyes were sharp. I just hoped he would hear what I had to say before he demanded revenge.

I lowered the gun. It was empty anyhow.

“I went to Columbia University,” I started. My voice was low but the room was so quiet, it was like I was shouting. “I also went to the School of American Ballet. Kyle liked to hang out there. He had a thing for ballet dancers.” The old man nodded. It must not have been news to him. “I didn’t particularly like him. We kept running into each other during my first three years at the university. One night, we bumped into each other at a college party. I had too much to drink and so did he.” I took a shaky breath in. “One thing led to another and let’s say I woke up with regrets. I went my way and he went his way. Six weeks later, it turned out I was pregnant. It would seem we were both too drunk to use protection properly.” Despite the tense situation, it was still embarrassing admitting this. Admitting it to myself was hard, it was even worse admitting it to a room full of people. But if it saved Mateo and others, it was worth it. “Emma is not your son’s. I never heard or met any of your sons until about two weeks ago. I was lucky I knew Kyle’s last name. That was pretty much the only thing I knew. His first and last name, not another single thing. He was a complete stranger to me. My stepfather was a senator and I asked him if he could have his contacts check out Kyle. When the information came back, unfortunately, the security protection gave the information to my mother instead of my stepdad.”

I could still remember and hear her screeching. There wasn’t a single concerning word for anyone else during her entire tantrum. It was all about her position and status.

“She cared a lot about her status and my stepfather’s career. I never saw the report but Kyle’s background would have ruined my dad’s career. It wasn’t anything that could be connected to a senator. At first, I didn’t believe my mother, but when my dad… my stepdad confirmed it, I knew it was true.” Never mind that my stepfather wanted to retire. He was tired and wanted to enjoy his retirement but my mother pretty much nagged him right into his grave. He died a year after Emma was born. “So I gave my word, I wouldn’t say anything to anyone. My mother kicked me out of the house after that.”

“But your friend knew,” the old man tilted his head in Marissa’s way.

I nodded. “Yes, only two friends. I moved in with my grandmother who lived in this area. When Emma,” I took a deep breath, “my daughter was two, she was diagnosed with leukemia. All of my family was gone by then, both my stepfather and grandmother had passed. She left me her house and I mortgaged it off to pay for the treatments. It wasn’t enough. I was desperate, left with only two choices. I could reach out to my mother or Kyle. I decided my chances were better with Kyle.”

Now how pathetic was that? That I thought my chances were better with Kyle than my own mother.

“What about your promise, lass?”

“The promise was to my stepfather,” I told him. “He was dead. I reached out to Kyle. He was different, not exactly the way I remembered him. But I chalked it up to growing up. I wasn’t exactly the same either. Anyhow, I told him about Emma and that I needed money for the treatments. I didn’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t exactly his acceptance. He agreed right away and asked me to give him a couple of days to talk to his family. Then he would take her to meet them.”