Page 165 of Vows of a Mobster

Daphne, Marissa, and I ran across the parking lot towards the warehouse.

“I thought you said you were alone,” Declan’s youngest brother spat at me.

“Shut your mouth,” Declan ordered his brother. “For once, listen and stop jumping to fucking conclusions. You got us into this fucking mess.”

Mateo’s arm wrapped tighter around me. The beginning of the video was definitely portraying me as a liar. Daphne, Marissa, and I looked frantic, all three of us panicked. My face was wet from tears.

I could still recall how my heart raced, thunder in my ears matching screams of my daughter.

Fifty-Eight

Mateo

Ipulled my wife closer to me. Listening to her explain to the Irish what happened two years ago had turned my blood cold. The fear she must have felt. She tried so hard to be brave. She has been brave for too long, burying this secret. Her face wet from tears was a stab in the heart. She pointed the gun at me, ordering me to stay behind, but I could never stay behind and let her get hurt. I would always come for her. I would always protect her.

I placed a kiss on the crown of her head.

Everyone watched the screen and the secrets finally came out into the open. Marissa, Daphne, and Brianna ran frantically across the parking lot of the warehouse. The same warehouse that someone spotted Giovanni at. Fuck, my wife looked young in the video. Way too young to be there, in that position.

The scene changed to the inside of the warehouse. It was the one that the Irish owned. Everyone knew they had it wired for sound and surveillance. It was the reason they didn’t conduct business there but obviously their nephew was too stupid to know that.

“Kyle,”Brianna was screaming at Emma’s father. “Give me Emma back.”

His face was shocked. “How did you find me?”

“Give me my daughter,”the younger version of her demanded.

“You agreed to sell her,”the other man interrupted. “I don’t have time for drama. I gave you the money, now give me the kid.”

It was the confirmation that Kyle was prepared to sell his daughter.

“Kyle, please give her to me,”I could hear hysterics in Brianna’s voice. Emma was screaming off the top of her lungs.“I’ll get you the money to pay him back. Please just give me Emma.”

“You have no money,”he spat back.

I blamed Brianna’s mother for this. She stole from her daughter and now was threatening her life, Emma’s and my unborn child to steal my wife’s inheritance. She should have given it to her and Brianna would have never found herself calling that bastard.

“I’ll get it somehow. Please just give her back to me.”She tried to be brave, pale as a ghost.

“It’s too late. I spent all the money.”

“I don’t care about the fucking money. Give me my daughter now. Or I’m calling the police.”

“Shut your woman up,”the guy reached for Emma to grab her.

“Don’t you dare move, asshole,”Marissa pointed the gun at the bald dude.

Daphne screamed now.“What the fuck, Mar?”

“How- Where-”The expression on Brianna’s young face was that of shock and fear at seeing her best friend with the gun in her hands, pointed at two men.

“I had it in my purse,”Marissa seemed calm.

“Don’t shoot, Mar.”Brianna begged Marissa on a whisper, her bottom lip trembling.“Emma is in his arms.”

I watched Brianna turn around, taking another step towards Kyle. She was never meant to be in such a situation, but she handled it admirably.

“Give her to me, Kyle. I won’t say anything. Just give me my daughter back.”She tried to sound calm, only her hands gripping her own sleeve gave her away.