Page 33 of Vows of a Mobster

“I will never reveal her name.” He was dead serious. I smiled wryly at his protectiveness. He would be exactly the son I would want. His father would be proud.

“Could you call her and have her confirm the story over the phone?” I suggested. “You don’t have to reveal her name.”

“No.” Giovanni’s face was grim. “I won’t do that to her. You two would find her.”

“I give you my word I won’t look for her,” I tried again. It was better than having the Irish believe him guilty. And Giovanni knew I never broke my vows.

“No.” His reply was instant, stubborn.

Declan went into attack again. My cousin’s face was covered in blood, his one eye swollen and his lip split. Giovanni wasn’t tied, he could get up and attack right back but he remained seated, taking his punishment. He might have not had anything to do with the disappearance of Declan’s cousin but something happened that night. Question was what.

Declan punched Giovanni in his chest and a gasp left his lips.

“That’s enough, Declan.” I ordered him. Giovanni was my cousin and I won’t let the fucking asshole kill him. I grabbed him again and shoved him away from Giovanni. Declan stumbled backwards, his knuckles cracked and bloody.

“Fucking tell me where my cousin is,” Declan gained his footing and started back for Giovanni but I placed myself in between. He would have to fight me before he got to Giovanni and he knew it would be harder for him to beat me. “Call your damn woman and have her tell me you had nothing to do with it.”

“Giovanni, just call your friend,” I tried again.

“No, her daughter is sick. She might not pull through. I’m not pulling her into this shit too.”

“So there is shit that happened that night?” Declan jumped to a conclusion quickly. Although the way Giovanni said it, I had to agree. Something happened that night.

“Unless your cousin is a sixty-year-old perverted man that tried to kidnap my friend’s daughter that has leukemia,” Giovanni’s voice was raspy, “to sell her off, then yes some shit happened. Otherwise, I don’t have a fucking clue who your cousin is.”

Deafening silence followed, the meaning of his words lingering in the air.

“You better not be starting human trafficking on my turf, in my city,” I growled, threatening Declan.

“We don’t touch that business,” he spat back. “We never have and we never will.”

“Is your cousin a sixty-year-old man?” Giovanni stood up, wobbly on his feet and I immediately offered him my shoulder to lean on.

“No,” Declan retorted wryly. “He’s my youngest brother’s age.”

“Then I never saw him.” Giovanni’s voice was confident and firm, despite his beaten-up appearance. “As I said, my friend needed help. A man tried to kidnap her sick daughter. End of story. And you can torture me till I’m dead, I will never give you her name.”

“You and your family can start a war,” I told Declan. “There is nothing more to discuss here.”

I didn’t want war, but he would have it if he wanted it. And losing for me was never an option.

“No, I believe him,” Declan replied. “I’d like to know what that human trafficker was doing on my turf.”

“That’s for you to figure out,” I retorted dryly. “We are done here.”

I would take Giovanni to my place and get him fixed up. It was almost two in the morning, thankfully there wouldn’t be many people to see our state. We left the building, heading for my car. Declan was next to me, each of his brothers with my men on their tail to ensure they don’t do something stupid.

Fuck!

Marissa just exited the cab and stopped on the spot. What the fuck was she doing out and about at two in the morning? She had a pair of ballet slippers dangling off her left hand, staring at all of us.

“Sis, what are you doing here?” Giovanni asked her.

“What happened?” Her eyes darted between all the men, lingering on Declan and his bloody hands. She pressed her lips tight and glared at him with hate and disgust.

“Did you take on ballet lessons?” I asked her instead. There were certain things that we wouldn’t be discussing with our women. Ever.

Her eyes shifted to her hands. “No, my friend teaches ballet. She left in a rush and forgot her slippers.”