Page 87 of Vows of a Mobster

“It is different with you,” she continued ignoring me. “And to ensure we have a plan A and B, you will have unprotected sex with him.”

“Fuck I will,” I spat at her. “I thought you said you had a plan!”

“Plan A is that he won’t let anything happen to you because he is pussy whipped,” she explained like it was the most sensible explanation. At this point I was questioning not only my taste in men but also friends. Marissa could be downright crazy. “Plan B is that you will have unprotected sex or you might be pregnant already and he will protect you because you are carrying his child.”

“I won’t trap him,” I argued back.

“Why? He is trapping you right now,” she asked. Well, she had a point there.

“And then what? Let’s assume I’m pregnant, what happens when I have the baby?” I asked. “He kills me and gets rid of me. No, thank you.”

“Geez, Brianna,” Daphne jumped in. “What kind of people do you take us for?”

“Well, I’ve seenThe GodfatherandSopranos,” I justified myself.

They both rolled their eyes.

“We don’t kill just to kill,” Marissa spoke up. “Sometimes when the system fails, we jump in. Although certain business transactions are not exactly legal. We never hurt people, just to hurt them. We never take advantage of innocents or the weak. My father was adamant about it; Mateo is downright obsessive to ensure people under him don’t abuse their power or hurt any innocents. But none of that is our concern. If you end up having a baby and connection to Kyle’s body is found, he’ll never… and I mean never, let anyone hurt you. Or your children. Mateo is one of those men that would burn down cities and kill everyone to keep you safe.”

“How romantic,” I muttered. I really tried to come off sarcastic but it actually came out impressed. It was almost like a bloody, sweet fairy tale. “I should have my head checked before I lose the insurance,” I muttered.

“You won’t lose it, Brie,” Daphne jumped in. “If we tell him you need insurance, he’ll keep you on it for the rest of your life.”

“Really?” I asked in surprise. I thought back to our conversation in Panera. “I think I already told him I needed health insurance for Emma.”

“It’s a good plan,” Marissa tried to convince me.

“I just can’t do the trapping,” I confessed. “I know he’s an ass for making me stay here while we figure out whether I’m pregnant or not. But I just can’t do it to him.”

A frustrated sigh left Marissa’s lips.

“Who remembered to use a condom last night?” Daphne asked. “Was it you or him?”

I took a deep breath. “It was me.”

“Did he object?” she asked, and I knew it would end up working against me.

“He asked if I was sure we needed it,” I retorted blushing. Of course, I would not admit to them I was tempted to go without it.

“Okay, then don’t bring it up,” Daphne tried to justify. “If he brings it up, then use it. If he doesn’t, just go with the flow. It is better without a condom anyhow.” I rolled my eyes. These two would make my eyes permanently stuck in the back of my head. “Or if you really need a super clean conscience, which I would not advise, offer for him to use a condom, and if he suggests going au naturale, you go along with it.”

I glanced back at my daughter. It wouldn’t be horrible, right? But if I was slowly already falling for Mateo, wouldn’t a permanent bond make it hard to separate later? It would be hard to see him with a new woman. It was hard on my father seeing my mother with a new husband. I could never forget the hurt on his face. She didn’t give a shit but he did. He gave Mother his heart and she squashed it uncaringly.

“What if he finds out about us killing Kyle?” I asked in a whisper.

“We’ll tell him what happened and what Kyle was ready to do,” Marissa said firmly but she couldn’t hide the little shudder that went through her body.

“We don’t have any proof to back us up,” I told her.

One more look at my daughter and my best friends, I made my decision. “Okay, I’m in, but only on one condition.”

“Why do you have to put conditions on being saved?” Daphne asked exasperatedly.

“I’ll go through with plan A and plan B, but only if we agree if our involvement comes out, all three of us say that I was the one that did it all,” I let the meaning sink in. “I killed him and the smuggler, I took his body out to sea and got rid of it.”

“But-” Marissa tried to change my mind but I cut her off.

“But nothing,” I told her firmly. “If I’m pregnant, it won’t matter, right? He’ll still protect me. That is my only condition.”