Ruthless Mafia Daddy (Alpha Mafia Daddies)

I hold Lila until she falls asleep, drinking in the soft sounds of her breathing, the warmth of her body tucked against mine.

She’s pregnant.

I let my hand stroke soft circles on her stomach, trying to calm my racing heart as I think of the child growing inside her.

She’s so fragile, and I want to keep her by my side at all times.

If Lorenzo were to ever find out about this baby…

I force the thought from my mind. I’ve already lost so much, the thought of losing Lila too has my heart cracking open.

I have to ensure that this knowledge is kept quiet for as long as possible, no matter the cost.

I lie awake for hours, thoughts of Lorenzo finding Lila running through my mind on repeat until my skin is covered in sweat, and my heartbeat is pounding in my ears.

Lila remains asleep, but she tightens her arms around my waist, snuggling further against me as if she can sense my distress.

I press a soft kiss to her head and wait for the sun to rise.

She’ll be confused when she wakes to find I’m gone, but I don’t want to wake her when she looks so peaceful.

I slowly pull myself free from Lila’s arms and move to gather my clothes, deciding to leave her a note for when she wakes, explaining that I wanted to leave without being seen. It’s only a precaution, but I hope she’ll understand.

As I button my shirt, I walk over to the refrigerator and run my finger over the sonogram picture, praying that this isn’t too good to be true.

Being the child of a mafia don ultimately means a target on your back, but I will do whatever it takes to ensure my family is safe, and that family includes Lila and this baby.

I press one last kiss to Lila’s hair as I tuck my note beside her pillow before I leave. My Mercedes is parked outside, and I decide to head back to Westchester to check on Rosa as Marco is at the penthouse.

The streets are fairly quiet as I head across the city toward the freeway. The sky is clear, and I feel some of the cloud starting to lift around my mood as I think of Lila sleeping peacefully in her bed.

I know I will see her in a few hours at the office, but I already feel the ache from being apart.

I’ve spent the past five years avoiding such a feeling. After losing Valentina, I never thought I could be whole again, and I never wanted to replace her. But Lila has changed that, and for once, I’m not running from the life she could offer me.

I glance in my rearview mirror before signaling at the lights, frowning at the blacked-out Range Rover behind me.

The guy behind the wheel has a shaved head and is wearing dark sunglasses despite it not even being five a.m..

An uneasy feeling swirls in my gut, so I quickly change my turn signal and pull off at the next set of lights.

The Range Rover does the same.

I make a last second left turn down a small side street, barely wide enough to fit my Mercedes, let alone a huge Range Rover and yet⁠—

“Fuck.”

Everything around me seems to slow as I try to process what to do.

I reach over and open my glove box, sighing as I find a loaded handgun. I reach beneath my seat and find another.

I take a sharp right turn, pressing buttons on the central screen as I try to shake off whoever it is that is following me.

“Come on, pick up the fucking phone,” I mutter, hastily making a right turn.

Marco hisses, “What the fuck, Andre⁠—”

“Marco, I need you to do something for me.” I keep my voice calm as the Range Rover gains a few feet on me.

“At five a.m.?” my brother groans.

“Yes, at five a.m.. It’s urgent.”

“You suck, I hope you know that.”

“I couldn’t give less fucks what you think right now, Marco.” I glance again in my rearview mirror. “I’m being followed by a blacked-out Range Rover, looks like it could be one of Lorenzo’s men.”

“Shit!” Marco exclaims. “What do you want me to do? I can track your phone and try to intercept⁠—”

“I need you to drive to 135 West 19th street and collect Lila. Bring her back to the Westchester house.”

“You’re not serious.”

“Marco, I’ve never been more serious about anything in my life.”

If this guy was waiting outside Lila’s apartment for me, even if I manage to shake him off, there’s no saying whether he might go back to her building and try to take her and my unborn child along with him.

I won’t let that happen.

“Lorenzo might still have someone watching her place, so don’t go through the front.” I dodge a slower car. “There’s a window in her bathroom you can get to via the fire escape. It’s cracked open. Go through there.”

“Why is this woman so important to you?”

“Just do as I ask, and I’ll explain later. Please. Bring her back to the mansion. But take the long way, in case anyone follows you.”

“Fine,” Marco huffs. “I’m grabbing my keys now.”

“Hurry. Oh, and Marco?” I take one last glance in my mirror before pressing the gas pedal to the floor and running the next three red lights to try and shake this guy.

“Yeah?”

“Lila’s pregnant, so don’t use any significant force, otherwise, I will kill you,” I add before hanging up the phone and calling Delilah, my housekeeper at the Westchester house.

“Good morning, Mr. De Luca.”

“Delilah, please ready one of the guest rooms immediately. I have a friend coming to stay with us for a while, and she’ll need all the relevant toiletries and clothing stocked.”

“Of course, sir.”

“I will be at the house shortly before she arrives.”

“Everything will be ready for your arrival. I’m assuming you would like to bring in some extra security?”

“Have Xander sort it.” I smile as I realize the Range Rover is stuck behind a line of yellow cabs.

“Very well, we will expect you soon, Mr. De Luca.”

“Thank you, Delilah.”

She hangs up the phone, and I let out a breath.

I want to shake this guy off my tail, but I don’t want to risk him turning around yet.

It won’t take Marco long to get to Lila’s place, but who knows what sort of fight she might put up.

I would do it myself, but Lila is strong-willed. She’ll likely stand her ground and not take the threat on her life seriously. I can’t risk anything happening to her, so if she has to hate me for a while in order for me to keep her safe, then so be it.

I reach over to the glove compartment and pull the gun free, not wanting to take any chances. This guy has been following me for a while through the city but has made no move to pull a weapon.

“What do you want?” I narrow my eyes as he overtakes the cabs and narrowly misses colliding with the oncoming traffic.

I take my foot off the gas enough for him to catch up until we get to the interstate.

I glance at the time.

Marco should be almost at Lila’s apartment by now, and I want to shake this guy off before I get too close to the Westchester house where Rosa is.

“Fuck.” I hate having my family scattered around like this. It leaves too many openings for Lorenzo to make a move on someone I care about. He’s done it before, and he will do it again.

As I spot the turning for the interstate, I flatten my foot on the gas pedal, driving up on the sidewalk to overtake the morning traffic.

Ignoring all stop signs and red lights, I speed through the city, determined to lose this guy before I reach the turning.

Just as I’m about to turn off onto the interstate, I swerve, disappearing down a connecting road.

I watch through my mirror as the Range Rover pulls onto the interstate where he’ll likely get stuck in the morning rush traffic.

“Amateur.” I turn around and program my GPS to take me the scenic route back to my family’s mansion.

Xander walks beside me. “I’ve got two men watching the main exits to the house, and two more on their way. I’ve got Dez in the security room watching the cameras.”

It took me almost two hours to get home, constantly watching my back in case Lorenzo’s guy managed to track me again.

“Marco is on his way.” Xander pulls out his phone, showing the tracker. “He should be here within the hour.”

“Good.” I run my hands through my hair. “And the room is all ready?”

“Yes.”

“I need to add a few more…touches.”

Xander nods.

He leaves me to head to the basement, while I make my way up the stairs.

Lila will be in the guest bedroom directly next to my room so I can keep a close eye on her. She’s going to be furious with me when she realizes who it was that took her, but I don’t care. I’d much rather her be mad at me and alive, than tortured to death by Lorenzo Rossi.

Delilah has done a good job with the room. It’s light and spacious, with a huge double bed, a seating area with TV, and an ensuite bathroom with a jacuzzi tub.

I check all the drawers to find all the relevant toiletries she might need along with the wardrobe.

I choke back a laugh at finding an array of lacy underwear has been folded neatly in the top drawer.

“I don’t think this will go down well.” I run my finger along the tiny scraps of lace.

A knock sounds at the door.

“Come in.” I shut the drawer and turn to find Xander waiting in the doorway with a set of restraints in his hands.

“Will these do?”

“Unfortunately, yes.” I move to take them from him.

I’m hoping Lila will be cooperative, but I also don’t want to risk her hurting herself if she gets too emotional. It won’t be good for her or the baby, so if I have to tie her to the bed in order for her to listen to me, I will.

My phone dings in my pocket, and I quickly hand the restraints to Xander before pulling out my phone and seeing a message from Marco.

“They’re here.” I smile.

Lila is safe.