Top Dog_A Mafia Romance

by Rye Hart

  I shook my head from side to side and wrapped my arms around myself. I couldn’t believe any of this was happening, and I didn’t know which one of the two men was telling me the truth. Did I believe my family or the man I loved? “Get your head out of the clouds, Julia, and look at what’s going on around you. You aren’t seeing the reality because you want to believe the best in everyone. Your uncle will stop at nothing to get what he wants. He’ll kill me, and he’ll kill you, and I know that because he killed his brother.”

  “He didn’t kill my father,” I said as tears flooded my cheeks.

  “He did. And then he spun it onto my family and that’s what killed mine. He wants me out of the way so he can head the largest criminal syndicate in all of New York City. And if you want to protect Matteo, you need to open your eyes.”

  I felt my hand trembling. I wanted to slap him again. I was nauseous, and I didn’t want to stay in the park any longer. I didn’t want to be around Romeo, and I sure as hell didn’t want to be exposed the way I was. I grabbed my purse and stormed off, my mind refusing to process the information Romeo had just spewed at me.

  There was no way in hell my uncle was capable of what Romeo was saying.

  CHAPTER 19

  ROMEO

  I watched her run away from me yet again, and I slammed my fist into the bench. Of course, I’d let my emotions get the fucking best of me. I got that damn trait from my mother. I pushed Julia away when I needed us to be a united front the most, and in return, I’d gotten a fucking slap in the face.

  A slap I deserved.

  I turned on my heels and roared out in frustration. People were watching me, and I knew I was exposed. Too exposed. I had to get back to my car and get home. There were so many things I had to dig into and investigate, but I knew Vincent was right.

  Vincent was always right.

  I had to figure out what my next move was going to be. So long as Julia and my son were under the same roof as that psychopath, they were in danger. And that shit wasn’t going to fly with me. I strode to my car and yanked the door open, ready to race down the street and start digging immediately.

  But a hand came down onto my shoulder and whipped me around, no easy feat considering my size.

  “What the fuck?” I asked.

  “You leave Julia alone.”

  The large man standing in front of me seemed vaguely familiar. I studied him carefully as I shrugged his hand off my shoulder. He was almost my height. Broad. Looked like he could kick some serious ass. His face was hardened, and he clearly didn’t like me anywhere near Julia.

  “Come again?” I asked.

  “Julia,” he said. “Leave her alone.”

  I squinted my eyes at the man as they fell to his fists which were clenched, ready to do battle. And I was itching for a fight. I couldn't place his voice, but there was something about his eyes that was familiar. It was driving me nuts that I couldn’t figure it out.

  Where the hell had I seen this man before?

  “And if I don’t?” I asked.

  “Then I’ll kill you.”

  “I’d like to see you try,” I said.

  “We could give it a go right here if you want.”

  He pulled his leather jacket off to the side and showcased the sidearm on his hip.

  “And you think you’re the only one?” I said.

  I pulled back my suit coat and showed him the two situated on mine.

  “Julia and Matteo are spoken for. Protected by me. And I won’t let you lay a hand on either of them. If you come after Julia or you gun for custody of Matteo, I won’t stop until I lay you out. She doesn’t want you in that boy’s life. And neither do I.”

  “It isn’t good for your health to threaten me,” I said darkly.

  The man bucked up to me, and I craned my neck down to look at him.

  “Julia is her own damn woman, and you do not speak for her. I’ll see her and my son whenever I damn well please,” I said.

  He sneered at me, actually showing teeth like a rabid dog. “I’m warning you. You come near her again, I will put you in the ground asshole,” he spat.

  Then he drew his fist back at lightning speed and crashed into my gut.

  It took me by surprise so I didn't have time to brace. Holy fuck, the man was a quick mover. I gasped for air and started to wheeze as I grabbed my stomach. I fell to my knees beside my car in the fucking parking lot and watched as his boots walked away. My hand hit the pavement as my vision tunneled, my diaphragm attempting to expand long enough to draw in the oxygen it needed.

  Then, I recognized him. Not by his voice or his eyes, but by the sound of his footfalls. Those heavy boots and the slightly off-kilter movement of the way he walked. The type of sound that led men like me to believe he walked with a limp. That day flashed back into my mind. The detective. The police roaming around my house. Julia with worry in her eyes for me. Matteo with a broad smile on his face.

  The guard.

  The guard that beckoned for Julia and Matteo to leave.

  I caught my breath and stood to my feet as a car came rushing by me in the parking lot and swerved in my direction. I jumped, dodging the oncoming bumper by centimeters. I fell to the pavement, and the car skidded onto the road as my heart slammed against my chest.

  Julia and Matteo were in so much more trouble than they realized. And I would do everything in my power to protect them.

  Even if it meant they hated me for the rest of their lives.

  CHAPTER 20

  JULIA

  I sat in Matteo’s room and played with him, watching his hair flutter about his face. But I couldn’t stay still. I was constantly switching positions and pacing back and forth. Running my fingers through my hair or picking at my nails. The things Romeo had said to me were unsettling, and I couldn't stop running his words over and over again in my head. Surely my uncle wasn’t capable of the things he was saying. He was accusing him of cold-blooded murder! That would make my uncle a borderline psychopath. I was a better judge of character than that. I knew when I was standing in the presence of someone who was threatening.

  Didn’t I? I mean, I knew that my uncle had done plenty of unsavory things in his life, but I still didn’t –couldn’t—believe that he’d killed his own brother.

  Romeo had to be wrong. Whoever his “trusted contact” was, they had to be wrong. It was beyond farfetched. My father kept me away from Romeo, whisked me away the second he found out about our love affair as teenagers. He didn’t want me interacting with the Martine family at all, and when we found out I was pregnant, he was livid. There was no way my father would’ve reached out to broker peace because of Matteo. He would have wanted to keep Matteo as far away from Romeo and his family as possible.

  But Stefano did tell me my father was thinking about a truce in his later years.

  “Mom?”

  “Yes, sweetie?”

  “Can we see your friend again?”

  “What friend?” I asked.

  “The man with the bump on his head.”

  I ran my fingers through my son’s hair and opened my arms for him.

  “Come here,” I said.

  Matteo scurried into my arms, and I rocked him in my grasp.

  “Did you like him?” I asked.

  “Yeah. He’s funny.”

  “He is, huh? What else did you like about him?”

  “He knows you. That’s cool.”

  “It’s cool that he knows me?” I asked.

  “Yeah. You don’t have friends. It’s nice that you do now.”

  “I do too have friends,” I said.

  “Can we go home soon?”

  I placed a kiss on the top of my son’s head and sighed.

  “Do you not want the city to be your home?”

  “Not with Uncle,” he said.

  “Why not?” I asked.

  “Because he’s mean.”

  I furrowed my brow and looked down into my son’s eyes.

  “What do you mean, ‘h
e’s mean’?” I asked.

  He shrugged, but I wasn’t letting this issue pass.

  “Did Uncle Stefano do something to you?”

  “No.”

  “Did he say something to you?”

  “No.”

  “Then how is he mean, honey?”

  “On the phone,” Matteo said. “He’s mean on the phone.”

  “What did you hear, sweetheart?” I asked.

  “Can I take a nap?”

  “Will you tell Mommy what you heard?”

  “Lay down with me.”

  “Okay honey.”

  My son was scaring me, and my worst fears were coming to light.

  Was it possible Romeo was telling the truth?

  I settled my son down in bed for a nap and climbed in beside him. I held him close and tried to keep my tears at bay. I clenched my fist to keep my arm from trembling as he nuzzled into me, and I held him as tightly as I could.

  “What happened, my sweet boy?” I asked. Not sure if I was ready to hear his answer.

  “Does Uncle Stefano kill people?” Matteo asked.

  My eyes widened as I looked down at my son.

  “Why would you ask that?”

  “He had a friend come over.”

  “When?” I asked.

  “This weekend.”

  “While Mommy was out?” I asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “What did this friend look like?” I asked.

  “I don’t know. Like him, I guess.”

  “Okay. What did they do?” I asked.

  “They talked.”

  “About what?”

  Matteo fell silent, and I saw tears brewing in his eyes.

  “Matteo, what did they say?” I asked. “This is important, honey.”

  “If I tell you, can we go home?” he asked.

  “Yes. We can. Immediately if that’s what you want.”

  He wrapped his arms around me, and I felt his body trembling.

  “Please talk to me,” I said in a whisper. “You can be really quiet.”

  “Uncle said it was time to kill him.”

  “Who?” I asked. “Who, sweetheart?”

  “I don’t know.”

  I was trembling with my son in my arms as my eyes darted to his door. Was something standing out there listening to us? We had to get out of there.

  “Listen. I want you to lay down and take a nap, okay? Enrico’s going to stand guard, and I’m going to work on some things. I have some calls to make, and then we’re going to go home,” I said.

  “Enrico?”

  “Yes.”

  “Not Uncle?”

  “No. Not Uncle again, okay? You have my word,” I said.

  I laid down with my son, but I could tell he was frightened. I felt him wipe his tears on me, and it broke my heart. My son had been witness to something he neve should have heard in his young life. I was irate, and the more I laid there, the more fearful I became that Romeo was right.

  My uncle was planning on killing someone.

  My son had no reason to make something like that up. We had never talked about things like that before. Hell, he wasn’t even allowed to watch cartoons where people fought.

  I felt his breathing even out against my shoulder, and I slipped from his arms. I locked his windows and drew the curtains, then began to pack his bag. I shoved all of his things in there, fitting as much of it as I could, then I hid it out of sight in the closet.

  Then I locked his door and took the key with me.

  I strode to my room and began throwing things into my bags. I wanted to be ready to go at a moment’s notice. I zipped everything up and tossed them into my closet, then I locked my own windows and drew the blinds.

  We were getting the fuck out of there.

  I rushed downstairs and grabbed my purse, setting it beside the door. I stuck Matteo’s bedroom key in my pocket, then made my way into the kitchen. I needed some coffee. I needed to settle myself down. If I was going to get my son and I out of there without angering my uncle, then I needed to do it tactfully.

  But I jumped the second I heard his voice.

  “Matteo napping?”

  I gripped my coffee mug and plastered on my best smile.

  “Oh yeah. We played hard this morning,” I said.

  “Good. A growing boy needs his rest. Mind if I join you?”

  It made me sick to think about sitting next to him, but I had to play nice. So I nodded and pulled out the chair beside me.

  “You always make the best cup of coffee,” he said.

  “Got the recipe from my mother,” I said.

  “So,” he said as he sat down next to me, “how are things with you and Romeo?”

  My heart fluttered in my chest and my palms began to sweat.

  “In a neutral place, I guess.”

  “Do you think you’ll see him again?” he asked.

  “I’m honestly not sure. My mind changes on a daily basis.”

  “Ah, just like a smitten woman.”

  I furrowed my brow at my uncle as he took a sip of his coffee.

  “I think it would be a good idea if you saw him again,” Stefano said.

  “Why?” I asked.

  “A son should know his father. I think Romeo would make a good one. And I think he would treat you right if you gave him the chance.”

  “Why are you so invested in this?” I asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I know I originally came here to have a sit-down and talk with Romeo, but that was it. I didn’t know you were roping me into being some sort of peace offering between the two families. Why are you suddenly pushing so hard on Romeo and me?”

  “Because you didn’t want me pushing on behalf of Matteo,” he said. “That was your choice, remember?”

  “But why push anyway? Why not reach out yourself? You’re the head of the Bianchi family. He’s the head of the Martines. Isn’t that how things work?” I asked.

  “I want you to be happy, Julia. That’s all I’ve ever wanted. If I reached out to the father of your child without your explicit permission, it would’ve ruined everything before it got off the ground. Bringing you happiness and uniting a broken family brings the two of us together by association. It bridges multiple gaps at once in the easiest way possible.”

  “And what if I don’t want to bridge that gap with Romeo?” I asked.

  “I don’t think that’s what you want,” he said. “This feud has gone on too long, Julia. Both between you and Romeo, and between our families. It’s cost all of us too much. And it needs to end before we are wiped out. Before Matteo gets hurt.”

  “Matteo won’t get hurt. I’ll die myself before I let anything happen to him,” I said.

  “And when your father died, I assumed the responsibility for you and him.”

  “No, you didn’t. I’m an adult and a mother and I’m no one’s responsibility.”

  I watched his eyes flash for a split second, and my legs grew weak.

  “Stefano, you’ve always been honest with me, right?” I asked.

  “Always. I would never lie to you.”

  “Can I ask you something then?”

  “Of course. What's on your mind?”

  “If I reconcile things with Romeo, does that put you in any position to take control of their businesses?” I asked. “Since Romeo and I have a son? I’m not sure how any of this works, lineage-wise and all. You know my father kept me out of such things as much as possible.”

  I watched his face contort, and I readied myself for an attack. I gripped my coffee cup in my hand and prepared myself to leap from the chair and bash it over his head. His face grew red, his eyes wild, and it was a side of my uncle I’d never seen before.

  It was like he’d turned maniacal.

  “Even if it did, I would never do something like that,” Stefano said. “Yes, technically, the birth of Matteo merges our two families’ businesses, but that isn’t the point of all this. The point is your happiness. You
r future, Julia!”

  “My future isn’t any of your business,” I said as I stood up. “And I don’t appreciate you shoving Romeo and me together when I’m not sure I want to raise my son in this lifestyle.. You know that. I’ve expressed that to you on several occasions. My original intention in meeting with Romeo was because you told me he wanted to reach out. And I was curious as to why. That was it. He expressed a want to see his son. I told him that wasn’t happening at all because of his position with his family, and that was that.”

  “Are you accusing me of wanting to take over their business?” he asked.

  “No, I’m not. But I am curious. When I told you that Romeo might’ve been responsible for the death of those gun runners, did you feed any of that information to your police connections? Because according to the article—”

  “I would do no such thing to the father of my brother’s grandson! Besides, you know we don’t cooperate with the police!” he roared.

  I took a step back, my chest panting as Enrico came rushing around the corner.

  “I will not stand here and listen to you accuse me of some twisted fantasy someone has planted in your feeble-minded brain. I brought you here to help broker peace, and you accuse me of wanting to create a monopoly! You’re a clueless, spoiled little child who had no issues riding on Daddy’s dime while spitting on the way he made it!”

  My jaw unhinged as Stefano took a step toward me.

  “I suggest you back up,” Enrico said.

  “I will not stand here and be slandered in my own home. If you don’t want peace with Romeo, that’s your decision. But how it affects your son is on you.”

  Then he stormed out and left me holding my breath.

  “Julia, are you ok?”

  I held my hand out to Enrico and stumbled up against the wall.

  “Get out,” I said breathlessly.

  “Julia, I’m not—”

  “Get the fuck out or you're fired,” I said.

  I closed my eyes and listened as Enrico retreated from the kitchen. His act was good. It was really, really good. Stefano put on a good face, but there was something about it I still didn’t trust. He didn’t deny that he was trying to do it. He said “even if I was.” That wasn’t a denial, just like Romeo had side-stepped my question about the men on the docks.