Page 30 of Hot for Her Italian Mafia
Yeah, whatever’s going on here isn’t going to end well for me.
“Mr. Lauren, I’m sure we can work something out. Let’s be reasonable,” Dad interjects.
“Logic and reason are out the window, my son. You signed those rights away when you took my money.” Max turns to Dad. He’s not angry, not the way I’d have thought a monster would be. Instead, he’s eyeing Dad with a look of fatherly disappointment.
“Will someone tell me what the fuck is going on here?” I roar. Behind continuous mounting fear and the uncertainty of it all, I can’t control my filter.
I’m the one forced to stand on trial in front of these bastards, and I don’t even know what’s happening. More than that, I need to buy time. The longer I can keep the conversation flowing, the more chance Luca has to bust through the door and save the day again. As soon as my guard’s down and I relinquish the last of whatever power I have in this negotiation, all will be lost.
“Go on, Phillip. Why don’t you tell your daughter what you’ve gotten her into,” Max says. A crooked smile raises on the corners of his lips as he eases back into the chair.
“Josie, I…” Dad’s quivering lip finally turns to whimpering. Tears stream down his cheeks, so do Mom’s. She retreats, deeper into the kitchen, unable to face what Dad’s gone and done.
He stutters his words, unable to form any meaningful sentences. He launches out of his chair with wide arms, desperate to pull me into an embrace. I yield, allowing him to take me.
There he weeps. Crocodile tears wet my hair while he squeezes me against his chest.
And from nowhere, he says, “They’re going to take you, Josie. And there’s nothing I can do about it.”
CHAPTER 19
Luca
My heart is in my throat.
Minutes ago, I held Josie’s hand and walked her home. Shoved my fingers down her panties and gave her a kiss goodnight. How could things have gone so wrong in the short walk back to my car?
I speed down the road and pull up in front of Josie’s apartment building. I grab the snubnose revolver I keep tucked in my cubby and shove it in my pocket. A safety measure I pray I don’t have to use in front of her, but I don’t know what I’m walking into, and if it’s as dangerous as I fear, I have to be able to protect her.
Without hesitation, I sprint into the building and up the stairs. Elevator be damned, it’s not going to carry me as fast as my fury-fueled feet.
“Why don’t you come closer, girl? Let’s get a good look at you.” Maxwell Lauren’s voice is the first I hear on approaching Josie’s door.
My blood boils and the fury sends me into a frenzy.
“If you’ve laid a finger on her, Lauren, I’ll tear your fucking throat out,” I roar, still storming down the corridor.
“L-Luca?” A second voice stammers from inside. At least two. Good to know. My hand instinctively darts to the pistol in my pocket, and I clutch the handle without removing it.
If I can avoid bloodshed, I should. Well, maybe bloodshed is fine. Murder might scare Josie too much for my liking.
“What’s she to you?” Max asks when I step through the door. He’s sitting while his dog stands at attention in front of him. I recognize him. The long streak of piss who tried jumping Josie in the alleyway.
Good to know I’ve left a few lasting marks on him.
“Phil here has made me a promise. He lost a lot of my money on the ponies, and well, it’s time to collect,” Max says with the calm arrogance of an untouchable demi-god.
At the sight of me, Phillip releases Josie and crumbles to the floor. He’s a blubbering mess, snot dripping down his nose and tears spilling from his eyes.
Get yourself together, man.
“He lost your money to you. Hardly a fair gamble,” I say. The cold steel at my fingertips, itching to come out.
Fixing horses is Max Lauren’s bread and butter. Hands money out freely before shafting the poor fools down on their luck, building a network of favors he comes to collect whenever he so pleases.
Unluckily for him, today’s bounty has been claimed.
He smiles. “You’ve done your homework. I’m impressed.”