Fall For My Ex’s Mafia Dad
Chapter 193

At 2:30 in the morning, I stand up and take a deep breath. The conversation awkwardly fades out around me, but I wave my hands at everyone. "I'm just going to go take a shower," I say, smiling around. "Ignore me - keep going -"

"No, that's a good idea," Daniel says, looking over at Jerome. "I'm going to go get ready too."

"I'll help you, Fay," Janeen says, standing up and coming to my side.

Donnie, still sitting on the couch with my dad - who fell asleep hours ago - gives us a thumbs up and grabs for the remote. "I'll just hang here!"

"You don't need to help me," I say to Janeen, frowning a little, "I'm not that pregnant -"

"Well then I'll just stare at your beautiful face," she says, raising her hands to my face and smushing my cheeks between her palms.

I scowl and swat her hands away, but she laughs and gives me a little shove towards my room.

Then, my sister and I very quietly get me ready for what is surely going to be the most stressful day of my life. I shower, and then put on very carefully-selected makeup while Janeen lays out my clothes. Of course, everything of importance is already packed and out of the house. Even if I wanted to decide on a change of clothing, this is the only dress that I have left.

"Black," she says, looking down at the prim little maternity dress spread out on the bed. "Appropriate. Very goth. Very...black widow. Very Regina George with the burn book."

I laugh at my sister, whose mind sometimes goes places I don't understand. But then again...who am I to talk.

"I'm a badass mafia donna now," I murmur as I comb out my wet hair, hoping it dries into pretty curls instead of the crazy frizzy mess it sometimes chooses. "I have to wear black, or else no one will take me seriously."

Janeen helps me apply my eyeliner - she's always been better at makeup than me - and then slips my black pumps onto my feet before helping me stand up.

"All set, baby?" she murmurs, looking me up and down.

"I am," I say, sure of it. Because I have to be.

"For what it's worth, you look beautiful," she says with a shrug and a smile.

"Janeen," I say, my face serious as I put a hand on her shoulder. "Come with us."

"I have to talk to dad," she replies, her smile falling from her face as she glances towards the doorway. "I can't leave him alone."

"Okay," I say, nodding my understanding. "Just...convince him to come too. It will be good, I promise."

"Oh, color me tempted, Fay Thompson," she says, leaning in to kiss my cheek and wrapping an arm around mine as we walk to the door. "I'm on board - but yeah, I'll talk to him."

"Fay Lippert, now," I say as we step out of my room and my handsome husband turns to me, neatly dressed in his own black suit.

"Damn right you are, little wife," he says, smirking at me and opening his arm to me. I hurry my steps a little to get to his side, letting him pull me close.

"Wait," Donnie says from the couch, leaning forward and frowning at us. "Yous two...you're married?"

We laugh and nod to him. "It's complicated," I say, wrinkling my nose in his direction. "Don't worry about it."

"Trust me," Donnie replies, leaning back on the couch and giving us a smile. "I am anything but worried."

"You understand your job?" Daniel asks Donnie. "Any questions?" Jerome comes to my side as Daniel speaks, dressed in jeans and a button-down shirt, sunglasses perched on his head. He gives me a kiss on the cheek and a little wink to let me know he's on board. I smile at him, but something roils in my stomach as I remember what Ivan said about him the other day - about Jerome not being trustworthy.

He's...he's got such a big role to play today. If he betrays us...

But no. I wipe the thought from my mind, because Jerome...Jerome loves Daniel, and he loves me. I just have to have faith.

"Of course I know my role," Donnie says, grinning and nodding. "Never been easier. 10:00, get in the car downstairs, take your phone with me. Put the address in the GPS, drive to that coffee shop and have a nice cup of coffee. That's it." "That's it," I say, smiling at him. "Thank you, Donnie. We're very grateful."

He waves off our thanks and my eyes shift to my dad, still asleep on the couch.

"Don't," Janeen murmurs as I start to move towards him. I turn back at her, a little devastated at the idea of leaving without saying goodbye. "Don't," she says again, shaking her head. "He...he doesn't like goodbyes anyway, baby. He'll just cry."

My heart sinking, I nod. But I turn back to him, taking a long minute to look him over, to memorize the way that he looks.

And then I take a deep breath, and wrap my sister in a hug. "I'll see him soon?" I whisper.

"I hope so, Fay," she whispers seriously back, holding me close.

And then, when she lets me go, all three of us call goodbye to Donnie, who wishes us luck. Then we troop downstairs to the rarely-used garage where Janeen's old car is waiting.

Without another word, Janeen pops the trunk and Daniel and Jerome climb in. She closes the trunk as I climb into the back seat, laying down on the floor. Janeen closes the door behind me and then gets into the front seat, starting the car and pushing the button that opens the garage door.

When that's all done, Janeen pulls onto our front street and - as casually as if she doesn't have a car secretly packed with people - she pulls away from the house.

"I don't see any other cars," Janeen murmurs. "I think we beat Ivan to it, like you said we would."

"The cops will still have a tail on Daniel's car later," I murmur. "I just hope we left early enough to beat them to it, and they're not being sneakier than I thought they'd be."

Janeen just nods and drives for twenty minutes. When she pulls into the parking lot of Crabby Dicks, I sit up and let myself out of the back seat. Jerome and Daniel climb out of the trunk after Janeen opens it, looking serious and rumpled.

We all look around, but there isn't a sign of anyone anywhere. I feel a great deal of relief at that. If Ivan had been more proactive with a tail...this all could have fallen to pieces much earlier than it might.

"You have the address?" Daniel says, turning to Janeen. "To meet us?"

"I've got it," she says, nodding to him. And then, to my surprise, she wraps Daniel in a big hug. "Good luck, brother-in-law," she murmurs, her voice a little choked. "Take care of my baby sister."

"I promise," he replies.

Jerome comes and bumps my shoulder with his. "No hugs or kisses," he says. "I'm too cool for that."

"You liar," I say, laughing and throwing myself into his arms. He laughs too and twirls me in a little circle before putting me back on my feet. "I'll see you tonight," he says. "And if you're good, I'll bring you something pretty." "You'd better," I say, laughing up into his face. "I'm depending on it."

Jerome winks at me before Daniel pulls him aside for a whispered word. Janeen gives me a last kiss and tousles my hair, making me scowl - it's just starting to dry right. And then, before I know it, she climbs into her car and drives away, and Jerome climbs into another car parked in the lot, empty and waiting for him, and does the same.

And then it's just Daniel and me, alone.

"You ready, little wife?" he murmurs, looking down at me with half a smile.

"I

I guess so," I say with a deep sigh. He turns towards the car but I grab his hand. "Hey, I love you, you know," I say, pulling him back.

Daniel smiles and comes close, running a hand over my hair and tucking it behind my ear as he looks down at me. "I love you too. Even though you're insane and might get us killed."

"What's life without a little adventure," I say, grinning, feeling suddenly a little reckless. Daniel laughs, and kisses me on the cheek, and then we climb into the black town car that we left here days ago. In the back a little leather briefcase is waiting with absolutely everything we'll need.

"Okay," I say, taking a deep breath and slowly letting it out. "Off for a nice breakfast at my father's house."

"Nice for you," Daniel murmurs, pulling out of the parking lot and getting started along our long road. "But if all goes as planned..."

"Not so nice for...others." I finish.

And then, as we hit the highway, I turn my heart to steel.

Eighty miles away, a guard comes to open Kent's prison cell.

"Come on, Lippert," he says as Kent sits on his bed, his head hanging low on his shoulders. "Lots of transfer paperwork to process. We've got to start early."

But Kent doesn't get up. Instead, he just sighs, exhausted.

He hasn't slept in...god, he doesn't remember the last time he slept. He just has no idea what's going on and it's killing him. Daniel stopped answering his phone days ago - did...did something go wrong? They had been planning something - he was relatively sure of it. But...was something still in the works? God, he's completely in the dark, and he hates it.

Kent's so riddled with anxiety about all of it - and so completely shattered by the idea that he can't do anything about any of it - that he can barely think straight.

The guard bangs his nightstick against the bars. "Lippert!" he barks. "Up!"

Groaning, Kent gets to his feet. He doesn't fight the guard any more, but instead follows him down the hall to the intake chamber, which he guesses is where they'll process him for his exit before he is loaded into the transport van that will take him to the state penitentiary.

Kent's sitting quietly, waiting for someone to come do...whatever it is they do...when suddenly he hears a familiar voice.

Kent lifts his head, confused, and listens carefully to the shouted words.

"You've got to cancel this transport!" a man shouts and Kent blinks when he realizes that...that it's Ivan. "I swear to god, something is going down!"

"I'm sorry, Detective," someone protests, "but we have no control over this. This transport is happening! If you want to stop it, you have to go to someone way above me to get it authorized."

There's some grumbling, and a few more harsh words, but Kent can't make them out before he hears footsteps stomping away.

And then Kent clenches his teeth as new energy - pure adrenaline, he knows - floods his system.

Because he just got his first hint.

And he's relatively sure, now, that Ivan is right. Something is happening.

And if he's going to survive this - whatever insane scheme Fay has planned - he's going to need his wits about him.

So, Kent sets his jaw, and stares at the wall, steadying himself for whatever is coming next.