Fall For My Ex’s Mafia Dad
Chapter 274

"We'll tell you when you need to know," Kent says, his voice dry as he leans back and slips his hands i more."

pockets. "And when your boy here proves that he can complete this without betraying us?" Kent shifts his gaze to Jerome here and shrugs. "We'll tell you

Daniel heaves a sigh and glares at Jerome, nodding before grabbing Kent's phone and pressing a few buttons, sharing the location of my phone - the one in Ivan's car - with his own. That done, he nods to Jerome. "You ready?" Daniel asks his boyfriend, who nods solemnly.

"Take guns," Kent says, nodding towards our bedroom. Daniel and Jerome nod, heading towards our door

"Wait," I say, frowning and standing up straight. "Where are they - Kent!" I gasp and turn to him. "You keep guns in our bedroom!?"

"Where did you think I kept them," he murmurs, frowning at me. "In the freezer?"

My jaw drops open as I stare up at him and then I scowl and point a finger up into his face. "You had better make sure those guns are locked down and that the baby can't get to them, Kent Lippert," I growl. "Fay," he says, reaching for me and pulling me close. "If you didn't know they're there, the baby won't either. At least, not until she's six. And then we'll get a better lock."

And I scowl and put the issue of Kent's arsenal to the back of my mind.

Because honestly, we've got enough on our plates today.

And it's just getting started.

When Daniel and Jerome come out of the bedroom and move to the door, I look closely to see where they've hidden guns on their bodies - but...nothing.

"Are there just guns everywhere, all the time?" I muse, resting my chin in my hands and watching as the boys grab their keys and wave goodbyes over their shoulders, heading out to Daniel's car.

"Yes," Kent answers distractedly, glancing towards the hallway where the rest of the bedrooms are. "Is your dad up? He...might not want to walk into this."

"It's too early," I sigh, straightening up and looking anxiously at the clock, knowing I've got about five minutes before the next contraction hits - if not sooner. I mean, they're supposed to speed up, right? Shit. Is that enough time for a phone call?

"All right," Kent says, pulling out the little slip of paper my mom wrote a phone number on. "Are you ready for this?"

I sigh, putting my anxiety out of my head, knowing that I need to concentrate right now and also that have to stop trying to micromanage this whole situation.

Because all of it - it's happening so fast, and it's completely out of my control, the kind of fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants job that Kent, quite rightly, said is not my forte.

"Hey," he says sharply, putting a finger beneath my chin and turning my face up to his. "Are you having ends doubts? Because if you are -"

"No," I say, scowling and pulling my chin from his grasp. "I'm just...out of my element, Kent. You know that."

"Luckily," he says, wrapping an arm around my shoulder and pulling me close, "I'm in mine." He dips his head then, pressing a warm kiss to my mouth that floods me with warmth - even makes me almost forget the cramping that's starting low in my stomach. Shit. Not even five minutes now. They are speeding up.

Kent pulls away and looks down at me with his eyebrows raised, a question in his eyes.

I nod, ready. "Let's do it," I say, staring up into his green eyes. "I love you."

"I love you, Fay," he says, utterly serious, knowing it's important for me to hear it.

And then I nod, and he grabs the phone, dials the number, and presses the speaker button.

Anxiety floods me along with the pain of my contraction as the phone rings once. Twice. And then it picks up.

I take a small step back as Kent leans forward, hoping to hell he doesn't look back at me as the pain of the contraction sweeps through me. I take long, deep breaths, hoping that if he hears anything strange about my breathing he'll attribute it to the anxiety of the moment.

"Hello?" I go rigid - even more rigid - at the sound of my mother's voice.

"Hello, Victoria," Kent says smoothly, adopting his Mafia Don voice, deep and steady, all business.

There's a long pause and I bite back a groan as my lower back begins to ache, the pain wrapping around my abdomen as the contraction continues.

"Kent," my mother says, her voice light, interested. "I didn't expect to hear from you. Where is my daughter."

"She's here with me."

"And," mom says with a low chuckle. "May I have some proof of that?"

Shit. Shit shit shit.

Just before Kent turns, I wipe my face clean of pain, forcing my face into steady lines. "I'm here, mom," I say, calm, even.

Kent nods to me and turns back to the phone as I exhale a huge, silent breath, letting my face crunch with the pain of the contraction again. Mentally I curse and force myself to take deep, deep breaths.

"All right," my mom replies. "So, are you in charge now, Kent?" she asks, dry.

"I should have been in charge from the start of this," Kent snaps, his voice harsh. "It was a mistake to go to Fay, Victoria. You should have come to me."

"And why," she asks, dry, "would I do that?"

"What?" he asks, a little humor leeching into his voice now, and I have to admit that I'm impressed with his performance. "You didn't think I'd buy your threat? Admit it, Victoria, you went to Fay because she's naïve. She wouldn't know how to handle it, which was to your benefit."

Kent's words bite, but I remind myself that we decided on this method together - we practiced this conversation, all the ways it could spin out. Mercifully, the contraction starts to ebb, and I step closer, finally able to pay more attention, my hand stroking over my stomach.

"Partially," my mother agrees, admitting it. "But it changes nothing, Kent. I want Bianci on a platter, or you go down."

"I understand the terms," he growls. "But unlike Fay, I'd like to take the opportunity to counter."

My mother laughs a little then. "Why on earth would I accept a counter-offer, Lippert? I hold all the cards here."

"No, Victoria," Kent says, turning to look down into my eyes. "You just think you do. Besides, in exchange for your silence, I might be willing to offer...much more."

"And what would that be?" she asks, newly curious.

"The Alden family, likewise served up," Kent says. "The largest Italian and the American families, together, on a platter."

"You can do that?" she asks, her voice a little more breathless than I think she'd prefer at this moment.

"I can," he replies, nodding even though she can't see him. "I want out of this, Victoria - all of it. You've been following me for years - you know I've been trying to go legit. We're on the same side, you and I. We could have negotiated this as equals, if you'd just come to me first."

"All right," she sighs. "And what do you want from me to make this happen?"

"A face-to-face," Kent snaps. "Today. Now."

"No," she replies. "It's impossible -"

"Then the offer goes off the table, Victoria," Kent says, sounding almost bored.

"I'll turn you in -"

"You won't," he snaps, impatient. "You're not leaving Sicily with nothing - and you won't play the trump card you've got hanging over my head out of spite. Don't forget, Victoria," he seethes, perhaps genuinely angry at her now, "I know you. You're not turning me over unless you get something out of it."

My mother is quiet for a long moment and in that long silence I know that we've called her bluff. Kent looks up into my eyes and nods once. The corners of my mouth start to turn up.

"All right," she says, her voice dry. "I'll meet. Though I'm bringing backup."

"Be my guest," Kent says. "How long will it take you to get here?"

"One hour," she snaps, and Kent hangs up the phone call without another word said.When he turns to me, I find that I'm shaking just a little, from fear, or adrenaline - or - god, who knows. Whatever. I'm too exhausted by it all to parse my emotions right now. "All right?" he asks, moving close and stroking a hand down over my hair.

I hesitate but then give a shaky nod and Kent gathers me to him, holding me and rocking me back and forth, murmuring sweet things as I bury my face against his chest.

Because...I mean, there's no going back now, is there?

I exhale a long, long sigh.

"Everything all right in here?" I hear dad ask, and I jump a little, turning to see him standing in his pajamas at the edge of the kitchen. He looks around. "Where did everyone go?"

Kent sighs and releases me. I bend down and pick up the puppy, not able to meet my dad's eye.

"David," Kent sighs, slipping his hands into his pockets. "I think we should have a talk -"

"No," dad says, and I look up at him with wide, curious eyes. "Kent, I have a feeling...well." He looks between the two of us now. "Whatever's going on? I have a feeling I just don't want to know. Is that all right?" Kent looks at me and I look between him and my father before giving a small nod.

If that's...really what he wants? Then I'm okay with that too.

"I think I'm going to town," my dad says, looking out the front door where two cars still sit. "I'm going to stay there all day. And you'll call?" he says, raising an eyebrow at me. "When...well, when I should come back?" "Sure, dad," I say quietly, working hard to keep my voice from shaking.

"All right, doll," he says, coming forward to press a kiss to my cheek and then heading back to his room to get changed.

"Class act, your dad," Kent says, running a hand through his hair.

"He's the best," I sigh, exhaling another long breath.

Kent picks up his phone again, and I watch him dial Daniel's number. "Are you on your way?" he asks, and I don't hear the answer, but Kent gives a curt nod.

And then he tells Daniel the rest of the plan.