Fall For My Ex’s Mafia Dad
Chapter 275

Victoria sighs as she pounds on Ivan's door, hoping to hell that he's up. She clenches her teeth as she hears movement in the room, clutching her hands impatiently. A moment later the door swings open and Ivan flinches back from the bright morning sunshine.

"Why aren't you up?" Victoria asks, her voice frustrated.

"Why are you up?" Ivan retorts, glaring at her and rubbing his eye. Then he stands up a little straighter. "Did you hear from Fay?"

"Look at you," Victoria says, smirking. "Standing at attention at the mere idea that she would call."

"Shove it, Victoria," Ivan sighs, a little sick of her. "Just tell me what's going on."

"We have to go," she says, nodding over at their cars. "Lippert wants a face-to-face. I'm going to the house and I need backup." She turns to walk away but Ivan grabs her arm. "Victoria," Ivan says, shaking his head, "this is stupid -"

"It's a move I have to make -"

"It is not," Ivan snaps, his eyebrows going up. "What - why the hell would you go to their territory -"

"Just come, Ivan," she groans, rolling her eyes and tugging her arm out of his hand. "She's my daughter, it will be perfectly fine - it's just a counter-offer, completely normal. Which you should know, considering your years undercover."

Ivan just scowls and shakes his head more, leaning against the doorframe and studying this woman who is so like Fay and yet...so completely different. For someone who's not much of a mother, he thinks, she's got a hell of a lot of faith in her daughter.

"I'm going now," Victoria calls over her shoulder as she moves towards her rented car. "You have about five minutes to pull yourself together - follow behind, and for god's sake, stay out of sight when you get to the Lippert house, all right? They know I have backup coming, but it won't do any good for them to know where."

"Fine," Ivan calls after her, not liking this plan at all but backed into a corner by this woman. She's the only route he's got left, after all, to the one thing he's wanted since he was a kid.

Revenge.

Ivan ducks back into his hotel room, getting dressed fast and scowling the entire time because as much as he's going along with this plan? Something about it just doesn't feel right. When he's ready he grabs his wallet, his keys, and the shady black market gun Victoria gave to him when they arrived. After all, neither of them are technically here on official business - no way of getting a good gun into the country.

"Should just steal one from Lippert while I'm there," Ivan murmurs, checking the clip. "I'm sure he's got dozens."

And then, ensuring everything is neatly tucked away on his body, Ivan leaves the hotel room and heads for his car, lost in his thoughts and anxieties about what the hell Lippert has up his sleeve, asking Victoria to come to the house.

Is Fay even in on this? Does she know what's going on? Is she -

"Hey," a voice says calmly behind him as Ivan reaches for his car door. Ivan spins immediately, something ringing with familiarity about that voice -

But before he can even process it, a fist flies through the air and connects solidly with his face.

"That's for kidnapping my wife," Daniel growls as Ivan falls to the ground of the parking lot. Before he can react, Daniel presses a shoe to the center of Ivan's back, forcing him flat, and another pair of hands grabs Ivan's wrists, zip tying them together behind his back faster than Ivan can process it.

And then, suddenly, he's being hauled to his feet. Ivan shouts, kicking out at Daniel, but Daniel punches him again and he groans, tasting blood in his mouth.

"Don't be a fucking idiot, Ivan," Daniel growls. "It's done."

Ivan only has the opportunity to blink at Daniel once before a piece of duct tape smacks over his mouth and a sack descends over his head, making his vision go black.

When my mother arrives at the house, I'm standing on the front porch in a serious black dress. Not because I felt it fits the occasion - not really. Just because it's the only damn thing that fits.

The puppy jumps around at my feet, chasing a leaf, and I smile down at him as my mom's car makes its way down the driveway.

"Oh, little pup," I sigh, passively grateful that my most recent contraction passed just before the gate opened to admit my mother's car. "I wish I was you. You're having a great day."

The puppy looks up and yips at me, excited, and I can't help but smile at him as my mom parks and climbs out of the car, looking me over from head to foot.

"Where's your keeper, Fay?" she asks, her voice cold. "Or are you allowed to speak for yourself now?"

"Hey, mom," I say, my voice sarcastically cheerful. "Welcome to our home! Would you like to come inside? Can I get you something cool to drink?"

She rolls her eyes at me as she comes up the front steps and gestures to the door. "Shall we?" she asks, clearly not having any time for my fake niceties. "After you," I murmur, leaning down to pick up the pup as she pulls the door open and steps inside.

Kent's waiting for her in the kitchen.

"Victoria," he says by way of greeting, looking her over from head to foot. "You look well."

"Bodes well for you, doesn't it," my mother says, walking boldly into the kitchen and looking Kent over in kind. "Considering that you're getting a preview of what that one will look like in about twenty years." She gestures at me over her shoulder with a thumb. Kent looks over my mother's head at me and I just shrug, not knowing what the hell else to do. I mean, it's not like she's wrong. Kent smirks and then turns his attention back to my mother. "Can I get you something to drink?"

"What is with you two?" my mom asks, looking between us with her nose crinkled. "Offering drinks - this is not a visit, we're here on business. Let's get it done."

"Fine," Kent says, gesturing towards the hall. "This way, please."

"I'm perfectly comfortable right here," my mom says, moving for one of the stools by the counter.

"Actually," I say, taking a step forward. "We'd prefer you came to one of the back rooms, mom. Dad...he doesn't precisely know you're here."

It's a lie of course - dad's gone to town. But still, we need mom in a private room for the rest of what we've got planned.

My mom raises her eyebrows at me, complete shock on her face. I tilt my head to the side, wondering if she actually knows her husband is here at all. I mean - they've been watching us, right? But then again...dad doesn't leave the house often to go to town... A sly little smile finds my lips. "So, unless you'd prefer to have a much larger confrontation today..."

"Fine," she scowls, sighing and following Kent as he moves down the hall. "Though I'd like to remind you that my backup is here, and that if I don't come out of this house in one hour -"

"You are perfectly safe with us," Kent murmurs as he opens the last door on the right down the hall, his voice smooth and comforting.

I follow my mother slowly down the hall, only turning into the room when she's stepped inside. And then I lean against the doorframe, my hand moving slowly across my stomach as I watch my mother turn slowly around, her eyes roving over everything. "What...what is this," she asks, her voice breathless.

"It's the baby's nursery, mom," I say quietly. "We thought you'd like to see it. You're about to be a grandmother, after all."

She snaps her gaze to me and glares, not at all liking that term. "Cut the emotional subterfuge, Fay," she says, her voice withering. "It's not going to work on me."

"It's also the only private room we have that works conveniently for our conversation," Kent says, his voice bored. "So, emotional subterfuge or not, Victoria, would you please take a seat?"

He gestures towards the comfortable armchair I plan to use when nursing and my mother sits down.

"Okay," I sigh, turning away from the door. "I'll leave you to it."

"What?" my mom asks, surprised.

"Did you think I'd stay?" I ask, blinking innocently at her, the puppy in my arms looking her way with curiosity. "After all, I'm too naïve for these conversations." I give her a bit of my own withering stare as Kent nods to me. "Call me if you need me, sweetheart," I sigh, playing my prescribed sweet little mafia wife role and pulling the door shut behind me as I head back into the living room to peer out the window. "Just in time," I murmur, watching Daniel's car pull down the driveway as well.

As I watch, Daniel parks the car and Jerome steps out of the back seat, hauling a captive Ivan out with them. I glance down the hall, hoping to hell our soundproofing of the baby's room two months ago is as good as the contractor said it would be. And then I go to open the front door.

"All right," Daniel says, striding through the front door and gesturing for Jerome to follow. "Where do you want him, Fay?"

"Fay!?" I hear Ivan shout, the word muffled by his duct-taped mouth.

"In my bedroom, please," I say, gesturing towards my room, which is the furthest point across the house from where Kent and my mom are having their little chat.

Ivan moans in frustration as Jerome lifts his arm up, hauling Ivan across the living room and pushing through the door into my bedroom.

I sigh, hanging my head and kissing the top of the puppy's ear as I take a deep breath, praying to hell that the rest of this goes smoothly. Because there are way, way too many wildcards left in this game for my comfort.

But, I'm in it now. And so I stride forward, following the boys into the bedroom, grabbing a little baby monitor off the back of the couch on the way.