Fall For My Ex’s Mafia Dad
Chapter 56

Jerome drives casually down the country roads close to the stables, singing along with the old country music from the 50s and 60s that's playing on the radio. I smile, watching and listening to him. Who knew that a guy trying to work his way up in a mafia family

could sing so well.

And knew so much Patsy Cline.

I shrug, looking out the window, enjoying the view when suddenly Jerome slams on the breaks.

"Shit," he mutters as our car skids to a stop, beginning to fishtail a little.

I gasp, grabbing on to the handle above my head and the center console to hold myself steady. My vision, of course, snaps directly to the road, anxious to see what the hell is in our way.

My eyes go wide with shock when I see it.

A bright red Ferrari, situated sideways in the middle of the road, blocking any traffic that might come by on either side.

And leaning against it, his arms crossed casually in front of him, is a young man in a fashionable designer sweatsuit. With tattoos all the way up his neck.

"Shit," Jerome says again, scrambling for the glove box, popping it open and pulling out -

Oh my god, a gun.

"What!?" I ask, my eyes following it with shock. "Has that been there the whole time!?"

Jerome ignores me, flicking the safety off the gun and expertly ensuring that the clip is full of bullets.

"Stay still, Fay," he murmurs, looking out of the windshield as Ivan stands up from his position leaning against the car, smirking at Jerome in the front seat. Then, his eyes slide to mine, and he c***s his head to the side. A question.

I glance back at Jerome, the loaded gun in his hand, and make an impulsive decision.

Before he can stop me, I pull the handle on my door and push it open, putting one foot out.

"Fay!" Jerome yells, grabbing for me, but I'm out of the car before he can get a grasp on me. "Get the fuck back in here!"

"He's not going to hurt me," I say, bending down so that Jerome can hear me and see my face. "But you're definitely going to get shot if you go out there with a gun -"

"You're going to get kidnapped Fay!" Jerome exclaims, but I just shut the door in his face, hoping he listens to me.

Then, I start to walk towards Ivan, who gives me a sly little smile.

He's not going to kidnap me. If he wanted me kidnapped, he wouldn't be putting on such a show. No, this is him wanting to impress me.

"Would you mind?" I say, coming within about five feet of him. He watched me as I came, his eyes sliding over me from head to foot. "You're kind of blocking the road."

"Am I?" Ivan asks, glancing over his shoulder, feigning ignorance. Then, he turns back to me and gives me his most charming smile. "My bad."

I just raise an eyebrow at him.

"Where are you off to?" he asks next, too casual.

"You know where I'm going, Ivan," I say, shaking my head a little, unwilling to play his game. Clearly, if he's here, he knew that I would be coming to Kent's stables this morning. And he knew precisely what time I'd be here, and why I was going. "You look cute," he says, sliding his hands into his pockets. "A real equestrian, in that getup. Can you ride?"

"Barely," I say, looking to my side at the pretty fields by the side of the road. Really, though, I turned away because I didn't want him to see the little smile on my face that came as a result of his compliment. "But I like my horse. He needs his exercise." My face more under control now, I turn back to him, crossing my arms. "So do you mind?"

"Ah, come on," he says, wrinkling his nose at me. "Let someone else exercise your horse today. Hang out with me instead."

"Seriously?" I say, tilting my head as I look at him. "You think that if you block the path towards the thing that I actually want to do, I'll just cave and go out with you?"

He gives me a naughty little smirk then. "Never failed me before."

I can't help myself. I laugh. "Wait, so you've done this before? Just blocked the road until the girl you like goes out with you?"

"Well," he says, giving a shrug. "If someone is being a c**k block, then I've got to pull the road block."

"What do you mean?" I ask, suddenly curious. "Who is cock blocking you?"

"Your new daddy-in-law," he says, leaning forward and grinning at me. "I've been trying to get in touch with you for days. But Lippert is blocking all my calls. My messages. All those poor carrier pigeons," he shakes his head in regret, "dead, for nothing but his pride." "Really?" I ask, surprised. "You've...been trying to call me?"

"Why are you surprised at that?" he asks, smooth. "You're a gorgeous girl. And, well. At the beach I thought we had sort of...a connection. Or whatever."

I let him see my little smile this time. "A connection? Or whatever?"

"Whatever," he says, leaning forward further so that his eyes are even with mine, looking at me intensely. "Whatever you want, Fay Alden."

I can't help myself, then. The little butterflies that flutter around in my stomach make the decision for me.

"Fine," I say, taking three steps forward to join him at his side. "You'd better drive fast, though," I say, nodding back to Jerome in the black car behind me. "Because he's definitely going to shoot you if you don't."

Ivan laughs at this, raising a hand and giving Jerome a friendly wave. "What, that guy? Not a chance. He doesn't have the balls."

I see Jerome in the front seat suddenly go red with rage when he sees what I'm doing. He moves, fast, grabbing the handle of his door.

"Quick!" I shout, feeling a little reckless and liking it. I shove Ivan's shoulder, urging him to move. "Go, go!"

Ivan laughs, giving a little whoop and running around to the driver's seat of his car.

"Fay!" I hear Jerome shout behind me. But I've already got the ferrari's door open.

"It's okay, Jerome!" I shout to him as I throw myself into the seat. "We're just going out for lunch! Can you take out Heathcliff for me!?"

"God damnit, Fay!" he shouts, and I see him raising his gun. But I slam my door shut, giving a little shriek of excitement.

"Hold on, baby," Ivan murmurs, throwing the car into gear and then slamming on the gas, the tires spinning as he turns the wheel hard, spinning the car back into the lane and starting to fly down the road.

I look behind us, then, through the little back window, still laughing as I see Jerome raise his hands to his hair, clearly freaking out. I don't feel guilty, though for some reason, in this minute, I've given totally over to the adrenaline rush. There's no room for guilt. "Did you just get him in big trouble?" Ivan asks, glancing at me as we pick up speed.

"Probably," I murmur, still looking back until Jerome until he disappears around a bend. Then, I turn to Ivan, a big smile on my face. "What's next?" I ask.

"Anything you want, Fay," he murmurs, keeping his eyes on the road.

I bite my lip, then, considering the possibilities.