I was so angry that night. And when I saw him, that beautiful, dangerous Italian mobster, I couldn’t help myself. I knew that he was exactly the sort of man that would hurt my father the most if he ever found out.
And so I insisted on no names, even though I knew his already.
Vincent Mori, one of the new up-and-coming guys in the Italian mob.
“He doesn’t know,” I said to Soph.
“So? Tell him. If he’s not a total fucking piece of shit, he’ll help you.”
“What if he is?”
“Then you can run on your own. I’ll give you the money I have.”
I sighed, shaking my head. “I can’t just run, Soph. I’ve not finished school.”
“Forget school. This is your baby.”
I frowned down at Alex and felt warmness in my heart. Having a baby was so difficult, but every time he looked at me and smiled, everything was worth it. All the pain and the shame my family felt, it was worth it. Because I loved my son and would do absolutely anything for him.
“Kaley, please,” Soph said again. “Run. Tonight if you can. Tomorrow morning at the latest.”
I looked back at her. “Okay. We’ll talk tonight, and I’ll go tomorrow morning.”
She smiled. “Come on. We’ll plan it out.”
“Thanks, Soph.”
“Don’t thank me. This is easy for me. You’re the one running away.”
I nodded. She was right.
Running was going to be the hardest thing I’d ever done.
Especially running from one dangerous situation directly into another one.
I barely knew Vincent Mori. I knew he was young, handsome, and deadly. I knew he had a bad reputation with the Russians and just about everyone wanted him dead. Our two groups were constantly on the edge of war, constantly threatening violence. And I was terrified that they would turn me away.
But Alex was Vince’s son. He couldn’t just abandon his child. I didn’t care what he thought about me, what he felt about me, as long as Alex was safe.
“Let’s do this,” I said to Soph, terrified.
I would do anything for my son, including betraying everything I knew.
2
Vince
I rolled out of bed, a hangover buzzing in my skull.
I grunted as I got up and walked into the bathroom of my little South Side apartment. I turned on the faucet and brushed my teeth, looking into the mirror.
I looked like shit. I hadn’t been sleeping much because of the big deal happening with the Chinese, which meant a lot of fucking stress and headaches.
“Vincent?” came the girl’s voice from the other room.
I grinned at myself. I didn’t look so bad that I couldn’t pick up some random ass from the club, fortunately.
“Yeah, babe?” I asked, looking into the bedroom.
Her hair was disheveled as she sat up and looked at me, pouting. “Why are you getting dressed? You promised me breakfast.”
I laughed. “Did I?”
“Yeah. And you promised me some more fun.”
She gave me these obvious fuck-me eyes, and I just grinned at her.
“Another time, babe,” I said.
“Vince! You promised.”
“I have to get to the office.” I checked the clock and sighed. It was a little bit past eight in the morning.
“I thought you were a gangster?” she asked. “You don’t have an office.”
I walked over to her, and she crawled toward me on her hands and knees. She was wearing only a thin T-shirt that barely covered her full tits, her blond hair falling down around her.
“Guess you don’t know much about the fucking mob,” I said.
She looked up at me, smiling. She reached out and began to stoke my cock.
“Wanna teach me?” she asked.
I leaned down and put my lips against her ear. “No. Now get the fuck out.”
I straightened up as she tried to slap me. Her hand whiffed in front of my face and I laughed again.
“Fucking asshole,” she said.
“Seriously. I’m going to take a shower. If you’re still here, I will throw your ass out on the street myself.”
I turned and walked back into the bathroom, shutting the door.
“Asshole!” I heard her scream, and I heard something thump against the door.
I started the shower. “That better not have been something I cared about,” I muttered.
Just another typical fucking morning in my life. The girl would be gone soon enough, and I’d be off to the compound to start my day.
The bitch really had no clue who she was fucking with. I climbed into the shower, grinning to myself. Life wasn’t so fucking bad when you were a made man and a crew captain.
Not so fucking bad.
The compound was a sprawling mansion sitting on about fifteen acres of prime Chicago suburbs. It was the Barone crime family’s main hangout and the place where I had lived for most of my life.