17. Max

17

MAX

I sit at my desk, my heart still racing from being with Gia. The leather chair creaks as I lean back, running my hands through my disheveled hair. The scent of her perfume lingers on my skin, my clothes. Her taste is on my tongue.

Fuck.

In twenty-plus years of being sexually active, I've never once foregone a condom. But with Gia, I lost all sense of control. The idea of being with her flesh to flesh, no barrier… I couldn’t not have that. At least not once.

My stomach knots as the memory of her sweet, wet pussy around my dick, how perfectly we fit together collide in my head. It was so fucking perfect.

But now, reality is like ice water tossed in my face. The situation with Gia is already complicated enough. Adding this risk into the mix… I press my palms against my eyes, trying to steady my nerves. What the fuck would Nic do if I got her pregnant?

It’s not that I don’t believe Gia that she’s on the pill because I do. But my cum is inside her womb. It’s still a risk.

But I’ve been taking that risk every time I’ve been with her. I took that risk six years ago. I’ve counted on a rubber to protect me each time. It hasn’t failed me yet.

An image forms in my mind—Gia round with my child, a little girl with Gia's honey-blonde hair and green eyes, or maybe a boy with her fierce spirit, not unlike Daniella and Dario. The thought of coming home to them, teaching them to swim in my pool, reading bedtime stories. Of being a family. My chest tightens with a longing I didn't know I wanted.

I shake my head hard. This fantasy can't happen. I'm Nic's most trusted capo and friend, Gia's godfather. The complications would destroy everything—my friendship with Nic, Gia's reputation, as well as mine.

"Fuck," I mutter, reaching for my bottom desk drawer where I keep the good scotch. As I down the scotch, I close my eyes, trying to burn away images of what our child might look like.

I blow out a breath and turn my focus to the present reality. Right now, I need to deal with Benny. The fact that he showed up here threatening Gia suggests I’ve failed. How was he in the casino and I didn’t know? Why did my men throw him out instead of bringing him to me?

I grab my phone and dial Tony, my head of casino security. "I want eyes on every casino, every street corner. Find me Benny Cantore."

“We tossed him, banned him?—”

“No. I want him brought to me!”

“Yes sir. I didn’t realize you wanted him.”

“Now you do. Get him. Bring him to me. Pull guys from other operations if you have to. I want him found." I stand and pace behind my desk. "And get me surveillance footage from the lobby. I want to see exactly what went down."

"On it."

I punch in another number. "Dominic, I need you to put the word out with everyone to find Benny Cantore. I want to know where he's staying, who he's talking to. Find him and bring him to me."

“That putz?” Dominic is my right-hand man over all operations in Las Vegas. He’s solid. If he can’t find Benny, no one can.

“That putz confronted Don Nardone’s sister in my casino.”

“Oh, fuck. Yeah. I’m on it.”

As I hang up, I can’t figure out how Benny has been roaming around Vegas without my knowing. Gia is right in that he’s not the brightest bulb in the pack. But perhaps we’ve underestimated him. He has been here in Vegas, in my casino. He walked right up to her. How did he know she’d be here? Do I have a mole in my midst?

The idea of that sends me back to the scotch bottle.

My computer beeps with a notification. I open it to find the security feed of the casino. There's Gia walking through and Benny approaching her. My jaw clenches as I watch him get in her face. Fucker. I’ll kill you with my bare hands.

I rewind the footage to before Gia’s entrance looking for Benny. He’s at a blackjack table, losing if his body language is any indication. He shakes his head, and then like a dog catching sight of a squirrel, his eyes widen and then laser focus. That’s when he sees Gia.

I sit back to think about that. It’s almost as if he was surprised to see her. Like he was minding his own damn business losing money when she entered the casino.

My phone buzzes with a text from Tony.

Three men on each hotel. Starting with the low-end joints first. Will update hourly.

That’s followed by a text from Dominic.

Put men at airport and bus terminal, just in case you spooked him and he tries to leave.

Good thinking, Dom , I think.

I respond to both, then take yet another swig of my scotch to call my boss, Nic.

"Max." Nic's voice comes through sharp and clear. “I’m knee deep in diapers. How can Brandon be so little but shit?—”

“Benny showed up.”

“Give me a minute.”

I imagine Nic is handing over diaper duties to Bella or the nanny and finding a private place to talk.

“Is he dead?” Nic asks when he returns.

“No. I’ve got everyone looking for him.”

“What happened?”

I feel the way Tony feels when he fucks up with me. I’ve fucked up with my boss, and while we’re friends, Nic isn’t going to give me a pass. Not when Gia and her kids’ lives are at stake.

“Gia needed to access work computers. Benny saw her, confronted her. Marcus was there, so nothing happened, tossed him out. My guys are searching every hotel and dive in Vegas to find him."

There’s a long pause. The longer it goes, the more my stomach clenches. I steel myself for his justified anger.

“I thought she was working at your home,” he says tightly.

“Apparently, she needed access to information that couldn’t be accessed except through an official Nardone office.”

“Fuck. I didn’t think of that. Still, why is Benny on the loose?”

“That’s something I’m dealing with security on.”

There’s another long pause. "This changes things. If Benny's out there, maybe Vegas isn't the safest place for Gia anymore."

My grip tightens on the phone, knowing, dreading what’s coming next.

"I'm thinking I should bring Gia and the kids back to New York. She’ll be away from Benny. I’ll keep her at the house until he’s dealt with."

"No." The word comes out harsher than intended.

“What?”

I pinch the bridge of my nose. “We can’t be sure Benny is the stalker.” I can’t believe I’m repeating Gia’s words to Nic.

“He’s there, isn’t he?”

“He’s at a casino. That’s where Benny spends his life. I’ve watched the security footage. He was surprised to see her. He wasn’t lying in wait. Plus, the stalker taunted her with texts and calls. The messages she was getting were calculated, patient. Benny's never been either of those things."

“We don’t know that it isn’t him, either. Even if he just got lucky, he knows she’s in Vegas. I don’t like it.”

"Come on, this is Benny we're talking about." I pick up my pacing, feeling desperate to convince Nic to let Gia and the kids stay.

“Right now, all I know is my sister's stalker is still out there, and Benny just threatened her in your casino."

"Which means we're close to catching him," I cut in. "If I keep her at the compound, she’s safer than getting her to an airport, through Manhattan to your place, where anyone after her knows you live.”

Silence stretches between us. I can picture Nic rubbing his temple like he does when he's weighing options. Please, let the weight fall on my side.

“Listen, I know you, Max. You’re feeling like you fucked up letting Benny slide through your fingers. I know your vow to protect Gia is important to you, but?—”

“Then let me make this right, Nic. I promise, she’s safe. Besides, she and the kids are planning a big Thanksgiving event. They’ll be disappointed if I have to put them on a plane home. Trust me."

I wince at my choice of words. Trust. I want him to trust me while hiding the fact that I just fucked his sister in my office. That I’ve been fucking her in my bed almost nightly. That I can't bear the thought of her leaving. That my judgment might be compromised by feelings I shouldn't have.

"I appreciate everything you're doing, Max, but Gia's safety isn't up for debate." Nic's voice hardens with that tone I recognize. The one that says he's shifting from friend to Don.

The panic rises in my chest. "I've got all my men searching the city. We'll find Benny, figure out if he's connected to this. Just… give me time."

"Time isn't something I'm willing to risk when it comes to my sister."

"I'll handle this, Nic. You have my word." My voice remains steady despite the storm raging inside me.

“I’ll give you until Friday.”

That’s two days. It’s still not enough time. I realize that while I’ve known that someday Gia will have to leave, it was a distant concept. Not an immediate reality.

“When I find him, what do you want me to do to him? You want me to ship him to you?”

“No. Find out if he’s working with anyone, then dispose of him. I let him live the last time he hassled Gia. That’s where I fucked up. This time, we end him.”

Good. I’m looking forward to ending that motherfucker’s life. "Understood."

"Keep her safe." The line goes dead.

I set the phone down and stare out my office window at the Vegas skyline. The neon lights blur together as my mind drifts to Gia. Every protective instinct in my body screams to lock her away until this threat is eliminated. But the thought of her leaving afterward… it tears me apart.

These past days with her and the kids have shown me a life I never knew I wanted. Coming home to family dinners, bedtime stories, Gia's smile across the pillow. Now that I've had a taste, the idea of returning to my empty house feels like a slow death.

But I push those thoughts aside. Right now, Gia needs a protector, not a man who's falling deeper in love with her by the day.

I pick up my phone again, dialing Marcus.

"Mrs. Nardone is home safe.” He anticipates the reason for my call.

“Good. Double the security detail at the house. No one gets within a mile without us knowing." I pause, considering Nic's order about Benny. "If Benny shows up, contain him and let me know. I’ll deal with him personally.”

“Yes, Boss."

I walk out of my office, feeling the weight of the world bearing down on me. The ride home is filled with colliding memories and emotions. Six years ago, I let Gia go because it was the right thing to do. Now, having her in my home, I don’t want to do what’s right. I want to make pancakes with the twins every morning. I want to hear Gia’s laughter when we watch movies. I want to feel her next to me when we sleep.

It’s time to put all those crazy fantasies away. I need to do the job Gia’s mother tasked me with, that Nic is counting on me to do. I have to protect Gia and the kids. And I need to fix this fuck up I created in not knowing Benny was in town. That means I need to go back to work tonight.

I pull into my driveway, pulling my emotions together. As I enter the house, the scent of pies hits me along with the sounds of laughter.

“Uncle Max is home!”

I can almost weep knowing the excitement of my return will soon be gone. “What’s been going on?”

Daniella and Dario rush toward me carrying artwork that looks like handprints turned into turkeys.

“We’re making names for where to sit at Thanksgiving tomorrow.” Daniella holds up her art.

“Clever. How would we know where to sit if our names aren’t there?”

Gia turns, her smile bright enough to chase away the darkness of my earlier thoughts. “We’ve made a bit of a mess, I’m sorry to say.”

God, I want to kiss her. I want to walk up to her, have her welcome me home with a kiss like a husband and wife would do. The idea of that should terrify me, but it doesn’t. What terrifies me more is losing this. Knowing in two days, it will be over either because Benny is dead or Nic orders her home because Benny isn’t dead.

Gia frowns. “Is something wrong?”

I give my head a shake. “I’ll tell you later.”

She studies me.

“You want to make one, Uncle Max?” Daniella asks.

“We’ll show you how,” Dario adds.

“Absolutely.” I cross the kitchen, sitting with the kids at the table and following the twins’ directions, tracing my hand. The drawn fingers become the feathers while my thumb is the turkey’s neck and head, and my palm its body.

"Like this?" I hold up my handprint.

“Yay, Uncle Max, you did it,” the kids chime.

Gia leans over my shoulder to look at my artwork. Her scent fills my nostrils, and it’s all I can do not to reach for her and kiss her.

“Not bad.” Her eyes dance with amusement.

I laugh. “Thanks, I think.”

The twins chatter about their day, and I force myself to stay present, to memorize every detail. The way Daniella's nose crinkles when she laughs. How Dario's eyes light up when he shows me his splatter painting technique. Gia’s sweet smile as she watches the kids, or even when she looks at me.

These moments are precious because they're temporary. I know this. But knowing doesn't make it easier to accept.

"Look, Uncle Max. Mine is all purple. Maria says purple is her favorite color." Daniella beams up at me.

"That's perfect, sweetie." The endearment slips out before I can stop it. I shouldn't let myself get too attached, shouldn't imagine what it would be like if these moments could last forever.

Dario tugs at my sleeve, eager to show me his art. "Mine is a ninja."

"A ninja turkey. I love it." I ruffle his hair, trying to ignore how right this feels.

“Okay, kiddos,” Gia announces. “We need to eat dinner.” She turns to me. “I hope you don't mind, but it’s macaroni and cheese with hotdogs tonight.”

“I love mac and cheese and hotdogs.”

She looks at me like she doesn’t believe me. “Kids, clean up and wash up.”

The twins clean the table and run off to wash their hands as Gia gets the meal re-heated. “So, what happened?” she asks as she sets the large bowl of mac and cheese on the table.

I don’t want to talk about this now, but I can’t find a reason to put it off either. “I reported to Nic about Benny’s appearance.”

She whirls toward me, and panic fills her eyes. “Is he bringing me home?”

I swallow, noting that it appears she doesn’t want that to happen. Does she want to stay? But how can she? She can’t if our secret is to be kept.

“I have until Friday to find Benny.”

“What if you don’t?”

“If I do, or I don’t, either way, you’ll be going back to New York.” I try to be strong, stoic. The good soldier Nic is counting on.

She bites her lip and looks down. Then she turns away. She’s being the good Mafia princess, doing what she's told.

The world is fucked up when doing what’s right feels so wrong.