1. Tessa

1

Tessa

" W here's Daddy?"

From the way Janice taps her feet on the linoleum floor, she isn't happy that Enzo never showed up, which is why I've had to skip work early. No doubt she'll add another 'late fee' to my next invoice. Which I can't fucking afford to pay unless Enzo starts giving me money for the kids like he promised.

"Daddy not pick us up today," Harry says in a small voice, plucking at a loose thread on his sweater. "Daddy forgot."

It breaks my heart that my son already has the measure of his father. He's not even four years old yet.

Chloe coos at me as Janice passes her over. She's such a happy baby.

"Daddy probably had a work problem," I explain. Janice raises one eyebrow. She doesn't quite roll her eyes, but her disdain is obvious.

Once the kids are strapped into their car seats, Harry hums and stares out of the window, a frown wrinkling his little brow. My son is an empath through and through. He soaks up my emotions like a sponge. If I'm sad and upset, he is too.

It's one of the many reasons I wish I had the strength to tell Enzo to fuck off. The only good thing he's ever done is give me two beautiful children.

Enzo's truck sits on an angle in the driveway of our small two-bed unit when I pull up outside. I'm forced to leave my shitty car a few spaces away because there's a G-Wagon with tinted windows parked outside our place.

It's a little odd. Enzo spends most of his time at the club, so I wasn't expecting to find him here.

"Wait here for a moment," I tell Harry. I want to see what's going on before I take the kids in. If Enzo is high or in the mood for a fight, I'd rather leave him there than expose the kids to any more conflict.

Chloe whimpers, exhausted after a full day at daycare. She should be in bed by now, not stuck in her car seat. Fucking Enzo .

I hop out of the car, locking the doors so the kids are safe. Our neighborhood isn't the best.

The street is quiet as I walk up the cracked cement drive. Weeds sprout everywhere. They are the only things that flourish around here. Next door's cat watches me from the fence, his skinny tail twitching, as I approach the house.

Voices drift through the open kitchen window. Loud male voices I don't recognize. Something smashes and I freeze. What the fuck is going on ?

"You've had enough chances," a man threatens.

"Please, she'll be back soon!" Enzo whines.

Is he talking about me? There's a thick shrub growing just under the window. I crouch beneath it, sweat prickling between my breasts even though it's a cool evening.

"She fucking better be, Ferrero. You owe the boss too much cash to walk away if we don't get her. She's all that stands between you and a painful end." There's a dull thud, followed by a loud groan.

"Let me ring her to find out where she is," Enzo coughs.

"Do that, asshole. Sergei wants her." Oh God . Why does a man called Sergei need me? It makes no sense. I'm a mom with two kids. If Enzo is mixed up with people like this, it can't be good.

Judging from his accent, the guy's probably Russian Mafia. My father has been stuck in an uneasy truce with the Russians for years, not that I know much about his business these days. We haven't spoken for a long time.

My phone's call ringtone blares out. Loudly . There's a pause before the guys inside the house quickly figure out the person Enzo is calling is right outside, and then all hell breaks loose.

My body reacts first. I guess I am my father's daughter, after all. I'm halfway toward my car before a man in a black suit comes running out of our house, a gun in his hand.

Harry's face peers out at me through the side window. God, the kids. Terror slams into me, but I force it down. I can't lose my shit now. My children need me.

I press the unlock button on the keyfob and dive into the car, jamming the lock button with my thumb. The man reaches the car just as the engine fires. He raises his gun and points it at me, but before he can shoot, I'm tearing away down the street, the car's engine protesting like crazy as I exceed the speed limit.

There's a gunshot, but it must go wide because the car isn't hit. In seconds, I've reached the intersection and shot through an amber light. It's a four-way system, so my pursuers will be stuck for a few minutes unless they want to cause carnage and alert the cops.

"Mommy, I'm scared!" Harry wails as the car fishtails into a strip mall parking lot and back out via a service road. I have no clue where I'm heading. I just want to put as much distance between me and the guys after me as possible.

My mind runs through the options. I can't go to Stella's. If Enzo has got mixed up with the Russian mafia, I'd be putting her in danger.

"It's OK, baby, we're going on a little trip."

"I don't like the bad man, Mommy," Harry cries. Chloe wakes up and joins in, and before long, both kids are screaming.

I feel like screaming too, but I can't. Not yet, at least.

Think, Tessa!

But it's pointless. The only person who can help me is the one man I swore I would never contact again.

My father.