Chapter 24
CIRO
Back at my hotel, hot water soothed my tense muscles. I absorbed the steam in the shower as if it could cleanse my soul. All I could think of was Isla and how to convince her to give me another chance.
And I did want another chance, more than anything.
Pippa wasn’t far from my thoughts either, but last week I had come for Isla. I needed her. Missed her. Loved her… But my sweet Pippa was the greatest surprise I’d ever received.
I turned off the water, grabbed the hotel bathrobe, and slipped it on, emotionally spent. Exhausted from the inside out.
My mind reeled with a million thoughts. I was a father and had been a father for months. Months.
Dragging my weary body over to the wall of windows, I stared at the Golden Gate Bridge. The view wasn’t nearly as impressive as it had been at Fabio’s, but it wasn’t anything to scoff at either. I might enjoy owning a billion-dollar view of the magnificent structure…
“She had been here all along with my daughter,” I growled, running my fingers through my wet hair.
Paolo didn’t give me his two cents because I’d made him stay at Alba’s to guard my baby. I was paranoid that Isla would take Pippa and go on the run with her, so I’d left my most trusted bodyguard to watch over my daughter.
I padded to the minibar, selected a bottle and twisted the cap off the bourbon. I shouldn’t think the worst of Isla, but how could I not? She had my baby and didn’t tell me.
Putting the small bottle to my lips, I guzzled it down in one shot.
My phone vibrated on the nightstand. Instant worry crashed over me like a massive wave. Could it be Isla or Pippa? My brother’s name flashed on the screen. Of course…
“Yeah,” I answered.
“How’s it going?” Roman asked.
“Not as I expected.”
“She’s giving you a run for your money, huh?” He chuckled. “Did you expect anything less after the way you treated her?”
I bit my tongue, trying to hold back telling him about Pippa, but I couldn’t. I needed my brother’s wisdom. I needed help figuring this shit out before I made it worse.
“Roman, I need to tell you something, but you have to promise not to say a word to anyone, especially Padre.”
“Goddammit. What in the hell did you do?”
“Do you promise?” I asked him in a don’t-fuck-with-me tone.
“Yes, I promise.” The concern in his voice was typical Roman.
After his mother’s death, Roman had taken up the role of protector and role model.
He was several years younger than me and losing his and Luca’s beloved Mamma had made him grow up overnight.
Since her death, everything Roman had done was to make her proud.
I inhaled a deep breath and just blurted it out. “I have a daughter.”
No response.
I was a coward and didn’t break the agonizing silence. Instead, I paced in my room, breathing deeply as I waited for my brother to speak.
“Jesus, Ciro. Who’s the mother?”
“You asshole. Isla, who else?” Was he being for real thinking I’d get another woman pregnant? I hadn’t been with anyone since Isla.
“Sorry. When?” he asked.
“In October. A daughter. She’s seven months old.” I paused as emotion clogged my throat. “Roman, she’s perfect. Beautiful. She has my eyes.” I smiled, thinking of Pippa’s striking brown eyes, soft chubby cheeks, and pink heart-shaped lips.
“I don’t know what to say. Congratulations, I guess.” He had to have been pacing just as I was. We were similar in how we dealt with problems: wearing the rug out and drinking.
“You can’t tell anyone. I need to tell Padre first.”
“He’s going to be heartbroken when he learns he has a grandchild in the world, a girl, no less. You know how he’s always wanted more girls in the family. Fuck, he’s going to be pissed he missed the birth.”
“I know,” I hissed as the anger I’d held back all day made its way to the surface. “I’m furious with Isla. I can’t get back the months I lost with Pippa.”
“Pippa?”
“Isla calls her Pippa, but her full name is Penelope Giovanna.”
“Damn, she even gave her your mom’s name. That’s fucking special, brother. And Isla, how is she?”
I opened another bottle of bourbon and guzzled it to numb the fury and guilt raging war inside me.
“She’s tired and works a lot, leaving Pippa with a babysitter. My child is without her mother all goddamn day!” My voice cracked. “They live in a dump. Isla’s car is a piece of shit. All my fucking billions, and this is how my girls are living!”
“Let it out while you’re on the phone with me so you don’t unload on Isla. It was wrong for her to keep the baby from you, but after the way—”
“I don’t give a fuck about her excuses or if I deserved it! It was fucking heartless to keep Pippa from me. She’s so beautiful, Roman.” I swallowed thickly.
My emotions were bipolar as hell. Calm, then raging. Peaceful, then panicked. Happy, then sad. I couldn’t keep up with the back and forth.
“Let it out, brother,” Roman said.
“You should see the way she smiles at me. It’s like she’s always known me.
It squeezes the air out of my lungs. Fuck, Roman.
My child has been without me for nearly eight goddamn months.
Isla went through it all without me.” I collapsed on the bed, heaving in gallons of air to get control of myself before tears streamed down my face.
“I’ve missed so much, and it’s all my fault. ”
“What do you want to happen?” he asked.
I knew the meaning behind his question. Without asking directly or mentioning my fears, he was curious if I’d bring Isla and Pippa back with me to Canada.
“I don’t know,” I replied.
“And that’s why you’ll lose her again. And Pippa,” he said honestly.
“Fuck you! You’re supposed to help me, not make me feel worse. I didn’t do this. I didn’t…” My voice trailed off before I finished my thoughts.
“Want kids,” my asshole of a brother said, finishing my sentence.
“And now she’s here. She’s apparently perfect, beautiful, and she has your eyes.
You need to pull yourself together!” Roman shouted into the phone.
“Fight your fears with everything you’ve got!
Fight for Isla and Pippa. Unless you don’t want them? ”
“Yes, I want them. Dammit, Roman. I want them more than anything, but what if something happens to them? It would kill me if anything happened to them.”
“You need to get your ass back into counseling. Giovanna didn’t die because you were with her or because you loved her. You didn’t give Julietta cancer. Life isn’t promised. We all have a number, and when it’s up, it’s fucking up. No one can stop it.”
“Logically, I know you’re right, but—”
“Stop right there. No buts. Think about Isla and the baby. Think about your life without them. How would you feel if Isla married another man and Pippa grew up with a stepdad?”
“That’s not happening,” I growled through gritted teeth.
“Really? Why not? Why won’t it happen, brother? Isla is a beautiful woman. She’s smart, kind, and loving. There will be men willing to do anything to have her.”
Oh, he was pissing me off. “You’re a shitty brother,” I muttered, staring up at the ceiling.
“Just answer the question.”
“I know she still loves me, and I… I…”
“You still can’t say you love her.” Roman groaned in frustration. “You better find it within yourself, or another man will.”
A fire blazed inside me at the thought of Isla with another man. It’d never happen. I wouldn’t allow it to happen. “Roman?”
“Yes, Ciro Joseph?” Jerk. He only ever called me by my full name when he knew he’d won.
“Help me get Isla back.”
“Glad you finally see the light. How far are you willing to go to get your girls in the mansion?” There was an edge in his voice that made my ears perk up.
“I’ll do whatever it takes.”
“Good. I’d start with charming the panties off Isla.”
“That’s easy enough.”
He chuckled. “You’re such a cocky son of a bitch. But if that doesn’t work, force her hand.”
“Force how? Paolo suggested forcing her too.”
“You know once people find out you have a child; our enemies will go after Pippa and Isla. The only way to protect them is to keep them on the estate.”
“And this is why I never wanted children. No kid should grow up with guards following them around.”
“It is what it is, brother. We turned out okay. Mafia is in our blood. Rosa’s bringing a child into the world.
You know Wolf will die before a hair is harmed on his kid’s head.
Things aren’t like they used to be in Italy.
We’re wiser and more proactive than Padre had been.
We know how to protect our family. The estate is a fucking fortress. ”
He wasn’t wrong about my brothers and I being wiser. We took the threats to our livelihood and loved ones seriously. We were vigilant and cautious. Like my brother-in-law, Wolf, I would lay my life down for my child.
“So, charm Isla first, and if that doesn’t work, I take the choice away from her?” I hoped she would willingly go to Canada so I wouldn’t have to threaten her. If I even muttered filing for full custody of Pippa, Isla would hate me for life.
“Yes. I know it sounds insane to force Isla to marry you, but—”
“Whoa! I never said anything about marrying her.” The words flew out of my mouth unbidden. It was a knee jerk reaction.
“Christ, are you serious?”
“No. I’m not serious.”
“Whether you admit it or not, you love her. She had your baby. Marrying her is what comes next. Padre will expect you to do what’s right. You know how old-world Catholics are, so you better start ring shopping.”
“I don’t need a ring. I have my mother’s.” I just never planned to give it to anyone. Her wedding ring was all I had left of her. My brothers hadn’t been as fortunate to get their mother’s ring back. Selfishly, I’d rather buy a new engagement ring for Isla than give her my mamma’s.
“I know. Just thought it sounded good so when will you see her next?”
“In a couple of hours. She’s working.”
“Maybe you should call Rosa for advice on how to win over Isla.”
“No. She’ll question me, and I can’t tell anyone else about Pippa until I talk to Padre.” I exhaled a labored breath. “The last eighteen hours have been too much.”
“Want me to come out to help with Isla?” he asked.
“No, but thanks. I created this mess and I’ll clean it up.”
We fell into casual conversation for the next half hour.
Roman updated me on the casino renovations then he dropped a bomb.
He’d overhead Wolf talking to his brother Kira.
The discussion had sounded heated so Roman questioned Wolf.
It seemed some Russians, the Zotov Bratva, were looking for Kira, and he might be in danger.
Wolf asked if his brother and men could stay in the guest house.
“And you said fuck no, right?” I asked, getting off the bed and going to the minibar for another drink.
“Wolf is family. I couldn’t say no.”
“Why didn’t you tell me about the Russians before we discussed Isla and Pippa? I can’t bring them to the estate if the Bratva is after Kira. Knew that asshole was a waste of breath.”
Wolf’s brother had been nothing but hot air. He knew nothing about running casinos for the richest, most-powerful, A-list customers like mine. In fact, Jinx’s husband and his brothers were more helpful to us.
Kira was a leech and Wolf was better off without him.
My brother-in-law wouldn’t even use his birth name.
Instead, he made Timur Orlov his legal name now that he was no longer hiding from his family.
The decision had spoken volumes and proved he also didn’t trust his brother.
Kira had yet to bring their mother to Canada.
He had dozens of excuses and Wolf was about out of patience.
“I didn’t think it would matter,” Roman replied nonchalantly. “Your family belongs with you.”
“It does matter. I won’t put my girls in the line of fire.”
“Wolf has his MC on standby. At a moment’s notice, we can have them and Rosa on a jet and out of the country. They’ll be safe, brother.”
“I’ll consider it.” I started pacing again. The estate truly was a fortress. There was even a fireproof panic room. “I need to go so I can check in with Paolo.”
“Want me to send a crew for added protection? You shouldn’t be without your right-hand man.”
“I won’t be here long enough for anyone to know I’m here. Keep me posted about Kira.”
“You do the same about Isla and your daughter.”
“I will.” I ended the call then promptly dialed Paolo.
He answered on the first ring. “Boss.”
“How’s it going?” I asked.
“Quiet. The baby has been asleep since you left.”
“That’s good.” I dialed into a voice in the background. “Who is Alba talking to?”
“Don’t know. Sounds like work stuff. Everything good at the hotel? You shouldn’t be alone.”
“I’m fine. Just wanted to check in.”
“When will you return?” he asked, sounding slightly uncomfortable. It had to be Alba. She was a pretty woman, but he should be focused on my daughter’s safety, not the babysitter.
“Why? Does Alba scare you?” I’d noticed the brief spark in his eyes when I introduced them. Alba wasn’t at all the kind of woman Paolo was used to. She didn’t charge an hourly rate to be with her. She was engaging and not focused on sex like hookers.
Silence. Paolo didn’t appear amused.
“We’ll be there to get Pippa in a few hours,” I told him.
“And then?”
“Just be ready for anything.”
“I always am.”
“Good. See you soon.” Ending the call, I went into the bathroom to finish getting ready.
I needed to be prepared for anything too. If charming Isla didn’t work, I would have to take more severe action.