“Yeah?” His finger hovers over the disconnect button in anticipation. It’s the first time in my life I wished the call had been about an extended car warranty. Instead, a graveled Russian accent comes across the line, instantly skyrocketing the pressure around us.
“Little Tommy Donati,” Biba tsks condescendingly. “This is the second time you have stolen something of mine—either you’re as stupid as they say, or you have a death wish.”
CHAPTER 21
TOMMY
They sayredheads are born with a fiery temper. I was starting to think that didn’t apply to Danika. Her instinctive response to uncomfortable or threatening situations tends to lean toward passivity. However, the moment Biba makes his verbal jab at my expense, her feisty side flares to life. It just needed the right trigger.
To see rage flash in her eyes on my behalf is a sight I will never forget.
While I would prefer to kiss her, I clamp my hand over her mouth instead to prevent her from saying whatever scathing words are primed on the tip of her tongue. I see the sentiment reflected in her eyes, and while I’m immeasurably grateful, I don’t want her to give away her presence.
“Maybe you should take better care of your possessions,” I prod back in response to his comment that I’ve stolen from him again.
Danika narrows her eyes at me. I give her a look to sayplease, just let me handle this. Damn if the woman doesn’t roll her eyes at me. I withdraw my hand from her mouth but make a mental note of the eye roll.
“Maybe you should give me my daughter back before I return the favor. You have two sisters, yes?” He says the last part in a calculated, menacing tone.
“Why should I give her back? You didn’t want her in the first place—never even bothered to meet her.”
He makes a dismissive scoffing noise. “She was defective. Men like us can’t show that kind of weakness—you know that. I had no way of knowing she’d overcome. Either way, she’s still my daughter, and I want her back.”
“I’m afraid that’s not going to happen, Biba. As you’ve heard, we’re going to be married. Soon. I suggest you go back to ignoring her and pretend she never existed.” I move to disconnect the call when an eerie laughter comes through the line.
“You’ll regret this, boy, and so will she,” Biba says in a voice that’s pure malice.
I end the call. The Russian asshole is responding as I expected. We’ll need to up security among the family until this blows over, and I need to get with Renzo to map out a game plan, assuming he doesn’t officially disown me when I tell him what I’ve done.
“Tommy? I’m scared,” Danika says in a voice so tiny that it breaks my heart. “What do you think he’ll do?”
I place my hand on the side of her face and project every ounce of confidence I possess. “Biba will figure out he doesn’t want to make an enemy of all five Italian families, and he’ll back off. He can’t afford a war on two fronts. Everything’s going to be okay, you hear me?”
She nods despite the tears pooling in her eyes.
It’s time to go home. I finally pull away from the curb and ask something that snagged my curiosity. “When Biba said you were defective, did he mean because you were illegitimate?” His insinuation didn’t seem to fit the circumstances, but I could bewrong. It’s hard for me to predict people’s emotional responses, especially a batshit-crazy Russian like Biba.
“He means my hearing loss.”
“What hearing loss?” I have no clue what she’s talking about because the woman can hear just fine.
“When I was a month old, I got sick with a virus called CMV—it’s one of those things that isn’t a big deal for adults but can be harmful for babies. Getting the infection at such a young age caused me to lose all hearing in my left ear. Most people never notice because I’ve worked hard to compensate, but it still causes issues sometimes. That’s why I’m not a fan of loud, crowded events. It takes a lot of effort for me to follow conversations. It’s also the reason I didn’t hear DiAngelo at the door. I had the phone to my good ear, so I never heard him knock.”
I don’t know what to say. She manages so well that I never suspected.
“Biba knew enough about you to know you’d lost your hearing?”
“Yeah, Mom says he was thrilled to have a daughter until I got sick. He walked away at that point. Didn’t help support her or anything, which is when she figured out he was already married. The fallout left her pretty jaded, but she never blamed me. My mom and grandmother are amazing. I’ve worried about them more than anything during this ordeal.”
“Then maybe it’s time to push the issue.”
Danika looks over at me like I hung the moon in the sky just for her. “You mean take them somewhere safe?”
“Yeah. I bet we can make it happen if we show up in person.”
“Thank you,” she whispers.
“Why don’t you call your mom and let her know we’re on our way?”
