Exploding: A Mafia Romance (The O'Keefe Family Collection #1)

by Tuesday Embers

  Tony scowled at her. “My mother wasn’t a crack baby.”

  “No, but your mama wouldn’t have wanted this. She’d be right down here with me if she were still alive. Mama Antonia was smart and funny. She could make spaghetti sauce out of thin air that sent you straight to Italy. She could skin a rabbit while telling you jokes and singing Italian opera.” Fallyn’s tone shifted to sadness. “But what if she’d been born like this? What if her mother hadn’t cared about her? Your whole family would’ve been different without Mama Antonia. Don’t you see how many families the drug trade is breaking? How many fewer Mama Antonias there are now? Is that what you want? Less of your mama’s magic?”

  Tony swallowed hard and closed his eyes, leaning into the kiss that Fallyn pressed to his forehead. “Baby Antonia, then. Okay. I can do this.”

  Fallyn gave him a tight squeeze around the shoulders. “I know you can. I know you want to be a good man others can look up to. I know the D’Amato family is something special.”

  Joey’s voice was bogged down by emotion. “How are you all not crying right now? You three are made of stone. Stupid, stubborn stone.” He had moist eyes as he rocked his baby boy, holding him as if the child was his lifeline.

  Fallyn looked at the clock and knew it was just about feeding time. She set to work making the bottles with the nurse, who was so grateful to have so much help, she hugged the girl. The nurse was patient as she instructed the gruff men on how to feed the babies, pausing at Vince’s infant. “This one only drinks milk through an eye dropper. Fallyn, do you want me to show him, or did you want to do it?”

  Fallyn could see the nurse was overwhelmed with her workload. Her section of the ward was the least popular. The other nurses usually made themselves extra helpful near the healthier babies so they didn’t get stuck with the perpetual screamers. “I can do it,” Fallyn volunteered. She took the baby from Vince, who followed her without question. She took the eye dropper the nurse prepared and waited until little five-pound William opened his mouth for a big howl. She dribbled a few drops into his mouth, smiling softly as he choked it down between furious screams.

  Vince cupped William’s tiny head with his large palm, posturing when his other hand found its way to Fallyn’s back, rubbing her in concentric circles. He leaned down to whisper in her ear, “I’m so in love with you.”

  Fallyn stiffened. No man had ever said that to her before, and the simple sentence shocked her to her core. Before she could respond, Angelo cleared his throat, reminding the two they had an audience. It was a thing of luck that Joey and Tony were sucked in by their babies, who required all of their attention.

  “Can I try?” Vince asked, taking the eye dropper and mimicking Fallyn’s pattern of waiting for the big cries to get in a few milliliters of formula. “Man, he’s an angry little guy.”

  “You would be too if you were in pain twenty-four seven, didn’t speak the language and your mom couldn’t be around you because she was detoxing.” She moved him up so he could scream into her ear. “I know, William. I know it’s hard. You’re not alone. See? Vince is here.”

  “I’m telling them,” Vince warned her quietly. “I can’t be without you anymore.”

  Fallyn shook her head vehemently. “No! I told you it can’t happen. It’ll be a mess, and we don’t need that right now.”

  Vince turned to address his brothers. “Guys, I have to tell you something.”

  31

  Coming Clean

  Joey was in shock, eyes wide and mouth agape. Tony was vacillating between sick and enraged. “You… you can’t… This is… No, Vince!”

  Joey rocked his baby, shaking his head. “Get it out of your system if you have to. Go at it nice and hard until you get your head back on straight. Just keep it away from her brothers. They’re mental, and we don’t need more drama.”

  Vince stiffened. “Do you think I would risk everything if banging her a few times would cure it? I’m deep in it guys. I’m in love with Fallyn.”

  Joey had more words than Tony, who was still choking on a coherent response. “What about Maria?”

  “Broke it off with her yesterday. I’ve been thinking about Fallyn this way for a few weeks now, and I wanted to wait until I was sure. There’s no turning back, guys. I wanted you to find out from me before I lost my mind and kissed her in front of you on accident. I’m pretty close to that right now.”

  Angelo hissed. “It’s a mistake, Vince. A big mistake that’ll cost you all the peace we’ve been working for.”

  “I know it’s all wrong, but I’m past the point of having a choice in it. I wanted to come clean with you. We don’t keep secrets.”

  Fallyn was shaking worse than the baby she was holding. He’d jumped off the cliff without consulting her, and now she was crashing through the air without a parachute right alongside him. She kept her eyes down on the baby, hoping they would view her body language as submissive.

  “Are we supposed to just ignore the fact that she’s a Mick?” Tony growled. “Forget that. What about all the other stuff? Her brothers are going to murder you, Vince. I mean, actual murder. You want to see it all go up in flames? This is the way. Follow your dick to your own side. If you’re tired of Maria finally, good. Don’t know how you lasted so long with her loud mouth. You have our blessing to move onto someone else. Fine. Don’t go dipping into eastern territory. Don’t do this, Vince. I don’t care how nice Fallyn’s ass is, no piece of tail’s worth all this.”

  Vince’s arm banded around Fallyn, tightening in protection. “Don’t talk about her ass, Tony.”

  Joey closed his eyes. “Okay, let’s ignore the O’Keefes. She’s younger than I am, Vince. You know that, right? You’re twelve years older than she is!”

  Tony scoffed. “And good luck ignoring the O’Keefe boys. I know a little about the Jeremy situation. They ran that poor fool out of town in a weekend. We’ve got enough problems without adding them to the mix.”

  “They don’t know,” Fallyn said quietly, only just able to be heard over the screaming babies. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to… It’s all been so quick and crazy confusing. I don’t want my brothers to know for a long time.”

  “I’m not afraid of your brothers,” Vince boasted, his chest puffing out.

  “Then you’re not thinking things through. You have to consider it from every angle, Vince. We can’t be selfish when everything’s so precarious. You’re doing good things for your people. I won’t be the one to wreck that.”

  Angelo grumbled, “I’d listen to her, Vince. Gino was going to kill her just for stepping into our territory. He’s one of many. You make this public, and it’ll be chaos. The whole family will be in jeopardy.”

  Vince’s tone turned sharp. “How much did I give up for the family? Who paid for you to go to college, Joey? I did! Who got you cleaned up when you took a dive in Papa D’s stash, Tony? I did! I’m the one out with Angelo every night running the dealers out and killing the ones that come back. I’m the one it’s all riding on. This is the one thing I ask for in all of it.” He glowered at the three, who seemed smaller beneath his cold anger. “You’ll give me this one thing. I’ll handle the fallout, just like I’ve handled all of your messes. This is my mess, and you’ll have my back through it.”

  Fallyn remained close in his partial embrace, holding her baby and making sure someone stood with him while he declared himself. “We’ll do our best to keep it from my brothers.”

  Angelo’s lips were tight with all the things he was holding back. When he finally spoke, it was with a finality for the others to fall in line, or face his cruel reckoning. “If this is the mistake you want to make, you can have it. Just keep it secret as long as you can, from our people and hers. Neutral territory only, and make sure no one catches on.” He rocked his baby, unperturbed by the infant’s wailing now that there was a bigger problem in the room. “Spend more time with her brothers, so when they finally do find out, it’ll be harder for them to take you out.” He met Vince’
s eyes without blinking. “And make no mistake, they will take you out. But if this is how you want to go down, I’ve got your back. Always have.”

  Joey nodded once. “Me, too. I’ve got you, Vince. And Fal? Be careful. I mean, beyond careful. We’re trusting you with a lot, here. You’ve never been my favorite person, but I don’t want to see your body in a ditch somewhere.”

  Fallyn cast him a grateful smile. “Thank you.” Her smile faltered when she took in Tony’s fury. He was breathing like a bull through his nose, and at any second she expected him to exhale fire. She was shaking, and knew she probably shouldn’t be holding a baby while standing when her knees were so rubbery. “Here, can you take William? I need some air.” Tony hissed at the image of Fallyn and Vince holding the baby together, looking like a married couple with a kid.

  “I told you I’d find a way to make this work,” Vince said, his chest tight with pride.

  Fallyn leaned against the counter behind her where the bottles and formula were kept. “You call this working? They’re basically telling you you’re going to die, but they won’t pull the trigger. That’s the best we’re going to get! And Tony hasn’t even agreed to that! Don’t you see I’m not worth all this?”

  Vince was angry, and pulled her to him by gripping of fistful of her shirt with his free hand. He kissed her to chase out the words he wished he could scrub from her mind. “I don’t ever want to hear you talk like that again. You’re worth it all.”

  32

  The Cost of Love

  Tony was livid, wishing he could hand his baby off to the nurse, who had gone missing. “I can’t watch this. Papa would roll over in his grave! What are you thinking, Vince?”

  Fallyn’s tone was sharp, refusing to be bulldozed. “Watch it, Tony. You’re here to hold babies, not insult your brother. Now sit down and do your job. Antonia’s fragile, and she can feel when you’re upset.”

  “You’ll watch how you talk to me, Little Keefer. This little thing you’ve done to my brother doesn’t change who you are.”

  “You mean who my family is! I’ve never done a thing to you or your family. I come here every Saturday to clean up your mess! I loved Mama Antonia and Papa D, and I love your brother, so deal with it!”

  Vince looked down on Fallyn in amazement, enraptured by the beauty in her rage. “You love me?”

  Fallyn closed her eyes, nodding her culpability. “You know I do.” She sunk to the floor, leaning against the counter of medical supplies. “I love you, Vince. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

  Tony stood abruptly, moving into the nursery to put down baby Antonia. He came back unable to look at his brother. “If this is what you want, I can’t stop you. But I also can’t watch you go down like this. I’m out, Vince.”

  Vince stiffened. “I dragged you out of the crack dens high as anything, and this is the thanks I get?” He handed William to Fallyn, and faced his younger brother with the stance of an enemy, not a brother. “Do what you have to, but do it on your own. And if you can’t get on board with me cleaning out the dealers, then you should move.”

  Tony’s angular jaw tightened, making him look hawk-like. “I can still help with the neighborhood, but I don’t want to see her on our land. I don’t want to hear about her. I don’t want to so much as look at you when you’re daydreaming about throwing your life away for her. None of it.” Then he sneered down at Fallyn holding the screaming boy and spat on her, as he’d done to her mother’s casket when she’d passed away.

  Vince’s response was so quick, Fallyn scarcely had the time to process it all. Instead of going for the obvious punch, Vince cuffed his brother around the throat and squeezed, lowering the full-grown man to his knees. Tony pawed at his brother as his face turned red. Angelo was on his feet, scooping up Joey’s baby and taking the two infants to the nursery. When he came back, Vince was snarling at his brother, whose eyes were bugging out. “Apologize to her,” he demanded, his tone cool and deadly.

  “No, Vince!” Fallyn cried. “This isn’t what I want!”

  “This is who I am, Fallyn! I won’t stand back and let people spit on you like you’re trash.”

  Angelo’s hands gripped Vince’s wrist, slowly prying his fingers loose so Tony could sneak in a breath. “Easy, Vince. You can’t kill Tony like this.”

  “Fallyn, take the baby out of here,” Vince warned, his eyes fixed on Tony’s panic after he released his brother. He waited for Fallyn to run the baby to the nursery before he spoke. “Listen good, all of you. Fallyn’s with me now, and you’ll do well to remember that I’m the head of this family. I make the calls, and this is the only thing I’m telling you I want. You’ll let me have this one thing, and you’ll stand by me all the way, or you’ll leave and never come back.”

  Joey held up his hands, standing before his big brother. “I already said I’m with you.”

  “Me, too.” Angelo stood next to Tony, who was still drawing in ragged breaths on the floor.

  Vince nodded, his eyes on Tony. When Tony’s reply came, it was whispered through his sore throat. “Fine. I won’t stand with you on this, but I won’t stand in your way.”

  “Good enough.” Vince looked at his family with a glare to freeze fire. “Fallyn and I are taking a day away. I’ll be back after dark to help bust up Seventh Street, just like we planned.” When he noticed Fallyn standing near the doorway, he made his way to her. “Let’s get out of here.”

  33

  Fleeing to a First Date

  Fallyn was grateful they had to take two cars. She didn’t want her crying to be witnessed as she fell apart in her silver sedan. She wiped her tears away as she pulled into the large mall that was on the furthest edges of the city, hoping Vince wouldn’t notice her breakdown.

  He pulled up next to her and got out of his car, opening her door for her and pulling her into his arms. “Tesoro, I’m sorry. I didn’t want to let it all out like that, but I just couldn’t help myself. You were so beautiful holding William. All I could think was how much I wanted you. Maybe I shouldn’t have told them. I don’t know.”

  “Not here,” Fallyn warned him, pulling away and looking around in fear. “Not anywhere near the city. We have to go farther away than this if we want time together.”

  Vince moved with his hand on the small of her back to his black car that had a big trunk and tinted windows. He opened her door for her and closed her inside before jogging to the driver’s seat and starting up the car. “Where did you want to go?”

  “I don’t care. Just drive away from Fairfield.” Fallyn began to calm down once they crossed the city limits. She drew comfort from the tinted windows that she knew were also bulletproof. His car smelled of his cologne and faintly of bleach. She watched the office buildings and shops disappear to the countryside, the trees promising to keep their secret. “I didn’t want you to have to choose like that. Me or your family. How can you be so sure about us?”

  Vince reached out and held her hand, checking his rearview mirror for tails out of habit. “Fally, I’ve known you since you were born. All it took was flipping that switch, getting me to see you as a possibility, and that was it. There’s not a huge learning curve, since you know my backstory too. You know me, and you love me. I don’t get a lot of that, so I know to hold onto it when it crosses my path.” He took in her wide eyes at his declaration. “Are you freaking out?”

  “Yes! Of course I am! I’ve never told a guy I loved him before, and then when I do, he has to choke out his own brother just to get us out in one piece!”

  “Do you want me to take you back?”

  Fallyn considered this. “No. I do want a day with you. I think I just need a minute to process all that.”

  “Take as many minutes as you need. I’m here.” He rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb.

  Something clicked in Fallyn’s mind. “The bleach I smell. You’re transporting bodies in your trunk, aren’t you?” She turned to look at him. “That’s what you’re doing tonight with the guys, isn’t i
t?”

  Vince kept his eyes on the road. “You know what I do and how I take care of problems. The dealers who won’t leave on their own leave in the trunk of my car. I’m done being patient, Fal. They’ve had enough warnings.”

  Fallyn squeezed his hand. “I get it. I just don’t want you to think you have to hide your work from me. I can handle it. If we’re going to be in this together, it has to be together.”

  “Fair enough. If you’re sure. I never told Maria any of this stuff, though I’m sure she knew enough. I didn’t think you’d want to hear it.”

  Fallyn shot him a baleful look, finally reclaiming a bit of her personality. “Here’s a tip on women from me to you: don’t confess you love us and then tell us how your ex-girl likes it.”

  Vince chuckled, relaxing at her sass that was finally unveiled from underneath her fear. “Noted. I don’t have a problem talking to you about work, but you have to tell me if something upsets you too much. You’re the baby-holding type, so it’s hard to get a read on what’s over the line.”

  Fallyn sat up straighter. “Actually, I’m also the bashing in my brothers’ windshields type, so factor that in accordingly. We’re equals or we’re nothing. I’m tired of being big-brothered. I don’t want to fall into that landmine with you.”

  “Well, if we’re saying things we don’t want, I might as well come clean. I don’t want fake. If we’re doing this, you have to be straight with me, and I promise not to fly off the handle. Trust is a big deal to me, so don’t make me question you.”

  “Don’t look for reasons to question me, and we’re square. I’ll break things off with James tonight over the phone, not in person. Didn’t get a chance to last night.” Fallyn looked out the window, her eye catching on a lake in the distance. “Oh, pull over!”

  Vince drove off on a trail that led to a small clearing where a lake was encased in trees with the other end of the water half a mile away. Vince scarcely had his seatbelt off when Fallyn tore out of the car and ran to the country setting, tearing off her shoes and running to the water. Vince jogged up behind her, watching with amusement her happiness at seeing nature instead of commerce. “It’s nice,” he offered, looking out at the peaceful setting.