“I tried. The car won’t start. The engine keeps turning over.”
“You could have called for help,” I countered.
Dad shook his head. “My phone died not long after I woke up, and I don’t have a charger.”
Sonny popped the hood, toyed with a few things, and then said, “Try it now, Lorenzo.”
Angelo and Sonny were both good with cars from all the years they’d spent around Tony and the guys from Morelli Motors.
My dad got behind the wheel, and after a few tries, the engine roared to life. “What the hell?” He clutched the wheel, confused.
Sonny shut the hood and leaned on the window frame of my dad’s open door. “It was the starter. You should be good to go.”
Whoever did this wanted to send a message not hurt him. I was confused as fuck about the entire situation. Was this the work of Angelo’s father, or was my dad caught in the middle of his turf war with Enzo? Or was there something else Angelo wasn’t telling me? I had no idea what to think anymore. My entire life was so fucked up.
Dad let out a sigh of relief. “I looked under the hood, but I had no idea where to begin.”
“No problem,” Sonny said. “I can swing by one day and show you. In case there’s a next time.”
“There won’t be a next time,” I spat, angling my body to look at Angelo. “You better figure out who did this.”
A fire blazed behind Angelo’s beautiful blue eyes. His jaw clenched but only enough for me to notice. If we were alone, he probably would’ve tied me to his bed and spanked me for my insubordination. I loved when he did that, which made me disobey him even more.
I expected him to reprimand me. Instead, he glanced at my dad and his disheveled appearance. “I will find out who did this.”
What if he already knew? I couldn’t bear the thought of Angelo having anything to do with my father’s disappearance. But this had Mafia written all over it. It didn’t take much to see this was the work of Wiseguys.
“I’m going home with my dad,” I told Angelo, hoping he wouldn’t argue with me.
“We’ll follow you. Don’t get cute. Drive straight home.” His face was expressionless, his tone devoid of any emotion. He could be loving one minute and downright terrifying the next.
“Daddy, get in the passenger seat. I’m driving.”
My dad was frail and looked as though he hadn’t eaten or shaved in weeks. I hated seeing him like that.
Angelo pulled me to the side and squeezed my biceps between his strong hands. He was forceful, same as when he was about to bend me over and fuck me. My body set on fire at the promise of Angelo’s rough touch. I knew he’d hurt me later.
“Don’t do anything stupid, G.”
I rolled my eyes at him and sighed. “Like what?”
“I saw the look on your face. You’re up to no good. Do not go digging into this. I will find out who was responsible. You understand me?”
“Or what, Angelo? You gonna do the same thing to me?”
He shook his head, annoyed. “Do you like the life you have?”
“The one where I’m dating a mobster and my dad gets kidnapped by your goons? Yeah, it’s fucking peachy.”
“Talk back to me again, G, and see what happens.” He lowered his voice to a whisper, his grip tightening on me. “I won’t think twice about locking you up for your own protection. When you’re like this, you put yourself at risk. You are a threat to me. My job is dangerous. I could get killed walking to the market, and you’re a liability. Men could use you to get to me. Understand?”
I nodded my head in answer.
“I don’t know how many times I have to drill this into your pretty little head,” he continued. “Do me a favor and listen to me for once. Your mouth and curiosity will get both of us killed. Don’t look into this. Let Sonny and me take care of it. Got it?”
“Yes,” I whispered, and then he kissed me, sucking whatever air I had left from my body.
On the way home, I drove while my dad slept. I gripped the steering wheel so tightly my knuckles turned white and my hands went numb. I shook them out to gain some feeling back into them. My anger seethed right through me, causing me to grind my teeth in anger. I was still pissed about my conversation with Angelo. I loved being his, along with all the perks of dating a connected guy, but I hated everything that came along with him. At one time, I loved he was a bad man, but it was beginning to lose its appeal.