Chapter 1
“You slimy son of a bitch!”
Jonathan ‘Jack’ Holland turned around at the insult. His muscles tensed at the anger pouring off Angelo Cabrini as he marched down the driveway of the wooded New Jersey estate. A million thoughts ran through his head. The worst, Angelo had discovered he was an agent for the FBI. He took a deep breath and tried to calm his pounding heart as he moved away from the limo. Maybe he’d forgotten to clean something out of the vehicle. It was part of his undercover job as the Cabrini’s chauffeur, Matt Waters. The look on Angelo’s face said more than an untidy car was at play here.
“Mr. Cabrini, what seems to be the problem? Did I forget to do something?”
Angelo stopped a foot away, his eyes roaming the six-car garage and the woods beyond. His stone features resembled that of his father, mob boss, Victor Cabrini.
“Stay away from Callie.”
“Miss Lansing?” Damn, how much did Angelo know about him and Callie? Look cool and confused. “You’ve asked me to bring her to work and back. Do you not want me to drive her anymore?”
Angelo seethed. “You know what I mean. I don’t care if she’s screwing around on the side but not with the damn chauffeur. I plan to marry her. I need her.”
Yeah, Angelo needed Callie, as camouflage. So far Callie had been able to keep her knowledge of his dirty dealings from him. And the fact she’d gone to the police. Now to defuse this situation.
“I simply drive her to work and back, sir. I haven’t seen her with anyone else.”
“Bullshit. I saw you leaving her place this morning.” Angelo’s face grew even harder.
Fuck, he’d left before five. He should have been more careful, but Callie had a way of making him lose common sense. What the hell had Angelo been doing there? And how could he explain this situation?
“She seemed lonely, sir. You’re always busy with work.”
“Callie’s looking for a close-knit family and a safe life. She’ll get that from me.”
A safe life from a mob family. Sure.
“Maybe she needs more.”
He was pushing it, yeah, but if Angelo didn’t mind her sleeping with other men, he might let this ride.
Angelo’s eyes narrowed. “She didn’t need to get knocked up by the friggin’ help.”
“She’s pregnant?” Shit. They’d been careful. Well, most of the time. Why hadn’t she said anything to him? They’d been together last night and this morning. “Did she tell you this?”
“She doesn’t even know yet. But her doctor’s a good friend of my father. She recently had a physical and he figured I’d be interested in what the blood work showed. Wanted to congratulate me.”
Jack couldn’t move or speak. Callie was pregnant with his child. Getting her away from the Cabrinis as soon as possible was imperative now. Victor thought the world of Callie and hoped she’d stick around. But Victor didn’t know the truth about Angelo.
“I take it this doctor isn’t aware of your preferences. That you wouldn’t be the father.”
Angelo took a half step closer. Jack held his ground.
“And he won’t know. No one does. Not even you.”
“No, sir. Not a thing. I imagine Callie suspects since you’ve never touched her. Are you going to pay her to go off and live far away?” That would be perfect. She could leave the area and once he was finished with this assignment, which might be sooner than he expected, he could follow her.
“Have her go away? You must be crazy if you think I’ll get rid of her. My father loves her. And she doesn’t seem to care about my…extra-curricular activities. We haven’t been seeing each other long enough to get married yet though. I’ll need to get rid of the baby.”
Jack’s heart beat double time. “If you do anything to the baby, I’ll let it slip to your father about all your little affairs. I’ll even name the men you get down and dirty with in the back of the limo.”
The sneer on Angelo’s face stopped Jack’s breath. “She won’t even be aware she lost it. I have friends with access to drugs that will cause a miscarriage. It’s early enough, she may not suspect anything.”
No way could he let that happen. Callie was carrying his baby. He pushed his face closer to the monster who wanted to kill his child. “Over my dead body.”
Something evil lit up Angelo’s face. “Yes, I figured that might be the case.”
Pain sliced deep into his side as Angelo laughed. A knife stuck out of his white dress shirt, crimson staining the formerly pristine fabric. His vision blurred and his legs buckled. Angelo pushed at him until he lay heaped on the ground, agony ripping through him. Gripping the knife handle, he pulled on it, but his head spun and he fought to stay conscious.
Angelo’s smirking face leaned down to taunt him.
“There’s nothing you can do now, Waters. I’ll get rid of your damn baby and after we’re married, she’ll have my baby.”
“You’d have to…” His hands shook on the knife handle.
Angelo scowled, close enough that Jack could smell the coffee on his breath. “I have doctors who will do in vitro. I don’t have to touch her. But make no mistake, she will be mine.”
Images of Callie’s beautiful face, innocent and sweet, flashed through his mind. He couldn’t let this dirtbag do anything to her. Tugging at the knife again, he found the strength to pull it free. He thrust it up and into Angelo; the deserving bastard. The man’s eyes opened in surprise as he staggered back and fell.
Shouts from near the house shook him from the stupor he was falling into and snapped him back to reality. Tony Pascucci, Victor’s right-hand man, ran toward them. Fuck, he was dead now. Pascucci always carried a gun.
Jack struggled to his feet and leaned against the limo for a second. As Pascucci got closer, thoughts of Callie propelled him into action. He managed to push away and put one foot in front of the other. When he got to the tree line, he chanced looking back. Pascucci knelt near Angelo. Good, he was taking care of that injury and not following.
Jack stumbled away, pain coursing through him with each step. Callie. Get to Callie. Reaching in his pocket, he pulled out his phone so he could call Scott. His cousin would help him. Calling his partner, Steve, was necessary too. He had to let the Bureau know of this mess.
Leaning against a tree, he rested for a second and looked down at his side. Blood dripped from beneath the fingers he held there. Making it through this was imperative. Callie, his beautiful sweet Calico, carried his child. He had to be there to protect them both.