Darkest Sins (Perfectly Imperfect #9)

His eyes widen. “Who’s the father?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Massimo lunges forward so suddenly that I flinch back in my chair. “Some bastard got my sister pregnant, and it doesn’t matter?” he roars, pulling on the chains.

“No. He’s not from the Family.”

“Is he going to marry you?”

“No. He’s . . .”What the fuck is he?I wonder. “He’s gone.”

Massimo stares at me, his nostrils flaring, then slowly lowers himself back onto the chair. “Get rid of it.”

“I’m not ‘getting rid’ of my child!”

“No man from the Family will marry a woman who’s pregnant with someone else’s kid, Nera. Especially if that woman is the daughter of a don. If it’s a boy, should he ever covet the leadership position, as your son, he’ll have the backing to take the reins. He’ll forever be considered a threat by those desperate to hang on to their power.”

“Don’s position is not hereditary.”

“Nope, but you know very well that just being a familial relation to the previous don is enough to get the necessary support.”

“I will leave.”

“There is no leaving Cosa Nostra, Nera. You know that, too.”

“I can try.”

“And you’ll end up dead before your child ever has the chance to be born. Leone will have you killed. Just like he killed your father.”

“What?”

“Seriously? You haven’t connected the dots already?” Massimo leans over the table, his eyes piercing mine. “Leone never would have allowed things to come to a point of ‘paying off’ Camorra. He orchestrated the whole deal just so he could later ‘reveal’ it to the Family, present your father as a traitor, and take his place. He probably convinced Nuncio not to tell me anything about it for that sole reason. And he won’t hesitate to dispose of you if it meets his needs.”

“Oh God.” I stare at him.

“Are you serious about keeping the baby?”

“Yes.”

“And how far are you willing to go to keep your child safe?”

“To the depths of hell, if need be.”

“Good. Because that’s exactly where you’re headed,” he says. “Now, listen up, and do exactly as I tell you.”

My stomach volleys between somersaults and steep drops as I listen to my stepbrother’s plan, and by the time he’s finished, I feel like throwing up. He wasn’t kidding when he said I’d be headed to the depths of hell.

“For how long?” I choke out.

“Until I’m out.”

“That’s almost four years, Massimo! I can’t do it.”

“That’s the price of your freedom and the safety for your child.” A smirk pulls at his mouth.

As I watch the calculating glint in his eyes, a realization settles. “You weren’t just pulling some strings from here, were you? You’ve been the one dealing with the Family affairs all these years.”

“Nuncio was a good man, but he didn’t have the bloodthirsty edge to make the necessary decisions.” The smirk on his face widens into a smile so terrifying that I involuntarily lean back. “I’ve been running Boston Cosa Nostra since I was nineteen, sis.”