Riley
"Come on, RI. It's been ages since we hit the club!" It's been 15 minutes since we left yet another alleyway that turned out to be pointless and Josh hasn't shut up about us getting out. I'll give it to the guy he's been by my side for the last 5 days or has it been 6? I'm not even sure anymore. What I do know is this guy is loyal to a fault and is doing everything in his power to help me find Julia and Nina and he deserves a night off.
"I'm good, but you should go." He shakes his head but as he goes to speak I watch his face suddenly turn pale. "Hmm, Riley?" he points out of the window behind me and I swear I almost brake my neck with how fast I snap it back to see what he's looking at. No way... It can't be... As if reading my mind Josh confirms that what I'm seeing is real. There standing on the front steps and banging holly hell out of my front door is Julia. Fuck, she's here.
At this point, my brain seems to shut down and my body goes on autopilot as I stop questioning everything and instead, I run from the car like my ass is on fire and quickly reach her all while calling her name. Within seconds of me reaching her, she falls apart in my arms and then goes on to start explaining everything while I try to control my anger at this whole situation but I'm struggling and I swear, the moment she tells me that Nina's not her daughter I feel like the ground opens up beneath me. As if that isn't bad enough, the person that she accuses of having her... daughter is not only my brother-in-law but a fucking mafia boss. How the fuck as she gotten involved with him?
"She's not your daughter? But how? I don't understand. Julia, none of this makes sense. You're saying that Maro thinks that he's Nina's dad but he isn't and that... and that you're not her mother? What the fuck!" My mind is completely fucking blown, completely! She's once again a sobbing mess and it's a sight that hits me hard but right now as I'm struggling to keep my emotions under control never mind handle hers too.
Of course, it takes me less than a minute to once again cave, and I have her back in my arms while she cries like a baby. "Julia, I need you to talk to me. I can't help you if you don't talk to me." For some reason, these words seem to do the trick and she quickly straightens up and wipes away her fallen tears, and tries to stop any more from surfacing. "You'll help me?" she seems completely stunned and at first I want to be offended that she actually thought that I wouldn't help her in this situation but then it huts me that she probably hasn't had many people if anyone that she can trust in with her living situation so I'm going to give her the benefit of the doubt here.
"Of course I am. I would help you regardless of this situation but Mario is my brother-in-law so, of course, I'm going to help you." she remains quiet for a moment but then jumps back from me while shaking her head. "I can't, this isn't right. I'm sorry. I need to go." she turns around taking quick steps away from me and attempts to leave. "I don't think so, sweetheart." I step forward and gently grab her arm before turning her to face me. "You came here for help so where do you think you going?"
Again she seems confused by my words. "you can't Riley. Yes, I came here for help but I was just hoping to get some advice, that maybe you would be able to guide me on what to do. I don't want you involved, you can't help me."
Why not?" she lowers her head looking down at her feet and it's only then that I realize that she doesn't have anything on her feet, they are bare and full of blood and that just instantly pissed me off. "You just can't! I need to go the longer I'm here, the longer he has my daughter." she goes running once more but it's not happening.
Thankfully I'm a lot bigger than her and a single step for me is twice the length of hers. "Sorry nope, can do, ain't happening!" I get behind her and quickly grip her then spin her around and throw her over my shoulder. "Riley! what are you doing!" she starts shouting at me while bangin' her small fists onto my back but unfortunately for her, I barely feel a thing. "RILEY!"
I quickly head for the house with Josh right behind me. We step inside and of course, there's staff all over the place and we quickly get some strange looks but I couldn't give a fuck instead, I just head for my office and lock the door once the three of us are inside. I slowly let Julia down and as I expected she runs straight for the door, she tugs at the knob but there's no point. "Riley, let me out!" she bangs on the door but I'm quick to pull her away from there before she starts worrying my staff.
"Julia, you need to calm down." she jumps back from me seriously mad and despite it being the completely wrong time for this, I find it cute as fuck! "Calm down...CALM DOWN! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!" I close the gap between us. "Yes, Julia. calm down." She tries to break free from me but I just tighten my hold and that's when I watch her once again slowly fall apart. going between angry and sad so quickly and so constantly must be exhausting her.
"How am I supposed to calm down, Riley? Some mafia don has my daughter. I don't know where she is or who's got her right now. Is she being looked after? Is she cold or hungry?" Tears lace her eyes and it kills me. "She's going to be fine. I don't you don't know if you can believe me but we're going to get this taken care of once and for all."
I slowly lead her over to my seat behind my desk while at the same time, Josh hands her a tumbler of whiskey. Once I have her sitting I suddenly feel like my world starts spinning as my own reality hits me like a sledgehammer. Since the first moment that I saw Nina, I had a feeling, a feeling that I couldn't shake and her looks... well that just blew my mind and if I'm honest, that's what started my brain turning and before I knew it I was letting all these wayward thoughts run through my head and as much as I have tried to ignore my thoughts... my gut feeling I know deep down that it hasn't really gone away, I've just been ignoring it.
But what if I am right? How the hell will I deal with that? Where would I stand? What about Julia? I take my cell out of my phone and dial his number, every time his ringtone spikes I swear my heartbeat gets louder as I wait for him to answer, for him to potentially change my entire life.
"Riley. How thing?" He answers in his usual calm manner while I feel like I'm sweating like a pig.
"Mario, not good I'm afraid. I hope things are good with you?" I don't have the time or patience for these types of questions but I need to keep my cool right now.
"I'm good, brother. What's going on with you? I assume if you're calling me then I can help you?" He's my brother-in-law but I'm not in denial of who he is. He's a mafia don. He's ruthless and a nasty piece of work but he treats my sister like a queen and he's always been good to my family so I'm praying that it will help me right now.
"You can. I have a big problem and you have the answer."
"I'm listening."
"I need you to give me Nina back." Julia hasn't taken her eyes off me this whole time, her beautiful face covered with worry.
"What.., How the fuck do you know about Nina? What's going on here, Riley?
"I have her mom here with me."
"She's not her mom!" He's starting to get pissed and I need to keep things calm.
"I don't know all the details of that, Mario but I do know that she has raised her and she's here with me now heartbroken claiming that you have taken Nina."
"She's my daughter, Riley, not hers. She should be here with me, not her."
"I can understand you feeling like that Mario but there's more to this."
"And that is what?" He sounds calmer but this is Mario and I'm treading a thin line.
"She claims that you're not that dad."
"Of course she does. She doesn't want me near her, she wants her all for herself!"
"I can't say much on that but Mario I... fuck look what I'm about to say to you I haven't even told Julia yet." Julia's curious eyes land on me and I want to look away when I say the words but for some reason I can't, I just keep looking into her eyes, "Fuck, Mario I think I may be Nina's Dad."