Mafia Betrayal

Chapter Eighteen

Luca

When I woke up the next morning, I felt disoriented. My back hurt like hell and Charlotte had her head in my lap, sound asleep, still on the cool tile of the bathroom floor. I thought maybe I dreamt everything that happened last night, but thank God I didn't.

I looked down at Charlotte's tear-stained cheeks, and my heart shattered all over again. I'd never get the sound of her sobs out of my head. The way she continued to cry in her sleep, those heavy sobs turning to soft whimpers. I stayed awake for hours, listening to her heartbreak and stroking her cheek, all the while feeling like an absolute shithead for the things I'd done.

I hated Grant for what he did, but right now, I was hating myself just as much.

The thought of Charlotte lying in a hospital bed about to have our child, terrified and calling for me, blinded me with rage. How could that motherfucker be so callous? Whatever beef we had shouldn't have mattered. He wanted to hurt me so badly that he didn't even think about Charlotte or Layla.

Grant knew exactly what he was doing and wasted years I could have had with Layla. With Charlotte. I couldn't wait to see the look on his face when he realized he wouldn't get away with it.

The sooner I could get my hands on him, the better. Charlotte and I needed to sit down and talk, but after that, murdering that greedy son of a bitch was at the top of my list. And I wouldn't be able to rest until I did.

Careful not to disturb her, I scooped her Charlotte up off the floor and laid her in the bed. She needed the rest after all I'd put her through in the last few days. A sickening feeling washed over me as I looked at the bruise on her cheek, knowing I did that to her. If she ever gave me the chance again, I'd spend every second of my life trying to make it up to her. I'd do whatever I had to do to be sure I didn't turn into my father. It never should have gotten this bad, but it was the wake up call I needed.

She stirred only slightly when I pulled the covers over her. It was nearly nine in the morning, so I peaked my head in to Layla's room.

I expected to find her playing on her bed, but her room was empty. Panic pulsed through me. I hurried out of the room and down the stairs, hoping to find her. There was no way someone could break into the house and take her without us knowing, but somehow having a child made me more anxious.

A wave of relief washed over me when I got to the bottom of the stairs and the sound of her laughs echoed off the walls. I came around the corner to find her in the kitchen, sharing a bowl of cereal with Seth. She was picking out all the marshmallows from the Lucky Charms and saving the cereal pieces for him.

"Daddy!" she exclaimed when she saw me. Just hearing her call me washed all of my anxiety away. Everything was right in the world when that little angel was happy to see me.

"Hi baby." I offered my arms out to her, and she jumped into them, nestling her head into my chest. "Uncle Seth taught me how to dive! Can I show you my dives today?"

My heart was torn between making up for lost time with my daughter, repairing my relationship with her mother, and torturing the man who robbed me of a normal relationship with them.

Every natural instinct in my body was telling me to find Grant and gutting him like a fish, but things were different now. I couldn't bring myself to leave the girls again, especially after the way things went down with Charlotte. If I had any hope of working this out, they had to be my priority.

"Of course you can! I bet mommy will want to see it too. Can you wait until she gets up?"

Layla nodded enthusiastically, jumping out of my arms and continuing to eat her cereal. I glanced at Seth, and the look in his eye made me falter.