Unforgivable Secrets | One Mistake Away Series Bk 1 [Mob Romance]

Chapter 30 - Feeling Both Fear and Failure

Smitty's POV:

Keeping a good poker face was the name of the game, but there was only so much a man could take. I was a husband and a father. Probably not very good at either with how much I was away from them, but that didn't stop those family-first feelings from kicking in.

I stared as a young, teenage boy was dragged in. Blindfolded, he struggled against the arms that held him close. His constant attempts at kicking his captor made my heart burst in pride.

"Let me go!" The boy screamed. There wasn't fear in his voice, only anger.

Hearing his voice would have brought me to my knees had I not all ready been there. Ricci had known how to break me. He'd all ready tormented my body, next was both my mind and soul.

I could feel the color draining from my face as my shoulders tightened. I didn't have to look over at Vitali to know he was making the connection, worrying not only about the boy being dragged in but also about my wellbeing.

My son's knees were kicked out until he was kneeling too far away in front of me. The bag over his head was ripped off. His wild, crazed eyes searched his surroundings until they landed on me.

Fuck!

My heart was all ready crumbling.

"Dad?" He questioned, his eyes narrowing as he tried to see past the blood, bruises, and cuts to distinguish my face.

"Kalem..." I breathed out, tears filling my eyes. I was at a loss for words. That never happened. I was a never-ending dictionary that could rarely be silenced unless it was the only appropriate thing for the moment.

"Smitty?" Vitali's voice barely penetrated my ears.

"Did they hurt you, K?" My mouth was dry as I choked the words out, an overwhelming emotion filling my insides.

He shook his head, swallowing hard. His eyes narrowed as he looked up at Ricci. "They knew better."

I fought the urge to chuckle at his obvious defiance. The kid was mine. There was no doubt about that.

Grabbing Kalem by the hair, Ricci twisted his head up in an unnatural angle.

Scrambling to my feet, I was shoved painfully back to the ground. Two of Ricci's men held me in place, ripping my arms back as forcefully as possible.

"Get your fucking hand off my son!" Ignoring my shoulder blades nearly touching, I growled through gritted teeth.

"So he is your son." Ricci arched a brow, looking between the two of us. "Funny how just moments ago you claimed you had no family."

I glared at the son of a bitch with an intensity few had lived to see. "Damn right he is."

Ricci looked back down at the boy, giving him a once over before releasing him. "I find it interesting the secrets you keep, Connor Smitty. Like the fact that nobody but the people in this room know about you having a wife and not one but two children."

I felt Vitali's gaze heavy on me, but I didn't have time to address his concerns. "What did you do to Joanner and Tempest?"

"They took me on my way home from school, dad. Mom and Temp are fine." Kalem tried to reassure me. He was trying to be a good son, trying to prove he was older than what he was. The boy was thirteen. Maybe that was almost an adult in some cultures, but to me he was still my little boy.

"I didn't touch the rest of your secret family, Smitty. I could have, but I left them alone. I wasn't lying when I said my fight is with O'Sullivan. I have no intention of hurting the rest of your people for no reason." Ricci folded his arms over his chest.