Page 30 of Mafia Daddy

Kobek lights a cigarette, the flame briefly illuminating his scarred face. “Agreed. This feels like a probe. Testing how soft we’ve become since the truce with the Leones.”

I drum my fingers on the metal railing, mind already turning over possibilities.

The spy’s words echo in my head… Russian filth. They’ve grown too comfortable. Perhaps they believe the new alliance with Paolo has made me distracted. Or worse, vulnerable.

“There is another option,” I say quietly. “We test our new allegiance with the Lentini family. See if they are willing to stand with us against the cartel. Two families working together would send a much stronger message than one acting alone.”

Michael exhales. “That’s a big step. The truce is still fresh. Milo’s only been with you a short while. It could get messy.”

At the mention of his name, an image flashes through my mind: Milo curled in my armchair, spooning ice cream, cheeks still faintly pink from earlier. The contrast is almost jarring…

Up here I throw men off rooftops.

Down in my apartment I rub cooling cream on a defiant boy’s punished ass and watch him eat steak like it’s the best thing he’s ever tasted.

I push the thought aside. Sentiment has no place in decisions like this.

“Exactly,” I reply. “The timing matters. If the Leones see us handling threats decisively, and if we offer them a share of the spoils, they may commit. If they hesitate… then we know exactly how much that truce is really worth.”

Kobek flicks ash over the edge. “Risky. But smart. We cannot fight a war on two fronts.”

I nod once, decision settling in my bones. “Set up a discreet meeting with Paolo. Neutral ground. Security is fine, show that we trust one another enough to allow it. We’ll feel him out.”

We head back inside. The office already looks untouched, blood wiped from the floor, rug turned. My men are efficient.

I pour myself a fresh vodka from the decanter on the sideboard and drink it in one smooth motion. The burn grounds me.

Michael is watching me closely. “And the boy? He going to be a problem while you’re handling this?”

I think of Milo’s promise before I left, the way his voice had sounded almost sincere. “He’ll behave. For now.”

But even as I say it, I know the truth.

Milo is a wildfire in a silk wrapper. Keeping him contained while I prepare for war with the cartel will require constant attention. Part of me—the darker, truly possessive part—looks forward to it.

I set the empty glass down. “Double the watch on the apartment building tonight. I want eyes on every entrance. And tell Yuri he’s on thin ice. If he lets the boy charm another phone out of him, I’ll throw him off a roof next.”

Kobek chuckles darkly. Michael just smirks.

We spend the next twenty minutes going over logistics: crew rotations, new drop points, possible weak links in our supply chain. By the time I head back down the stairs and out to the waiting Escalade, the alley below the terrace has already been cleaned.

No body. No trace. Just another quiet message sent into the night.

As we pull away from Onyx, I lean back against the leather and let my thoughts drift. The cartel is coming. The Leones are an uncertain new ally. And back at my apartment, a beautiful, bratty twenty-three-year-old with a freshly spanked ass and a sharp mind is waiting for me to return.

War is on the horizon.

But first, I have to figure out exactly what to do with Milo Pirlo-Lentini before he becomes either my greatest strength… or my most dangerous weakness.

10

MILO

The final credits roll across the massive TV screen, and I let out a long, contented sigh. The rom-com was exactly the kind of fluffy escape I needed after everything that happened… the handover, the spanking, the rules, the confusing dinner with Maxim.

My eyelids feel heavy, but my body is still buzzing with leftover adrenaline.

I stretch my arms overhead, wincing a little as the movement pulls at my tender ass.