Filed to story: Falling for My Ex's Mafia Dad Novel Free PDF (Fay Alden & Kent Lippert)
â??He got arrested,â? Daniel says, deciding not to deny it and taking a sip from his coffee. â??As part of the raid.â?
â??So youâ??re both nerds who are into mafia bad boys,â? Janeen says with a wide, delighted grin, laughing and looking between us as she crosses her arms. â??Makes sense why youâ??re engaged to each other.â?
â??Sheâ??s just jealous,â? I say to Daniel, smiling at him over my coffee cup. â??She wishes she could land a Kent or a Jerome.â?
â??Accurate,â? Janeen says with a shrug. â??If you know anyoneâ?¦â?
â??Pickings are slim,â? Daniel says, grinning at her. â??All in jail for the moment. Though if youâ??re into girls, I know some Russiansâ?¦â?
Janeen raises her eyebrows, clearly intrigued, but I interrupt.
â??Enough of this â??â?? I say, stepping between them. â??We needâ?¦â? and then I sigh, deciding how to phrase this. I turn to my sister. â??Janeen, Daniel and I need to make plans. And youâ??re welcome to be in on them, but if you doâ?¦I need you to either be in or out. Youâ??re either a part of this, or you should â?? for your own safety â?? stay out of it completely.â?
Janeen goes quiet for a moment, studying me, and then flicks her eyes to Daniel. â??Did you do this to her?â? she asks quietly. â??Turn my geeky little sister into a mafia boss?â?
â??Nah,â? I hear Daniel answer, and I donâ??t look at him. â??Thatâ??s all dad.â?
â??Well,â? Janeen says, returning her gaze to me. â??I kind of like it.â?
â??So, are you in?â? I ask, needing an answer and wanting it now.
â??Of course Iâ??m in,â? she says, giving me a frown. â??You know you can count on me, Fay. Always.â?
I turn to Daniel then, because â?? no matter what â?? weâ??re in this together. â??You good with that?â?
â??I am if you are,â? he says, looking down at me with his steady green eyes. My heart twists a little as I look up at him. He just looksâ?¦so much like Kent.
I quickly look away, needingâ?¦well, needing not to go there right now. Thereâ??s too much to do. Briskly, I nod. â??Okay then. Letâ??s get started.â?
Daniel and I set up camp on the second-story back deck, which is almost too luxurious and comfortable to serve as the base of our command. But we make do, curled up at the circular wooden table with the blue umbrella open above us. Dad, when he wakes, makes us breakfast and brings it to us while the three of us chat. He doesnâ??t interfere or join in, though â?? clearly deciding to give us our space.
I thank him and hope he knows how grateful I am that heâ??s here, but I donâ??t ask him to get involved â?? both because I know he doesnâ??t want to, and becauseâ?¦well, because I canâ??t stand to put him in that kind of danger. My father is a gentle soul.
Janeen, however, is a terrier. I have much less worry about her â?? and frankly, sheâ??s even better than Daniel about getting organized and bringing all of our pieces together.
Daniel contacts our lawyers, getting all the information he can about Kent and Jeromeâ??s incarceration as well as our finances. Itâ??s not long before we have a pile of mixed news to sort through.
â??So, the bad news,â? Daniel says, ending his call and sitting back down at the table with us, â??is that all of dadâ??s property and bank accounts are locked down because heâ??s under investigation.â?
â??Oh,â? I say, sitting forward, disturbed by this. â??So, um. How are we going to pay lawyers and stuff?â?
â??Theyâ??ll do a certain amount essentially on credit,â? Daniel sighs, running a hand through his messy hair, â??under the assumption that theyâ??ll get paid when dad goes free, or when his accounts and stuff get unlocked. But until thenâ?¦â?
â??Are we broke?â? I ask, a little afraid. I mean â?? Iâ??m no stranger to being poor, but this situation gets a lot more complicated if we donâ??t have resources.
â??Thatâ??s part of the good news,â? Daniel says, looking at me and leaning back in his chair. â??You and I still have access to our accounts and property.â?
â??We have accounts and property?â? I ask, tilting my head to the side.
â??How do you not know this, Fay?â? Janeen scoffs.
â??I was busy, Janeen,â? I growl, glaring at her.
â??Getting knocked up,â? she murmurs, which makes Daniel laugh. I lean over and shove her hard enough that her shoulder knocks into Danielâ??s, and they both stop laughing, seeing that Iâ??m mad.
â??Can we be serious, please?â? I say before I turn my attention back to Daniel.
â??My property is in Europe,â? Daniel says casually â?? as if itâ??s a normal thing â?? â??and you have this house, which is paid for outright.â? A little thrill of security goes through me at that â?? at least we have somewhere to stay. â??And as for accounts, apparently dad gave the lawyers a list of our assets in case something like this happened. Iâ??ll access them now.â?
But while Daniel types on the computer, pulling up our bank accounts, the doorbell rings.
I frown at Janeen. â??Were you expecting anyone?â?
Slowly, she shakes her head. So, I stand up, heading for the stairs down to the front door.
When I open the front door to my shore house, I’m a little appalled but somehow, not surprised to see Ivan standing there.
“Are you serious,” I growl, moving to slam the door shut.
But he throws out an arm, stopping me. “I just want to talk, Fay.”
I stare up at him, hatred all over my face. “Where was all the talking, Ivan, in the past few days before you destroyed my life?”
“I didn’t destroy anything,” he snaps back, his temper rising as he leans forward to glare down at me. “Kent did that. But somehow, I’m the bad guy?”
“Yeah, Ivan,” I hiss, staring up at him. “People who lie to me for months about their entire identity are the bad guy ”
“I was undercover!” he shouts, starting to lose his cool. “It was my job!”
I open my mouth to throw something back at him, but my dad’s cool voice cuts me off.
“Can I help you, young man?” he asks, and I turn to see my dad with his arms crossed, looking Ivan up and down unhappily.
“Sir,” Ivan says, standing up straight and looking a little chagrined to have been caught yelling at this man’s daughter. “Apologies sir. I’m Detective Kaminski. I’ve been…involved in the Lippert case for several years now. I’m…acquainted with your daughter.”
“He means he’s in love with her!” Janeen’s voice calls down from upstairs
My cheeks instantly burn with embarrassment and when I look back at Ivan I see that his are too.
“Well then,” my dad says, his eyebrows nearly to his hairline as he moves back to clear the path to the stairs. “Guess you should come inside, my boy.”
I scowl at Ivan as he passes me, but shut the door behind him.
“How did you even know where I live,” I murmur to him as I we climb the stairs after my dad.
“I know everything, Fay,” he sighs back. “Besides, it’s public record you own this house.”
“Jackass,” I murmur, but I don’t say anything else as we reach the second floor, where Janeen and Daniel are waiting for us in the living room Janeen grinning eagerly and Daniel looking stoically at Ivan even though he’s still dressed in my dad’s pajamas.
The five of us stand awkwardly together before my dad clears his throat and breaks the silence. “Quite a selection of young men you’ve gathered, Fay,” he says, a little smirk on his face as he looks between the two incredibly good-looking guys standing in the living room, one dark and one fair.