Becoming the Street Boss - Hayley Faiman Page 0,70

an asshole.”

I grunt. Gavino leaves a few minutes later after giving me the skinny on the happenings of the famiglia. Jerking my chin, I stand, giving him a shake and a hug. Gavino leaves and I’m taken away by an officer.

Making my way back to my cell, I sit down on the small cot that is mine for the next five years. Closing my eyes, I lay back on my bed. I’m fucked. There is no way in hell I’m going to be able to live here for five years while Pippa is at home.

There is only one way to deal with this. She’ll be safe, she’ll have protection, but she won’t have to wait for me. She won’t have to deal with me. Deciding that my next move is to call Salvatore, I close my eyes and try to sleep.

PIPPA

Lifting my hand to my face, my thumb goes directly into my mouth and I chew on my nail. He’s supposed to call. Gavino and Salvatore both said that he would, that he could. Renzo clears his throat.

My head snaps to look over at him. He shakes his head, chuckling at my obvious nervousness.

“He hasn’t put me on the approved visitation list. He doesn’t want to see me. He said he’d call,” I hiss.

Renzo stands before he makes his way over to me. He stops in front of me, forcing me to tip my head back to look up at him. My breath hitches when he lifts his hand, his palm cupping my cheek.

“Massimo will call. He said he would. He will.”

As if right on cue, the phone rings. I run over, answering it immediately. The robo-voice asks if I’ll accept the call from the prison. Eagerly, I do. Pinching my eyes closed, I wait to hear his voice, more excited than I probably should be.

“Dolcezza,” he rasps.

“Massimo,” I breathe.

“You’re good?”

“Yeah.”

There’s a moment of silence. Then he continues. “Salvatore will be bringing some paperwork over today. Your account information and other stuff.”

“Okay, when can I see you?”

He doesn’t say anything, doesn’t answer me immediately. Then he lets out a sigh. “Never, Pippa.”

“What?”

My chest squeezes. My breath completely escapes and I see spots as my knees begin to give out. Renzo’s hands wrap around my waist, bracing me so that I don’t fall on my face.

“Massimo,” I shout.

“Pippa, it’s for the best. You’re only twenty. It’s not fair and I won’t make you stay, not like this. Maybe if we’d been together longer, maybe if you were pregnant…”

His voice trails off and I want nothing more than to scream at him, but my voice is gone, it’s stolen from me. He’s stolen it from me. There’s no other way to describe what’s happening to me, except the man that I was falling in love with has ruined me in just one word. Never.

“You’re an asshole. You’re a selfish fucking asshole,” I scream into the phone right before Renzo slips it from my hand.

I hear his voice mumbling, but I don’t know what he’s saying. I can’t hear him. I don’t understand him. All I can hear is roaring noise in my ear. My knees give out, except this time Renzo doesn’t catch me, he’s too busy talking on the phone to my asshole husband.

Pinching my eyes closed, my palms on the cold tile on the kitchen floor, the tears flow. I haven’t cried since that day in court where he was sentenced. I can’t stop crying now, not even if I wanted to.

It all pours out of me, every sleepless night, every worry, every single fear that I’ve had since Aunt Irene made me leave.

Strong arms wrap around me, lifting me from the floor. I tremble in those arms, turning my face to look up at him. It’s Renzo, he’s looking ahead, instead of at me. Lifting one of my arms, I cup his bearded cheek.

“Why?” I whimper.

“Why?”

“Why doesn’t he want me anymore? I’ll wait for him, I’d always wait for him,” I whisper.

Renzo hums as he sits on the sofa and arranges me on his lap. Pulling my head back, I look up into his eyes, my hand still cupping his soft beard.

“It’s soft,” I whisper.

He smiles and I can see his white teeth, but that smile doesn’t reach his eyes, just like Massimo’s doesn’t.

“I use conditioner, girl,” he murmurs. My lips curve up into a small smile as my eyes search his. “He’ll realize he’s making a mistake. He’ll change his mind. He’s just scared. Men like us, we