His Mafia Queen

Unwelcome News

"Good morning," she greets me, rising from her seat as we exchange a quick embrace.

We settle into our chairs, and a frown etches its way onto her features. "Is it a good morning? You seem a little... off."

My sister possesses an innate ability to read my expressions, deciphering them with the expertise of a seasoned poker player in the midst of a high-stakes tournament.

"I'm fine," I dismiss, unfurling my napkin with measured precision.

She shakes her head. "Is it Riley?"

I pour myself a cup of coffee. "What are your thoughts on her? Be honest."

Mia takes a sip, her eyes fixed on an invisible spot somewhere over my left shoulder. "I think she's lovely. Intelligent, beautiful, accomplished. Perhaps the most interesting woman you've ever been involved with. But I sense she fails to comprehend the depth of your feelings. However, she does grasp the danger that comes with being in a relationship with you. And that, Gabe, might prove to be a major obstacle."

A sigh escapes me. My sister's perceptive insight, as always, hits the mark. "Well, shit."

Her shrug conveys a mix of understanding and resignation. "I know you don't wanna hear this, but the best course of action would be to talk with her. Let her fully grasp the limits of your affection. Or, in your case, the lack thereof. Emphasize that your ultimate desire is to protect her."

"Easy for you to say." Mia's husband, Rocco, occupies a high-ranking position within the New York mafia, his family connected to ours by generations of invisible familial threads.

"I'll admit, Rocco and I didn't have this particular conversation. However, we faced other obstacles. He feared that you and Dad wouldn't be able to keep me safe." She grins. "We had a come to Jesus meeting about that."

I roll my eyes, my skepticism seeping through. Of course he would say that. New Yorkers always perceive outsiders as incapable and inept."

Mia smirks. She knows I'm right. "The point is, Riley needs to understand where your heart is coming from if there's any chance of making this work. And if that doesn't work... well, then maybe it wasn't meant to be. But at least you tried. That should count for something."

A server appears and takes our order. Mia selects an egg white frittata, but I'm going all out with lemon ricotta pancakes. I half expect her to make fun of me, but instead, she leans forward with a serious expression.

"Are we done talking about Riley? Because I have something to tell you."

I lift a shoulder. "Yeah, I guess. Sorry to burden you with my relationship drama."

She snorts softly. "Please. I love talking about your relationship drama."

"Yeah, right." I grin. "So what do you have to tell me? Am I going to be an uncle again?"

Mia laughs, shaking her head. "No, not yet." She glances away for a moment before returning her gaze to me. Her eyes are unusually soft and I know something is up.

Before I can ask what, the server reappears with our food and we pause our conversation to focus on eating. The pancakes are fluffy and light, a perfect combination of sweet and tart that melts in my mouth.

"Riley would love these," I say without thinking, and Mia lifts an eyebrow.

I finish one pancake and wave the waiter down for more water when I turn to my sister. "Tell me. What's up? Why all the secrecy?"

Mia puts her fork down. "It's Dad."

My mouth goes dry and I set down my glass. "What about him?"

Mia takes a deep breath, her eyes shining with tears. "He's being released early. His good behavior earned him a reduced sentence. He'll be out next week."