His Mafia Prince
Chapter 181: Before I Leave

Chapter 181: Before I Leave

(WESLEY)

Arlo’s question makes my pulse spike. "Why would I lie about that?"

"People lie." He shrugs. "Sometimes it could be for good reason." He stares at me, his gaze unusually piercing. Arlo is the easier going of my employers. Perhaps he is still reeling in the shock of what happened today. Maybe it is the reason why he is examining things more closely. Including me.

I decide that there is nothing wrong with telling the truth. "Yes, I am Irish."

"That’s what I thought. Just to be clear, I’m only beefing with the Irish mafia. Not Irish people. I just wanted you to know that."

"I appreciate you saying that. There is just so much tension right now, I’d hate to be caught up in the anger that is supposed to be directed to the Sharks Clan."

"Oh, don’t worry about that. You protected baby Reign and Jericho. I’m not at all concerned about you harming any of us. You seem like a peaceful guy to me." He laughs gruffly. "Even though Luca said that you can handle a gun well."

I sigh, hoping that he doesn’t notice the tension swarming through me. "I think living in this city has always prepared me for anything."

"Yes." He murmurs. "It is a violent city." He hesitates for a few. "Miles told me about your sister. I’m so sorry that happened to you."

"Thanks." I lie feeling guilty, but I know that it is necessary.

"Do you have a bigger family?" he asks. "I was just wondering because you never ask me for time off." He shifts the baby to another hip and the child whimpers.

"No. My mother died years ago, and my dad followed soon after."

"I see." He says with an empathetic look on his face. "Perhaps it was your sister’s death that took a toll on them."

"Yeah." I hate that I’m accepting his sympathy over a lie, but it is important that he stops asking too many questions about my past. Maybe he will lose interest once he thinks that my entire family is gone."

"I’m not sure if I would live on if I lost this little one." He glances at the baby.

"I know."

"I feel like you understand, Wesley." He smiles weakly. "You are an empathetic person. I now see why the agency you work for thinks that you are an asset to them."

"Well, they are a good company to work for." The fact that he is still fixating the conversation on me makes me uneasy. I want to be helpful. That is my goal. What I don’t want is to be the center of attention while at it. Unfortunately, after what happened at the park today, my actions have put me in the spotlight. I try to change the subject. "So, do you know if What Sasha and Miles are planning against the Sharks?"

His face hardens. "No. I don’t know of all the details just yet. That’s what we are going to discuss tomorrow when we get to Sasha’s place. One thing I’m sure of is that it wasn’t just the Sharks alone who were involved in the attack today."

"No?"

"Nope. Rumour has it that the Sawyer clan was also involved."

The mention of my family’s syndicate makes me freeze for a moment. My heart rate picks and shock rolls through me. I’m not sure how to respond. But he is watching me, so I have to say something. "Why... why would they get involved?"

"Because," he sighs. "The Sawyer clan and my family, the Sovereign Ring syndicate, have been feuding. My late father and Peter Sawyer butted heads over some casinos. It grew into a huge dispute. You know, shit happens."

"Yeah." I’ve heard that can happen." Fear takes over when I hear him actually mention my father’s name. Lately, I haven’t kept track of my family or mob news in general. But I am familiar with my father’s character. Peter Sawyer is a man who gets easily offended and holds grudges forever. If it is true that my family had started feuding with the Sovereign Ring Syndicate, then it has to be after I left. But that doesn’t make the situation any better for me. If Arlo and Miles make any connections and realize that I’m a Sawyer, I’m toast. They won’t just fire me. They will probably kill me to set an example.

"Now that I’m the head of the Sovereign Ring Syndicate, I can’t just let the Sawyers get away with this kind of thing." Arlo says, completely oblivious to the torment that I am going through. "They’re so frustrating, that clan! After getting married to Miles and merging with the Triple Triads, I thought that would be reason enough to keep them away. But it seems that isn’t the case. Not if they were cahoots with the Sharks Clan."

"Yeah, I understand your frustration." I clear my throat." It is impossible to not feel paranoid listening to Arlo. It feels like I have a massive bull’s eye on my back. By some horrendous bad luck, I have landed in the middle of my worst nightmare. It has been my goal for six years to avoid anything to do with the mafia, just so I wouldn’t find myself in a situation that would land me right back into the hands of Danny and Papa. Now, not only am I in danger of them finding me, I’m also in danger of my employers finding out the truth about who I really am.

"Are you alright, Wes? You look kind of pale." Arlo narrows his eyes.

"I’m fine." I swallow thickly. "I think it’s just the events of today catching up with me."

"Oh, yeah. I should have thought that. Today’s experience has taken a toll on all of us." He sighs, looking at me almost as though he pities me. "I’m not letting the baby out of my sight. Why don’t you go take a rest. Tomorrow will be a long day for us."

I nod, rising slowly. "Yeah, sure. If you don’t mind, I’m sure that I could use a nap." I force a smile, hoping that he doesn’t notice that I’m about to faint from stress and fear. "You’re sure you won’t need my help tonight?"

He smiles warmly. "I’m sure. Matter of fact, we won’t go see Sasha until much later in the afternoon. You should get some good sleep for once."

"Alright. See you then."

I leave him and head into the house. My mind is churning. I have to get away. There is no in between. I can’t stay here anymore. Not with Sasha, Miles and Arlo waging war against my family. My past has finally caught up with me despite all my efforts to abandon it. What terrifies me more is that someone in this house will figure out who I am. I can’t stay. My family might also find me if I stay. I have to disappear.

I hurry into my room and begin to shove stuff into my duffel bag. My mind drifts to Jericho and my heart aches. I know that I might never see him again. But I have no choice. I wish I could find Jericho and kiss him goodbye. Or even get one last gentle touch or word from him. But that’s now out of the question. I don’t want to wind up dead, not to mention what Jericho will do if he learns the truth about who I am.

I only have one course of action, and that is to escape.

Once I stuff my bag, I fall on the bed and stare at the ceiling. I will wait until the night falls then I’ll slip out of the house. I already know the patrol patterns, so that should work to my advantage. I shouldn’t have any problems swerving them.

I shut my eyes, willing myself to not be too depressed about leaving Jericho and the baby. I’m used to staying with the families I work for for a finite amount of time. I’ve grown used to leaving the people that I care for behind. I can usually suck it up and move to the next family without so much anguish.

But it is different today. None of the things that I usually tell myself are working. I’m not one to look back, but I’m certain that forgetting Jericho won’t be easy. I have grown too attached to him in the short while that I’ve known him, what still baffles me. Of course, I usually grow fond of the kids that I take care of, but not the adults around them. I barely notice the adults.

But Jericho was different

I don’t know how or why, but he was.

I groan and roll over to the other side of the bed. I hate feeling this hollow. Anyway, I’m glad that I met Jericho. I’m glad that I was there to protect him at the park today. I hope that from today on, he will be safe and happy. I’ll sure miss him and what we began with each other, which seems weird to even say, but Jericho is the first alpha who I truly had a bond with.

But it’s over now.

This is about my survival. I have to go away as far from here as I possibly can.