I swear if the father is Antonio, I'll kill him myself. "Yes," I say, letting her finish whatever she intends to tell me.
"Zion is a sperm donor baby," Lucy says. "It's supposed to remain confidential. The biological father isn't supposed to even know that he has a child or have any rights to the kid, but somehow he found out."
"And he's mafia?"
"He wants full custody of Zion and wants me dead."
"That's insane." I exit the highway as we head into the city. Traffic is slow. It doesn't matter the hour. "Who's the biological father?" I need to know what we're up against.
"Otello Valentino," Lucy says. "Do you know him?"
"The guy is a fucking drunk. And he wants to raise a kid?" I slam my palm against the steering wheel. "There's no way in hell he's getting near your son."
"He showed up at the motel the night I stole your key before climbing the gate," Lucy says.
I ball my hands into fists, and my stomach coils. "And?" I'm not sure that I want to know what happens next. "If he touched you, I'll kill him."
"He didn't," Lucy says. "I mean, not like that. He threatened me and told me that if I didn't steal the items hidden inside the painting, he'd get possession of my kid like he's a piece of property!"
I navigate the road, heading through side streets to avoid traffic on the main thoroughfare. "And?"
"And he's an asshole!" Lucy jolts with more force than I ever might have expected. "I want to kill him with my bare hands."
She's not the only one. I'd like to murder him too. "And what about Aleksandra and Antonio?" I ask. I need to know how deep this runs with the mafia. Otello clearly wasn't working alone. Were they aware of the connection to the child?
"Everything I told you is the truth. I inadvertently crossed paths with them when I tried to be a good Samaritan," she mutters under her breath. "The mafia demanded that I steal the contents inside the painting. They couldn't step foot on your property without breaking the truce, but an outsider could."
"And Otello?" I ask. "How does he fit into this scenario?"
"Aleksandra and Antonio had been wanting the contents inside the painting, but it was all Otello's plan. He convinced them to send me into the arms of the bratva. First, he had me stumble into you at the club, steal your key and break into your home. He hoped I would get caught and you would kill me. You would take care of his little problem. Kill me, and Zion would be his."
I want to kill the bastard.
"Well, he was sorely mistaken," I say. This was never about the money, at least for Otello. Antonio and Aleksandra went along with it for the windfall. "We need to get to the compound. There's one way out of this mess," I say.
"What is that?"
"Marry me."