______________________

.

.

.

Mateo pushed the wheel chair on which River sat, looking lost and traumatized. The woman was playing her part to get that long leave. He had asked if she couldn't just resign and get a job when all of it settled down, to which she replied, "And be treated like an intern? No thanks."

He got to see new shades of this character every day.

An amazing surgeon.

A concerned, loving and a delicate mother.

A badass biker.

A dangerous ex-gangster.

A shrewd mastermind.

And now, a crazy drama queen.

"I just realized something.." She whispered.

"What?" He asked as he wheeled her into the elevator. His car was parked in the basement.

"Doesn't it mean the twins will have to skip school too?"

He hadn't thought about that.

"We will just home school them then." Mateo said.

"That sucks." She chuckled. "Ki's going to miss her Flynn."

"Excuse me?" He slightly turned the wheelchair to the side so that he could see her face.

She rolled her eyes. "Not you too."

"Who's Flynn?"

"The kid my- our little Ki got a crush on."

"Crush?"

"Can't blame her though. He got the cutest blue eyes, just like his dad."

"His Dad?"

"Yep. Aaron somethin" River nodded to herself.

"Excuse me?" River could see that Mateo was getting riled up, for no particular reason.

"Calm your titties, Capo." She chuckled.

"You don't even know what a Capo means!" Mateo rolled his eyes.

"I do now, if Google is right." She stuck her tongue out at him while he shook his head.

The elevator door opened with a ding.

River and Mateo looked at each other for a few moments like two complete idiots before he pushed the wheel chair out as River hopped off of it.

"Where is your car?" She asked as she speed-walked towards the rows of vehicles, swinging her duffel bag, while Mateo pushed the wheel chair to where the rest of them were.

"The silver Bugatti Divo." He said, tossing the key at her. She caught it with her free hand and unlocked the car, getting in the driver's seat while he got into the passenger's. She slapped her bag of essentials to his lap, revving the engine.

"You need to change your car." She stated as she pulled the car out of the parking lot.

"What? Can't handle the speed?" Mateo smirked. But he was impressed at the ease with which she drove the car. As if she has been doing this for all her life.

Who knows? She was capable of anything.

"You have two kids now, Mateo. Five-year-olds. You need a bigger car which can hold two car seats." She rolled her eyes.

"Noted."

Mateo stared at her intently, waiting for more instructions. But none came.

"That's it?"

"Huh?" She glanced at him for a second before turning her attention back on the road.

"That's all I need to do as a dad?"

River looked at him like he had grown a horn and then back at the road. She was driving quite well, and quite fast though she kept to the speed limit.

She sighed as she as she took a sharp turn.

"Lucas is six minutes older than Kiara. They are both allergic to seafood."

"So am I."

"And Kiara is acrophobic."

"So am I."

"What the hell dude?" She looked at Mateo with her nose scrunched up.

"What?"

"Aren't you a Mafia man?"

"Woman, what does me being in the Mafia have to do with my allergies and fears?" Mateo raised a brow.

"Touché."

"What else?"

"Nothing much. Lukey is mature beyond his age. Kiara is the little princess and she is very naïve and too trusting but equally curious."

He nodded.

There was so much more that he needed to know about their children. He had missed out on five years of their lives. Then again, he did have the rest of his life to make up for it and catch up on it.

.

.

.

"You!"

"What are you doing here?" River asked, ruffling their children's hair. Their hands were wrapped tightly around her waist, their faces pressed on to her tummy.

"River, do you know him?" Susan Johnson asked, taking River by the arm and pulling her and the kids away from Mateo's side, throwing him a cautious look.

What the hell did the motherfucker feed her with?

"Babies, go to your GG." River said and the kids whined complaining they wanted to be with their Mommy.

"Pretty please? Mommy got a surprise for you."

"What surprise?" Lucas asked.

"Can't you come with us, Mommy?" Kiara asked.

"I will, in a bit and it wouldn't be a surprise if I told you Lukey. You know that."

"Okay!!" The babies sang in unison, skipping away to their room.

"All of these men are in the Mafia. And Mr. Adesso turned out to be in the Sicilian Mafia. I thought he was helping out because he was indebted to you for saving his life!" Susan said as soon as they were out of earshot. Mateo didn't think she was really trying to be discrete.

"I know."

"What?" She sounded manic. "And you are letting him near our babies?"

"Mom, why did you even let this guy in?"

"He's here to help."

"No he isn't." Mateo spoke up and turned to the son of a bitch who now had a smirk plastered across his face, and he was staring at River like she was some exquisite art work he wanted to own.

"How dare you come here?" Mateo glared at him. He pulled out his CZ 75 and pointed it at him.

Susan and Mrs. Marley gasped while River said, "Mateo! Put that away!"

"I am here to warn them, against you and my sister." Dmitri told Mateo and turned to River. "These two are going into war and I hope you know where your kids stand in all this."

"Thanks for the heads up. Now leave before he blows your head up." River cocked her head in the direction of Mateo's gun.

Dmitri's smirk widened as he turned back to the Capo. "She's a firecracker."

"Yeah, now scram before something blows up." Mateo gritted his teeth as he spoke. This boy had the audacity to play with the people close to his children. Mateo was just glad that the mother of his children was level-headed and smart. Life would have been ten times difficult for him if she had been a typical civilian.

Dmitri shrugged as he made his move, walking way too close to River in that spacious room.

What was this motherfucker up to?

As he closed the door behind him, Susan yanked River by the arm and turned her towards her. "What's going on, Riv? What the hell is going on?"

"Nothing you need to worry about, Mom." She said.

"Nothing I need to worry about?" She screeched. "I took up a risky case then my grandkids got kidnapped then my daughter got hospitalized and now there are shady men walking in and out of her apartment and you are telling me it's nothing I need to worry about?"

"Mom-"

She turned on her heels and pointed at Mateo. "You. Leave. NOW."

"Mrs. Johnson, this is exactly what he wants." He tried. "I don't know what he fed your mind with but he is not the good guy."

"And you are? The ruthless Mafia Boss?" She asked.

"He's the Capo." River muttered. Mateo gave her a look. This was not the time.

"I don't care who he is. He is leaving and he is never coming back."

Mateo sighed.

"Mrs. Johnson." He said, taking a step forward and meeting her eyes, his voice losing all the compassion. "What makes you think you can order around a Capo of the Sicilian Mafia?"

Her eyes widened and she visibly gulped. River narrowed her eyes at him.

He could be authoritative and intimidating when he wanted to be. That's who he was. But apparently, he had no such effect on his Baby mama.

Susan didn't say anything. She just stared, scared.

"Mom?" River took her by the hand. "Mom, he is their dad."

"What?" Mrs. Marley gasped while Susan still stood there, shocked.

"We need to take them away from here." She explained. "It's not safe here. That guy, Dmitri, is not safe."

"What's happening?" She croaked out. "How can you be so calm?"

"Don't worry. I will do the freaking out and breaking down later. Now I need to make sure our kids are safe."

"And you think the Mafia is safe?" She was angry. "River, are you out of your mind?"

She pulled away from her daughter's hold and walked away.

"Where is she going?" Mateo asked River.

"The kids I guess."

"River, what is going on?" River turned to Mrs. Marley.

"Mrs. Marley, thank you for being here with us for all these three years." She smiled. "You should go back to your children now. Or go on that fishing trip with that friend of yours."

"River..." The woman was tearing up.

River hugged her and turned to him. "Let's go get the kids."

Mateo nodded and they made their way into the kids' room.

"Mom, what are you doing?"

The duo walked in to see Susan packing all of the kids' clothes, while Lilith looked on, concerned.

"Mommy!!!" The children ran to River's arms. She bent down and picked them both up with a gruff. Why is she doing it when she knows she shouldn't be doing this?

"Why are we going away?" Lucas asked.

"Mom."

"I am taking the kids to Cambridge." She said. "You can come if you want to."

"Mom, you can't do that." She said.

"Oh yes, I can."

"No you can't." Mateo spoke up. "Their parents decide where they have to be."

"Mateo, let me talk to her." River gave him a pleading look, gesturing to the children.

"River, ask this criminal to leave!" Mrs. Johnson exclaimed, pointing at him.

"He's a criminal?" Lucas asked.

Mateo clenched his jaws. How dare she!

"Babies, go help GG pack Mommy's bags." River quickly put them down.

"Where are we going, Mommy?" Little Kiara asked.

"What's happening, River?" Her grandmother wheeled forward.

"Nanna please." River looked like she was about to lose it. Caught in the middle of everything.

Lilith nodded though she looked unconvinced and concerned and wheeled away, followed by their children who looked at their father, scared.

Mateo could feel the anger bubble up inside him.

She maybe River's Mom and his children's grandmother but she had no right to call him a criminal in front of his own kids.

"Mom!"

"I don't want to hear it, River!"

"Then you should go back to your house and let me deal with the situation!" River spoke up.

"River, are you out of your mind?"

"Mom, I know you are scared. Hell, we all are! But that doesn't mean you can take all these rash decisions!" She said. "We are their parents and we know what we are doing."

"Then you should know that what you are doing is wrong!"

"Okay, then what is the right thing to do?" Mateo asked. "The Russians are everywhere. There is no place you can take them where they will be safe. Only I can keep them safe now. Your daughter understands that. That's why she is doing this."

She shook her head and turned to her daughter. "I am calling Seb. Only he can talk sense into you."

"Mom, I am thirty years old." River said. "I don't think I need to get my decisions validated."

"What did you just say?"

"You heard me. And we honestly don't have time to waste here arguing. We need to get going." River was getting red in the face. She was more terrified of this situation than she let on and her mom being so opposed to this didn't help.

They understood how Susan felt but each minute was crucial and they couldn't afford to waste it until someone dropped a bomb on this building or something.

"River, are you even listening to yourself?"

River ignored her mother and continued tossing clothes and toys into the suitcases and Mateo soon joined her.

Her mother just stood there, glaring at the both of them.

Mateo was very proud of River at this point, because any other ordinary woman wouldn't have been able to handle a situation like this. But she was handling herself very well. Too well. He knew she was suppressing a volcano about to erupt inside her. And he was worried she would have yet another panic attack but for now, she was dealing with it.

"This is what you always do River. Make the worst decisions and ruin everything. And then we have to clean up after you."

River stopped what she was doing and stood up, turning to her mother. "You did that when you joined that gang and you did it again getting pregnant by a criminal. But this time, your kids will have to pay for your mistakes."

River stared at her mother; her jaws clenched and then sighed. "I understand that you are terrified and angry and helpless but that doesn't mean you can go around saying all that you did and call the father of my children a criminal. Especially not in front of them. And I am thirty years old; I think I can clean up after my wrong decisions myself now."

She turned to him. "Let me grab my things. And we will take my car."

"You sure?" He asked.

She stopped and thought for a moment.

"Actually no. What if it's rigged with a bomb or tracker or something?" She sighed. "You think someone can bring a car with two car seats?"

"On it." Mateo quickly texted Adam to do what's necessary and also find how that motherfucker had managed to get into the house when he had put some men to guard the place.

"River..."

"Mom, I am trying so hard to be rational here. I understand, okay? I understand how you feel. But trust me on this, we will come back once all of this calm down." River said, sounding as calm as she was in the hospital.

"I know baby and I am sorry." Susan said finally. "I am sorry I said what I did."

"It's fine Mommy." River smiled. "I know you didn't mean it."

She hugged her mom and then turned to Mateo. "Can you get these while I grab my things?"

He nodded and she left the room while he grabbed the many suitcases with their children's clothes and toys.

"Please keep them safe." He looked up at Susan who looked terrified of him.

"I will. They are my family."

Mateo took the baggage and walked out and was met with River and the kids in the living room.

The kids ran to their grandmother and hugged her waist. "Mommy said we are going on vacation."

"Grandma, why won't you come with us?"

"Because Grandma got work babies." Susan Johnson said through her tears.

"Take care." River's grandmother said as she hugged her. "And get some meat under your skin while you are at it."

River rolled her eyes as she pulled away, slightly groaning as she straightened her back.

"We should go."

"Mister, Mommy said you are an actor!" Lucas came forward. "How come I have never seen you on TV?"

Mateo turned to his baby mama and raised his brows. She shrugged. She was making excuses for the criminal tag.

"I am not that famous."

"Then you need to work harder."

"Alright little man." Mateo bit his lips while River let out an ugly chuckle.

His phone buzzed. It was Adam who had texted that he was downstairs.

"Let's go." He said and before he could say it, River kept her phone and smartwatch on the coffee table. Unlike Mateo's, her gadgets could be tracked.

Mateo smiled at her and got most of the luggage while she took the rest.

They were nearing the door when it opened and in walked Sebastian and Alison Shane.

"What's going on?"

"We have to leave Shane." River said.

"Oh no you don't. Not with him." He looked so red and annoyed but the least terrified. "You don't even know who he is!"

And before River could say anything, Adam and Ricardo burst in through the door.

"There are snipers on the block. We need to go now!"

"Nobody's leaving this place!" Sebastian glared. He had figured out who these people were, as well.

Mateo sighed. Not this again.

It was a very stupid and rash decision and the consequences were bad but at that time, it felt right and so he did the first thing that came to his mind.

He dropped the bags, pulled River to him and trained a gun against her head.

"Let us go or she dies!"

Everyone gasped, their children cried and River muttered "Mateo, you dumbass!" as she elbowed him in his abdomen, hard, but that didn't stop him as he motioned Adam and Ricardo to get the kids and their stuff and got out of there.

.

.

.