_________________________

.

.

.

Mateo groaned as the woman walked into the kitchen, her eyes on his kids and their mother and he saw anger in them. How dare she?

But she covered it up and grinned innocently, "Hey Capo, did you miss me?"

"Why are you here?" He gritted his teeth. He looked over at his twins. "Go play in your room babies. Adults need to do some talking."

They nodded and Mateo and River helped them down from the counter walking out of the kitchen.

Adam, Alessia and Ricardo were in the living room, all looking miffed.

But their faces lit up when they saw the kids. The kids ran to Adam, the only person they were acquainted with.

Alessia was at River's side within moments, throwing her arm over her shoulder. "Introduce me to my niece and nephew; I couldn't meet them in the morning because my stupid brother kicked me out before they woke up."

"All of that can wait! We have much more important things to discuss!" Amanda clapped, interrupting the happy moment and butting in before River could call her babies to introduce them to their aunt. "Kids, go to your room. You guys discuss everything. River and I will hang out together."

None of the adults liked the sound of that. Not one bit.

Before Mateo could protest, the kids ran up the stairs and Amanda grabbed River by the hand and pulled her back into the kitchen.

"Is she gonna be okay?" Adam asked.

"River's strong and smart-" Mateo started but he cut him off.

"Not River. I am worried about Amanda. Poor girl will be devastated when Doc shows her her real place."

.

.

.

River narrowed her eyes at the woman as she dragged her back to the kitchen.

She knew she was always quick to judge but she really didn't like this woman.

"So, River Johnson huh?" She asked.

River gave her a wide sugar-coated smile, nodding.

"You made these cookies?" Amanda took a cookie from the cookie jar and bit into it, scrunching up her face. "I am sorry but this is.. inedible."

River rolled her eyes. The world isn't short of petty dumb people, is it?

"Mateo made it." She shrugged, giving her yet another innocent smile.

She looked dumbfounded.

"Well.." Amanda started.

"I am going to check on the kids." River cut her off, filling two glasses with milk and a plate with the cookies.

She flashed her yet another smile and walked off to her kids, getting away the lady who gave her major negative vibes.

The rest of them were nowhere in sight so she presumed that they had locked themselves up in Mateo's office yet again, doing god-know-what kind of plotting and planning.

She made her way up the stairs and turned towards the kids' room. As she walked in, she found them jumping on their beds, their plush swords in hand.

Look at them, living out my dream! Her mini-self was all heart-eyes for the swords.

River rolled her eyes, forgetting that the inner voice was herself and not a separate entity.

"Mommy!!!" The babies squealed as soon as they saw her.

"Who's hungry?" She laughed as she walked in.

"Me!" They said in unison, throwing their hands in the air.

River set the tray down and sat down next to them, listening to their chatter and stealing a cookie once in a while.

"Mommy, who are all those people with Mr. Adesso and Uncle Adam?" Lucas asked, dunking a lemon cookie into his almost empty glass, dropping it into it in the process.

"You will meet them soon." River smiled at her little babies. "And I am sure you guys will get together very well."

The kids went back to playing pirates while she gathered the plate and glasses on the tray and took it back to the kitchen.

'Thank god the woman had disappeared while I was away.' River thought, relieved.

"There you are!"

She internally groaned as she closed the dish washer. Why couldn't luck be on her side for one day in her life?

"Here I am!" River grinned and pointed to herself as she turned around.

"So, what's your plan for the future?" She sat on the stool, staring at her nails. As much as River didn't want to admit, she had amazing nails. If they were ever to get along, she wouldn't waste a second in asking her where she got it done.

"Meaning?" River asked. What's there to plan? She was going to work her ass off until she had tremors or grew bored of it. That was her plan for the future.

"Well, the kids are joining the Mafia. Are you planning to spend the rest of your life sponging off Mateo?" She asked slyly. She was looking down on the surgeon.

"I think I have enough money to support myself and my children." River countered, not very happy with how she made it sound like she was some gold digger.

She burst out laughing. "Jeez woman, do you really think that Mateo is going to let his heirs live off your measly income?"

River scoffed. She really had no idea what this brand-new character named Amanda was going to gain by getting on her nerves.

"One, it is not measly and it was enough to get them the best of what they wanted and needed since the day I knew they existed." River pointed a finger up and then pointing up the next one, she said. "And two, that's for us to decide."

"Don't you get it? There're no us. Mateo is sweet talking you right now to get the kids. That's how it works here. He may even marry you to cut off your wings." She made a pair of scissors with her fingers while she said it.

"Just think about it, he came to know they were his kids and within two days he separated the kids from everyone else they were close to. As they grow up, your boy will turn into a murderer and your daughter will be married off to some business associate who will treat her like a whore, maybe even sell her off-"

"SHUT UP!" River glared at her. She could see the small sparkle of victory in Amanda's eyes. She wanted her to lose it. But River was not going to give her that satisfaction.

She blew out a breath.

"And you are an oracle, I assume?" She raised a brow at her.

"I sleep with men to get info woman. That's a completely normal job in the mafia. So is pimping, smuggling, trafficking, killing and raping!" Amanda flipped her hair.

"No it isn't."

To River's knowledge, the Italian Mafia had gotten some principles engraved in gold. They were men and women of honor. They don't do the shit she was accusing them of doing.

"River River... You think they follow the principles these days? Do you know Alessia's story? Or why she is so fucked up?" Amanda asked and she lowered her voice. "They married her off to an inhuman animal who raped her, assaulted and almost killed her. Do you really want that for your kids? Tell me River, isn't that why you haven't told the kids yet? Because deep down even you know what I said is true?"

.

.

.

Mateo made his way through the living room, over to the kitchen. The group had been discussing about the sudden increase in assault against their men in New York. Whoever it was knew that the Capo wasn't in town. It had to be Mona or Dmitri or their people who must have spread the news.

He had decided on a break and offered to get them all some beer. It was just an excuse to check on what Amanda was up to and how River was holding up.

"Look lady, I don't care who you are but I don't have any obligation to answer your questions." He heard River sigh. He stopped near the entrance of the kitchen to listen. He knew he shouldn't be eavesdropping but he knew that Amanda wouldn't dare spew any bullshit in front of him so it was better that he hid and listened.

River really didn't even want to waste her energy on this woman anymore. She was not going to believe her; she was just trying to get inside her head.

But was she telling the truth about Alessia? But Alessia looked nothing but amazing to her.

"Please, you act so tough but the truth is you are scared out of your wits and you don't want the kids to ever know that Mateo is their father." She scowled.

'Who does this woman think she is? So you want drama? I will give you drama.' River thought.

River being River, there was one thing she always knew – people get on your nerves when you try to deny whatever they are trying to convince you that you are feeling. So the easiest way out was to give a much negative reaction. It wasn't the most mature thing to do, but if some drama saved her some time and nonsense, she was up for some bullshit.

River didn't speak for a while. "You are wrong about one of those two things."

Of course she was scared. But she wasn't scared of Mateo and the people she had met so far. She was scared of the danger on all of them.

"I am not scared of you all. I am disgusted." I said. "I am disgusted by that man and disgusted at myself for getting knocked up by him. Disgusted that my children have to grow up around murderers, human traffickers and sluts like you because of my mistake."

She hated what she said but she knew that it had done its job. But now she was angry at herself for saying it. River decided that this woman was staying away from her children. She refused to let people who even thought negatively about her kids near them.

" Amanda stood there stumped for a moment before she finally said, "You will pay for this!" and walked out of the kitchen.

River sighed. Drama drama drama.

Someone give me a gun and I will forget I am a doctor and shoot her.

'Ugh.. Snap out of it River. Some people are just like that!!'

"You okay?" River turned to see Mateo watching me with an unreadable expression. She didn't know that the guy had just heard everything she had said, not knowing that she didn't mean any of it.

But at the sight of him, she felt her anger rise again.

"I don't want that woman anywhere near my children."

"You don't get to decide that. " He said, his eyes hard. He was hurt by what he had heard and it came out in the form of anger.

River narrowed her eyes and took a step forward. "Actually I do. I am their mother."

"And I am their father." He said, his voice challenging.

"If their mother can give up all of her family and friends for them, their father can lose one too." River held eye contact for a moment while he stared back, jaws and fists clenched.

She finally backed down, stepping back and sighing before she walked out of the kitchen.

She needed to think.

She wished she had told the kids already. Because now she was having second thoughts yet again.

"Snap out of it River. You are telling them today." She said out loud. "You promised you will fix everything."

.

.

.

Mateo had thought most of his life that he had a heart made of steel. But he was wrong! Because at that moment, it felt like someone was squeezing his heart as if it was nothing but bath sponge.

This was what she thought of him and his family and friends?

Mateo was fooling himself when he thought that she was finally telling their kids that he was their papa. He was wrong.

He hated what she said. But he hated himself more because she had every right to feel that way about him.

If she didn't want him in their lives, why did she act so understanding and nice?

"Because she's a cunning manipulative bitch who wanted all the good things that came with being the baby mama of a made man of the Mafia." He said out loud, gritting his teeth. He was wrong about her.

He took a moment to calm himself down before he went back to the office empty handed.

Amanda wasn't there. She was probably wandering around like she owned the place.

"We are going back to New York." he announced.

.

.

.

"What?" River watched as Alessia packed her bags.

"There's an emergency it seems. Mateo just walked in and said we are all going back to New York." She said, tucking her many guns and knives into their allotted holsters.

"There's improvement in the situation with the Russians?" River asked, getting up from the bed and passing her some of her clothes.

"Don't know. You better go pack your and the kids' stuff."

River nodded and left Alessia's room, making her way to her own bedroom where the kids' stuffs were. She had figured it was better to keep all their clothes and other essentials in her own room since she gave them baths in her bathroom. Toys could wait.

She stopped in her tracks when she saw Mateo walk out of his room, a single duffel bag in his hand.

"Why are we going back to New York?" River asked, walking towards him.

"You and the kids aren't." He said, his eyes emotionless.

"What?" She was beyond confused now. "Why?"

"I don't have to justify each and every decision to you, now do I?" He glared at her.

River raised her brow, pursing her lips. Now he was going to use that tone with her?

But she thought that he was probably stressed by whatever shit had gone down by now and decided to cut him some slack. Also, she really didn't have the energy for yet another argument.

River shrugged. "You have a point. Have a safe flight." She said and walked away from him, not sparing him another glance as she closed the door behind her.

The kids had fallen asleep in their own beds and she knew at least Kiara was going to wake up at some point but she decided to have some more sleep until that happened.

.

.

.

It had been two weeks since Mateo had left the ranch in Wyoming. And he hadn't talked to River or the twins after that.

And he missed them. He regretted the decision as soon as he left the house but his ego just wouldn't let him go back.

And Mateo was also so mad at himself. He felt that he had abandoned his kids because of his fight with River.

And it wasn't even a fight. She was honest. He had just wished she was as honest with him as well.

He had gotten an encrypted phone and laptop delivered at the ranch but River hadn't even switched it on once.

Janet filled him in on what all were happening; the kids' tutor had moved in last week and their classes had started, and River was said to be spending a lot of time at the shooting range.

She asked him if he wanted to talk to the kids or River but he always refused, because he knew he would fly right back if he heard their voices.

'Damn it River, just call me!' He thought, desperate.

"Hey Capo, there's a problem." Amanda barged in. A mere look at her was enough to make his blood boil.

"What is it?" He asked emotionlessly, not looking at her painted face.

She paused for a moment before she said, "We found the henchman Matthew Morris."

Mateo looked up. She had his entire attention now. Matthew Morris was one of Mona's closest men. They had found out that it was him that Dr. Valerie Pierce had handed the twins to.

"Grady's place. Soviet Street."

Mateo stood up, arming himself with his gun.

He walked out to see that some of his men were joining him.

"Let's kick some Soviet asses!" Arianna, Adam's sister, cheered.

They got into their SUVs.

He checked his phone on the way to see if River had called.

She hadn't.

But there was an email from Alessia.

He opened to see the files. They were reports, photos and videos from when River was pregnant to the twins' fifth birthday. Where did she get all these from?

Mateo fished for his air pods and found them in his glove compartment. He put them on and played the video labelled 'Finding Out' with the date on it.

It was a home video. River sat on a couch in her apartment living room, playing with what he recognized as a pregnancy test.

"So I found out today," She said nervously. "That I am pregnant. I don't know who you are but if you ever show up in our child's life, I think you would want to be part of all these moments."

She sat up, biting her lips.

There was a deep chuckle in the background to which River reacted with a scowl before it stopped recording.

Mateo scrolled through the videos; they were all videos recording by her.

His eyes welled up. She had recorded it all for when he came back. If he came back.

'Why are you so confusing River?'

He quickly called his sister. "Where did you get all this?"

"From her mother."

He thanked her and hung up, and decided he was going to watch it with River that evening after dealing with the Russian morons. Well, Matthew Morris was American. But he was working for the Russians.

They parked the cars in an alleyway and got out.

"Ready?" Mateo asked into the earpiece.

"Let's do this."

The group breached into their hide out. And time slowed down, Mateo's hearing shutting down by the loud noise of bullets being shot.

His eyes were trained on Matthew and he knew it.

He tried to get away but Mateo was faster and in his way in no time.

Mateo was so blinded by rage that he missed the gun he pointed at his abdomen and wasn't fast enough to dodge it.

"Capo!!" Mateo heard gasps and shouts followed by relentless shooting as he collapsed. He saw his back, escaping the scene.

Mateo struggled to breathe as the pain announced its presence and with the metallic taste of blood in his tongue and the clouding of his vision, he knew that he was in grave danger of dying.

The last thing he remembered before the darkness embraced him was him closing the door of the twin's room after watching them sleep and then River walking away, closing the door behind her.

.

.

.

_________________