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Torian
“Stay in the bathroom.” I tug on pants and yank up the zip. “If something happens, get in the panic room.”
She nods and scoots from the counter to wrap a towel around her phenomenal body.
I stalk down the hall, not sure what I should expect when I enter the living room, but it sure as hell isn’t Luca in the kitchen making sandwiches.
“I need to see this?” I stop at the counter and glare at the food. “You called me out here for ham fucking salad?”
“No.” He meets my gaze with mirrored a
A picture of a brunette stares back from the screen, her dimples deep, pure i
It’s the woman from today. My father’s slave.
“It’s her.” Luca grabs the chopping board and throws it at the sink, food scraps and crumbs flying everywhere. “Penelope fucking Decker.”
“What about Pe
Her padded footsteps approach until she stands at my side, wearing nothing but a fucking towel as she glances down at the cell screen. “That’s Sebastian’s sister. What are you doing with her picture?”
Luca snatches leftover vegetables from the counter, making his anger evident as he yanks open the fridge door and shoves them inside.
“Cole?” Anissa murmurs. “Has new evidence been found?”
Big green eyes implore me from my periphery as I keep staring at Pe
“Has her body been located?”
Luca scoffs out a laugh. “Yeah, you could say that.”
“Where?” She glances between us, her scrutiny frantic. “Who found her?”
“We did. She was at my father’s house this morning.” I shove from the counter, needing space to think.
This situation is impossible. I have to get Nissa out of here when there’s no jet. And I can’t leave Decker’s sister at my father’s mercy. I can’t betray Keira like that.
I’ve kept her boyfriend in my i
The two of them will marry. It’s a foregone conclusion.
Fuck.
I grind my teeth, unsure how I’m going to stop Luther from tainting Keira’s future any more than he already has.
“Cole?” Anissa approaches slowly, her hair dripping water onto her shoulders. “Are you saying she’s still alive?”
“Yes. She’s still alive. Still being tortured. Still living hell on earth because of my fucking father.”
“But she’s alive.” Her eyes brighten. “That means there’s hope.”
“Hope for what? A future for her with every mental issue under the sun? And that’s if we can get her out.”
My father won’t give her up willingly. The only way to free her is to instigate war.
“Luther was meant to disappear.” I stalk to the window to focus on the long expanse of nothingness. “That way, our allies don’t have to pick sides. There’s no retaliation. No fucking death and destruction. It was meant to be a simple disappearance.”
“It doesn’t have to be you,” she murmurs. “I could make a call. You can let the authorities—”
“Don’t even start that shit with me.” I swing back around, glaring at her. “I’ll let her die before I involve the fucking Feds.”
She straightens, taking the insult with a deep breath. “Then what do we do?”
“We do nothing. You’re going to get on the jet as soon as it arrives, and in between now and then, I’m going to figure out a way to fix this fucking mess.”
Luca carries his tray of sandwiches to the table, dropping the plate to clatter against the wood. “I need a drink.”
“No alcohol,” I demand. “We have to stay alert.”
Anissa starts for the kitchen. “I’ll make coffee.”
“No.” I follow after her. “I’ll do it. You need to get some clothes on.”
She sucks in another one of those I-want-to-stab-you breaths and pads her bare feet from the room, leaving me to bite back anger, frustration, and fucking guilt.
“Since when did she start feeling comfortable enough to make suggestions?” Luca walks into the kitchen, pulling three mugs from the corner cupboard.
“She wants to help.” I start the coffee machine, snatching one of the mugs to place it under the nozzle. “We both know the Feds will never be involved.”
“Do we?”
I pause and grip the counter. I don’t need to be questioned. Not now. “If you’ve got something to say, spit it the fuck out. I don’t have time for you to pussyfoot around shit.”
“I’m just wondering if you’re going to switch sides.”
My pulse quickens, my a
“Fuck you.”
I raise a brow. “It’s fun being insulted by idiotic questions, isn’t it? If you don’t know me by now, you should fucking leave.” I jerk my chin toward the door. “God knows I’ve been doing this shit a hell of a lot longer than you.”
The muscles along his jaw flex. “I tried to let her know I was there to help. But that isn’t fucking easy when I couldn’t say anything incriminating. I didn’t know who was listening, and as it was, your little snitch of a brother overheard every word.”
“What did you say to make her lash out?” I open drawers, pulling out medicine bottles, popping two Advil while I search for something to help Anissa’s recovery.
“I don’t know. I was speaking in fucking riddles. The only information I could think to use were references to her life back home with Decker. Clearly, she didn’t like the reminder.”
“That’s all it took?”
“That’s all it fucking took. I mentioned her brother, and she went from meek kitten to crouching tiger in seconds.”
“So even if we do make a move to break her out, she’s not going to trust either of us?”
He shrugs, his jaw still tight. “I don’t know.”
Christ.
The coffee gurgles into the first mug while I prepare a caffeine-free alternative for Anissa. It’s going to be hard enough for her to sleep tonight with the nightmares waiting to take over.
Once all three mugs are filled, I slide Luca’s along the counter toward him. “Here. Go have something to eat. We need to be on top of our game.”
“I thought there was nothing to worry about?” Anissa returns to the living room, her hair towel-ruffled, her loose tank and sports shorts crinkled. “You said Luther wouldn’t make a move so soon.”
I lied.
I fucking bluffed my ass off hoping she would breathe a little easier.
“You think he’s going to come out here, don’t you?” She continues to the table and takes a sandwich from the tray. “What will he do?”
“The likelihood of him coming here before morning is slim.” Luca takes the hit, stealing her attention. “That doesn’t mean we won’t prepare for every possible situation.”
I grab the remaining mugs and take them to the table, sliding hers in front of her and holding tight until she meets my gaze. “You need to eat, then get some rest. Don’t worry about anything other than letting your injuries heal.”