Page 75 of Saving Stella

Not again.

Jacob probably called him when she got kidnapped. Maybe he hadn’t left the casino yet and just happened to be there.

And he only came to her rescue because it was his job.

But he had held her so tenderly as she was waking up after she shifted. Like he really cared. Not to mention, he hadn’t stopped looking at her since then. She avoided his gaze, but she could feel his eyes on her.

No, she couldn’t think like that. She was just a job to him, nothing more.

Once the coffee finished brewing, she brought the pot over to the table where everyone sat, then poured everyone a generous helping.

“How did you find me?” Stella began, breaking the awkward silence in the room.

“Your video, duh.” Sloane took a sip of the coffee.

“Then why didn’t you just call her like a normal person?” Jacob asked, exasperated.

“Because I couldn’t risk it,” she retorted. “Damn, girl, you have no idea how much trouble that video of yours caused.”

“I have an inkling,” she said. “Someone tried to kidnap me—before you did today.”

“Yeah about that …” Her lips twisted ruefully. “I might know who tried to kidnap you—I mean, don’t know the exact person, but I know who ordered it.”

“Who?” Cliff asked.

“Ronan Forte, Alpha of the Boston clan.”

Cliff gnashed his teeth. “And why the hell would the Alpha of the Boston Clan want to kidnap Stella?”

“He’s not after her,” Sloane began. “He’s after me. Either he thought Stella was me or that she could lead him to me.”

“And why does this Alpha want you?” Jacob asked in a tight voice.

“Because I tried to kill him.”

“What?” Cliff roared. “Why?”

“Because he killed my—our parents.” Her blue eyes blazed with fury as she locked gazes with Stella. “Everything … my whole life … has been false.” Her voice shook hard. “T-that he was the r-reason …”

“It’s okay.” Stella reached out and covered her hand, not missing the way she flinched when they touched. “You don’t have to say anything now.”

“I do,” she bit out. “You need to know this.” She took a pause. “I grew up in the Boston clan. They told me my parents had been killed in some kind of scuffle with another clan, and I was taken in by my ‘aunt.’ About two years ago when she died, I found out that wasn’t true. At her deathbed, she told me the real story.”

A knot grew in Stella’s chest. “What happened?”

“Do you know anything about the Boston clan?”

She shook her head.

“They’ve got links to organized crime,” Jacob supplied.

Sloane laughed bitterly. “Honey, they are organized crime. Aside from being Alpha, Ronan Forte is the biggest mob boss in Massachusetts. Our parents were part of his clan, and our dad, one of his enforcers. But he wanted to turn straight and threatened to rat on Ronan if he didn’t let them—us— go. Ronan agreed, and they left. Our parents thought that they had gotten away, but that sick sonofabitch was only playing with them. The other enforcers caught up to them on the West Coast.”

“Los Angeles,” Stella muttered. “That’s where we were found. Have you seen the article?”

“What article?”

So, Sloane didn’t know about the train station. Or about Devon. “There’s an article about us being found at the LA Union Station, abandoned by our parents. But please, go on, what else did your aunt tell you?”

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