Page 38 of Blood for Blood

“Silly girl,” he shakes his head, “do you think I’m stupid enough to fall for that trap?”

“No trap.” I insist. I’m not even lying to him. I would trade my life for Leo’s and whoever the girl is. “Just me. Everyone in this room will remain here until we’re long gone.”

“Luna, if you think for one second that I’ll let you walk out of here, you’re in for a rude awakening.” Lorenzo growls in my ear, grabbing my hips.

“I’m getting bored of this. Let’s take a little peek at what’s under the bag, shall we?” He pulls the hood from the girl's head and the scream that leaves Rae’s throat has me covering my ears.

Turning around, I see Drew pulling Rae against his chest while he glares at the computer screen. “Mr. Steele, I’m pleased to see you there as well. Mathias would very much like to have his intended bride.”

“Over my dead body.” Drew holds Rae tighter as sobs break free, her chest heaving against him.

“I do apologize for the mess I’ve made of her face. I wasn’t sure you’d be able to recognize her.” He pulls a knife from his pocket, using the tip to peel a corner of the tape that’s covering her mouth before stepping behind her. “Mercedes, would you care to say a few words to your friend? To help her realize what needs to be done?”

“I love you, Ravenna. Don’t you fucking give in to-”

Dominic cuts her off by stabbing his knife into her throat and pulling it across. Her head falls back as blood squirts from her neck and runs down her chest.

“I’ll text you an address, you have twenty-four hours to decide, Evaluna. The boy’s fate won’t be as kind as the girl’s.” He grabs the camera again, showing Leo’s face. “Wave goodbye to your Mama, Leo!”

The screen goes black as a wail that I don’t recognize, leaves my mouth. My vision turns blurry as Mateo puts his hand on my cheek. I’m trying to fight the memories from pouring in, but it’s pointless. If Mateo’s touch can’t bring me out of it, I know I’m not going to come out of this the same.

“You’re sure there wasn’t a mistake?” Mateo asks the nurse that just gave us the DNA results.

“I’m sure, Mr. Rossi.” She nods her head. “The baby is related to you, but you’re not the father.”

“Mathias is his father?” He stumbles back a step, catching himself on the counter.

“Mateo,” I sob, dropping my head into my hands. He rushes to my side, pulling me against his chest. I lean into him, my chest feels like it's being crushed by an elephant. We were hoping that any one of the other fucks would have been the father, that way we could still raise the baby because we could prove it wasn't his, so he wouldn't care about it. This changes everything. We can't raise this baby. If Mathias found out about him, nothing would stop him from taking the baby.

“I need to go let Amara know that she needs to come for the baby.” He kisses the side of my face before walking out of the room. I curl into a ball, letting my tears fall.

“Luna?” Aurora whispers, then kisses the side of my face.

“Peach, he has my son.” I roll over to the other side of the bed. When did I get in a bed? “How long was I out of it?” Sitting up, I swing my feet off the bed to stand up.

“Nineteen hours, Luna.” She walks around the bed, pulling me against her. “Dr. Ripley has been here twice, Teo wouldn't stop calling him. He said you were fine physically, so I sent him home.”

“That only gives me five hours to sneak away.” I run to my dresser, pulling my shirt drawer open and grabbing a pile of them.

“Luna, you're not sneaking anywhere.” Mateo says from the doorway, where he’s currently leaning.

“Mateo, save your breath. That is my son.” I turn toward the closet and twist the knob, but the door gets stuck. That’s when I notice Mateo’s foot holding the door shut. He grabs the shirts from my arms and throws them across the room.

“Luna,” his nose brushes against my ear as he inhales. “You need to shut the fuck up and listen to me for twenty seconds. We don’t have a lot of time.” He spins me so I’m facing him, tipping my chin up to look in his eyes as he speaks.

“You’ve missed a lot while you were out of it. The most important things are; Dominic had Sadie’s body taken to the coroner’s office, he picked a busy street to meet you on, we already have brand new security guards scoping the place out.

We have a few rats that will need to be dealt with, but for the time being, we can’t let them know that we suspect anything. Hector came in with his equipment and scanned the house, the only rooms that are safe to speak in are our bedroom and the bathrooms.”

“The rest of the house is bugged?” A million questions are running through my head right now, but that’s the most concerning part of the information he just rattled off. He simply nods his head in response, so I ask another question. “What do I have to do?”

“The only thing you need to do is show up.” He cups my face in his hands and kisses my nose. “We have guys coming and going from that street constantly. Dominic is there as well, watching for any sign of our security. When you pull up, park next to the fire hydrant and walk across the street. The rest is already taken care of.”

“What about Leo?” I squeeze my eyes shut and try to keep my composure.

“Dominic is going to text me Leo’s location as soon as you’re next to him. When Enzo and I have Leo, the guards will come for you.”

My phone pings on the nightstand and I walk past Mateo to pick it up. A lump catches in my throat when I open the message.

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