Page 28 of Born To Be Bad

“Let me get this straight.” My speech is slow and clear, my tone is icy. A calm, freezing lake. “You not only came to our family home to kill us—to kill you own mother and father and siblings—but you did it risking not only your own life, but the life of your baby.”

Ariana’s mouth is a small gash. The sparkle fades, and her face begins to crumple.

I repeat myself. “Your. Own. Baby.”

Her eyes well up, and she shakes her head. “I didn’t know,” she mutters. “I didn’t know until yesterday.”

“Who are you?” I ask.

“I’m a De Luca,” she replies. “I’m Ari De Luca.”

I sense imminent violence. My repose cannot continue, not in her company, anyway. I stalk out before I say something I’ll regret. I dial Sandringham, my fingers feeling fat and numb as I scroll to find her name.

“Are you near the hospital?” I demand.

“I’m not,” the psychologist replies. “But I can be. Is there an emergency?”

I sigh and squeeze the bridge of my nose. “Emergency? No. Just a … development.”

“I have to back-to-backs till three. I’ll come in as soon as I can. If you need me sooner—if it becomes an emergency—let me know and I’ll re-shuffle.”

“Thank you.”

“I still have two minutes before my next meeting. Want to chat?”

I glance at my watch. “I don’t want to impose. Your schedule?—”

“I’m happy to chat. How’s Ariana?”

“She’s … pregnant.”

There’s a stunned silence. “Oh.”

“Yeah. She didn’t know till yesterday. They’ve just checked on the baby and all’s well.”

“Okay,” says Sandringham. “I’m sure this is a bit of a shock for everyone.”

“You could say that.”

“I find this extremely concerning, to be honest. I’m assuming Sebastian is the father?”

“I didn’t ask, but I’d say it’s highly likely.”

Dr Sandringham sighs. “This is going to make our jobs a lot more difficult. Not only are we adding a sexual element to the manipulation, possibly a romantic love element, but Ariana is literally part of the De Luca family now. It’s not just psychology, it’s blood.”

“Yes,” I say, stomach churning at the thought.

“The case was complex to begin with, but now … now Ariana will feel a new and intense drive to reunite with her abductors. It’s not about what happened in the past anymore. It’s about what’s happening right now.”

“I’m at a loss here,” I admit. “Can you advise a plan of action?”

“The plan of action remains the same,” she replies with conviction. “But now it’s urgent. You need to get her into a facility now.”

What she doesn’t say, but I hear anyway: or risk losing her forever.

I don’t need further encouragement. I jog back to Ariana’s room, where she and Ivy are chatting quietly. I see a flash of how things could have been if Ariana hadn’t been taken from us, with her and Ivy being great friends and enjoying spending time together.

“All right,” I announce. “We have a plan.” I’ll have to put a spin on it.

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