Page 7 of Stealing Sloane

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

“Because I couldn’t risk it.” She glared at him. Did he have to make his loathing so obvious? “Damn, girl, you have no idea how much trouble that video of yours caused.”

“I have an inkling,” Stella replied. “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 through gritted teeth.

“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 afterher,” Sloane began. “He’s afterme.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.”

Three sets of eyes zeroed in on her.

“What?” Cliff roared. “Why?”

“Because he killed my—ourparents.” Ignoring the two men, she turned to face Stella. “Everything … my whole life … has been false.” Her throat tightened. “T-that he was the r-reason …”

“It’s okay.” Stella reached out and covered her hand. “You don’t have to say anything now.”

After a year of being on the run and not having any kind of contact with anyone else, Sloane flinched unconsciously, but didn’t pull away this time.

“I do. You need to know this.” Pausing, she allowed the warmth of her sister’s touch to soothe her. “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. On her deathbed, she told me the real story.”

“What happened?” Stella gasped.

“Do you know anything about the Boston clan?”

Stella shook her head.

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

Sloane laughed bitterly. “Honey, theyareorganized crime. Aside from being Alpha, Ronan Forte is the biggest mob boss in Massachusetts. Our parents were part of his clan, and our dad was 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?”

Stella squeezed her hand. “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?”

“Ronan’s goons followed our parents, and they … they got rid of them. Afterward, they brought me back, then concocted that bullshit story. When I found out, I tried to kill Ronan. Been on the run ever since.” She scratched at her head. “One thing, though—I still don’t understand how we were separated if our parents left us together at that train station. And I didn’t even know I had a twin until I saw that video. Scared the shit out of me when I saw my face. You said you were adopted?”

“By a couple here in Nevada.” Stella’s lips pursed tightly. “The county doesn’t have records of you at all, possibly because you went back to Boston before they could put you up for adoption. Maybe … our parents left us at the train station to keep us safe in the first place, but Ronan saw the article.”

“And sent his enforcers to California to take us back to the clan, but only got me?” She finished.

“Kids go missing all the time, so that’s what I’m thinking.” Stella concluded. “There’s something else.”

“What?”

“We have a brother, Sloane. An older brother. He found me, and that’s why I made the video. So we could find you.”

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