Page 62 of Wild Card

“Watch your tone.”

My stomach’s on fire. I think I may pass out. And what does he mean about Gio?

“I said get off of her, DeLuca. She’s mine now, and I won’t have you damaging my property.”

His property? I’m no one’s property.

He moves his knee from my gut, and I take in a slow, painful breath.

“Are we good then?” Lorenzo asks.

“We’re good,” Freddie replies, his voice calm and steady. “But about your mother?”

“He hurt her,” I wheeze. The fine balance of power.

Lorenzo turns to me and pulls his leg back to kick me. I curl into a ball. A loud shot rips through the quiet, and Birdie screams. Lorenzo’s body drops on me, heavy and wet with blood.

“Sorry, Lorenzo,” Freddie says, jerking his body off of mine. “But I can’t trust someone who’d hurt his own mother.”

Oh my God. I knew Freddie wouldn’t like what I told him, but I didn’t expect him to kill Lorenzo. Even though I’m terrified, I can’t help but feel grief for what this will do to Gio and his grandmother. If Gio’s even alive, that is.

Freddie squats next to me and moves my hair gently from my face.

“You’ll behave for me, right honey?”

“Yes,” I gasp, my voice shaking.

He’s not like Lorenzo. He’s not weak. Baiting him is a mistake.

“Can’t understand why Lorenzo had so much trouble with you, sweetheart,” he says. “Go comfort your sister.”

I scramble painfully to my feet and rush to Birdie, hugging her close. Freddie leaves, a sound I hear through Birdie’s hysterical sobs. She clings to me. It hurts. I’m in so much pain again. But I let her do it anyway.

“I’m sorry,” she sobs. “I got a message. It told me to come here with the money I had, and he’d let you go, but not to tell any of the boys or he’d kill you.”

That’s how he’d gotten her. My sweet little sister wanted to save me. The raw agony of knowing her goodness and her love for me brought her to this horrible place is almost too much to bear. It’s worse than the pain in my stomach. Worse than anything else I’ve been through so far.

“It’s okay,” I say, running my hand down her silky hair, so different from mine. Always where it’s supposed to be. “We’re going to be okay.”

“I only had twenty thousand dollars. I brought a cashier’s check.”

“Oh honey,” I can’t help but laugh.

She looks up at my face. “You’re bleeding. A lot.”

The wounds on my head hurt, but it’s really my stomach that’s bothering me now.

“And you’re so skinny, Catriona! Have they given you anything to eat at all?”

“I’m fine, Birdie. It’s just been a rough few days.”

“Everyone’s been so worried. Rory was on a flight home as soon as he heard you were missing. Patrick won’t stop picking fights. Siobhan and Kieran and his whole family have been out every day trying to find you. Finn’s even gone with them, and he hates the Doyles. I don’t know why Daddy wouldn’t just give him the money. I begged him to. I’m so sorry, Catriona, I thought I could help you and I just made it worse.” She presses her cheek to my chest, her tears soaking my shirt.

“You didn’t make it worse, Birdie. You make everything better.”

It’s comforting to know that my siblings have been trying to help me. We grew up in a toxic environment, and it made it difficult to be friends with each other, especially the older siblings. Before this, if someone had asked me if my brothers and sisters would try to get me back, I probably would’ve said yes, of course.

But when it came down to it, I wasn’t sure. Not until I talked to Callan directly. I’m glad I can be sure of their care now.

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