Page 13 of Hacker Betrayed

"Breast cancer?" Eric's face had turned white.

"Yes. That's when Mia rambled off a plan. The doctor had barely left the room. Sometimes I wonder if she had already known about the cancer. Her plan was for me to take over her life. At first I said no, but then she said her dying wish was for me to become her and she reminded me of our blood oath. She'd gone behind my back and reached out to the doctor I'd worked with in Mexico. So, for six months, I learned everything about her. We hired men to train me in combat as much as they could while I was pregnant. Then, after I gave birth, I had plastic surgery. Mia lived for nine months, and I lost my friend. The military had placed her on leave while she went through treatment. When I switched out, she was cancer-free. We had the same blood type, and we were both five eight."

"This is crazy, Mia," Brock scrubbed a hand over his face. "Why did Tabitha have your son, and where is Tabitha now?"

"I wanted my son to live a happy life. Part of me worried his father would come for him. He had the same eyes and nose as Donovan so there was no denying Lucas was his son. Technology made seeing him over the internet each week easier. Going to their house was too much of a risk, but we FaceTimed at least twice a week."

Kat tapped the table. "You think it's Donovan who took your son?"

"I'm not sure. Donovan can be ruthless, but there is more to him. I don't think he would strap a bomb to his own son, but someone in his family might. Being Cyrus’s wife didn't give me access to their money, but being Donovan's son creates a whole different picture. One where Lucas is next in line to take over the family."

A Black SUV showed up on the laptop screen. My heart dropped as Donovan stepped out of the vehicle and sauntered up the stairs to my parents' home. Where my son was eating chocolate chip pancakes.

CHAPTER4

Paxton

"So, this is where you grew up?" I stared up at the massive mansion. I had enough money to buy a house the same size, but growing up poor had made me stick an exorbitant amount of money in investments. The Ellison family that adopted us had money, but I still remember many nights going to bed hungry. I had stashed a few million in safety deposit boxes and a safe in my house, worried my accountant might steal from me.

Which proved Mia and I came from two separate worlds. My brother had told me not to fall for her, but my heart and romantic side didn't understand how this woman could be dangerous to me. She could probably kill me with her bare hands, but my brain worried more about the damage she could do to my heart, because I fell for her the second my eyes landed on her. I could already hear my brother saying my feelings were lust and nothing more, but I believed in instalove.

Mia's brother had met Donovan at the front door. The two men stood toe to toe in a heated conversation on the steps before he got back in his SUV and drove away. I'd mentioned to Mia she ought to go to the hospital before we went and got her son, but she'd flipped me off and demanded a ride to her parents' home. Brock and Wes refused to let her go alone, so they followed behind in an SUV.

"It's a show of power and prestige." She winced as she took the first step. I wanted to point out the blood seeping through her shirt but knew it would be pointless. "I never thought I would step back in this house. Now, I've come here twice in less than twenty-four hours."

"Let's go pickup your boy, but then I'm putting my foot down. You need to go to the hospital. You're bleeding. If something is wrong internally, who is going to be around to take care of your son?" My words were harsh, but she needed to think past her sole focus.

Mia narrowed her eyes at me. "You don't think those thoughts are going through my head?" Brock cleared his throat from the side, and Mia shot him a glare before she continued. "Let me get Lucas, then we can stop at the hospital, but until he is by my side, I don't care what the hell any of you think."

I’d dated a lot of women hoping to find my Cinderella. None of the women I went out with were so independent, and I wasn't sure if that was the reason she turned me on even more. Most just wanted free plastic surgery or for me to buy them things.

"You guys don't need to come in. I plan on grabbing him and leaving." I was sure she wasn't embarrassed by us, but I didn't think she wanted us to meet her family. I'd only met Kat a few times, but I wondered if the woman had formulated a plan to kill Mia's dad and mom for what they'd put her through.

I rested my hand on Mia's back, and she relaxed a little. "We are coming with you. Now let's go get him, because your ass needs to go to the hospital."

She nodded and pulled open the door. The dark-haired kid ran from the side doorway straight for his mom, his arms outstretched. I put myself in his path, and he slid to a stop. "You have to be careful."

Mia shoved at my back. "Move!"

I stepped to the side, and Mia wrapped her arms around Lucas, but the boy gently put his arms around her, making sure not to touch where her wound was.

Mia's brother and three women emerged from the same doorway that Lucas ran out. The older woman I assumed was her mother, and the two other women I could only guess were her two sisters.

The one with bleach-blonde hair had tears streaming down her face. "Dalia." Her heels clicked against the floor, and she stood next to Mia and waited. When Mia dropped her arms from her son but kept her hand locked in his, she half hugged her sister.

"I've missed you, Lydia."

"I thought you were dead. They all told me you were dead." Her youngest sister wept.

Mia took a step to the side. "Dalia died years ago. Please call me Mia. It's for Lucas's safety, which is why I need to leave."

The other woman with brown hair, arms crossed under her fake tits, rolled her eyes. "Nothing’s changed. We all have to accommodate Dalia. The precious oldest daughter of the family." She flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Things were so much better when you were dead."

Mia's cheeks turned bright red. "Ashlyn. It's been too long. If you want, we could try and meet next week, if you can pencil me in between your afternoon glass of wine and Xanax. Sebastian, thank you for watching Lucas and helping me, but I think my time is done here."

A gray-haired gentleman strode into the room in a tailored black suit. Mia had taken out her colored contacts on the way to her parents' house, so I was able to notice her eyes were the same striking blue as the older man's. "I would like to have a word with you before you leave Dal—Mia."

I shook my head. "We need to get Mia to the hospital. Do none of you understand she was drugged and shot yesterday?”

---