Page 90 of Secret Baby for the Italian Mafia King

“I shouldn’t have shouted,” he finally says. “It wasn’t at you, Harper.”

“Come on,” I try again, but Harper’s feet are rooted down.

“That’snotsaying sorry.”

Elijah laughs and groans at the same time, and for a moment, I think Ren might just take it out on his ribs. Ren wipes a hand over his face.

“I’m sorry, Harper.”

I can already see the light has come back into his eyes. She forgives him, with more rambling speech about being nice and all the other moral lessons Ren would have done well to learn from PBS Kids. At least she’ll never let herself get pushed around by a man, I reason. I take Harper back to her room. Something shatters after I close the door. I don’t bother to check. It might have been Elijah going through the coffee table. I still don’t know if he deserved it or not.

“Come on, Harp. Let’s get you in a bath. We can go outside in a little bit if you feel like it.”

I’m just trying to get us out, get us anywhere out of the blast zone.

I run her a warm bath, let the water run, let it wash out the sound of anything happening beyond this little room. I want to go investigate, but I won’t leave her alone in the bath. Not today. Usually, Harper is good about washing off on her own, but the day after she’s had a seizure? I’d never risk it.

The water drums over anything happening beyond the room, but not loud enough to block out my thoughts. I wonder what he did. If he betrayed Ren. If betrayed me. If he hurt Harper, abandoned Sincere—

A cold ball of guilt sits heavy in my stomach when I think about that. I got so wrapped up in Harper going to the hospital, Ihaven’t been able to look into it at all. And Luna…she never answered any of my messages. Maybe something’s happened to her, too.

I know it’s probably bad, but…

My whole world splashes suds onto the tile bathroom floor. I had to be there for Harper. I didn’t have another choice—that same, sad mantra of my life. I didn’t have another choice.

Once Harper’s are getting pruney, I peek my head out of the bathroom, listening. The house is quiet. No more yelling or shattered glass or upended furniture. I turn off the water.

Harper dresses herself while I sneak out into the silent house to see the damage.

The fight’s done, it seems, and Elijah is alive. He hobbles out the door, dragging his bad leg and avoiding my gaze. I call out to him, but he ignores me. I find Ren in the kitchen, standing over the sink. The water runs into the basin again, but this time, he’s cleaning blood off his good hand.

“…Did he deserve it?” I ask.

“He knows what happened. He just won’t tell me. Where’s Harper—”

“In her room. Getting ready to go out.”

“I need to talk to her.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

He turns around to face me, expression flashing dangerously. I step in close, closing the space between us and making him look me in the eye when he answers. I don’t know why I bother. Like I’d be able to read a man like that.

“Did he hurt Harper?” I demand.

He looks away.

“Yes or no, Ren? Are you just beating the hell out of him for sport—?”

His sigh is a frustrated snarl,

“I know enough. He came here groveling for forgiveness. He sold us out—soldyouout—at the meeting of the families. Whatever he did, hebetrayedus—”

My stomach tightens into a knot.

That can’t be right. Not Elijah. Not the boy who blushes over his crush and can’t hear the word pussy without almost causing a vehicle accident. He was worried about Ren. He thought I could help him somehow.ThatElijah hadn’t given up on us, I know it.

“…If you believe that, then why is he still alive? Why is he here at all?”

---