Page 31 of Cruel Secrets

I’ve made the war between our families worse, because I don’t give a shit who I have to hurt to get my daughter back.

Gia gives me one more look of sympathy—eyebrows pulling together with a slight shake of her head—before she’s gone.

Despite the pain and the light as air feeling in my head, I force myself to take one step after the other. Fire screams through my body but it doesn’t matter. I’m going to get to her and I’m going to bring her back here where she belongs.

Except she’s already in the car by the time I get outside, the taillights shining bright before fading as they reach the bottom of the driveway and turn.

I do everything I can to get back inside, lunging for the bowl on the console table beside the door.

My keys jingle as I pull them out before making the painful journey down the stairs and around the side of the house to the parking pad where my car is.

“Fucking bastard.” I spin immediately at the sight of the slashed tires, falling back into the body of the car.

Groaning, I shove myself off, limping my way down the path to the shed in the back. There’s another car stashed there for emergencies.

It takes longer than I would like, and though I know catching up to them is going to be hard now, I still have to try.

My hands shake, vision blurring as I unlock the shed and swing the doors open.

Relief floods me until I see the open hood and the three screwdrivers stabbed through the battery. Acid is sloshed all over the other parts and by the looks of it, my oil has been tampered with too.

And the fucking alternator is gone.

I sink down to the ground against the wall of the shed, trying to take a moment to get my bearings as I pull my phone from my back pocket.

Aiden answers on the first ring. “I wasn’t expecting to hear from you for another week.”

I try to speak, but nothing comes out. My throat is impossibly thick. I swallow hard, trying to force the words out.

As I stare at the door ahead of me, fuzzy little dots dance across my vision. It will be a miracle if Aiden gets to me in time, but he might be able to get my daughter back.

I can’t tell him that she’s my daughter, though. Not yet.

Not until I can talk to him in person and explain everything.

Instead, I focus on trying to get out the information that matters right now.

“You need to get here now.” I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to fight the pounding in my head. “Bleeding out in shed. Jace took Gia and Bianca.”

I don’t care if I bleed out in this shed—I’m not going to let someone take my daughter from me again.

Gripping the side of the car, I drag myself to my feet, pain splintering through my body. Even though I grit my teeth so hard I’m sure I’m going to crack a tooth, it doesn’t matter. Nothing does, except getting them back.

One way or another.

CHAPTERTEN

GIA

Mom’s wordsare a punch to the gut. “You had a baby with a Lynde.”

The sharp stab of guilt twists deeper, but I can’t let her see it. Not when every single fiber of my being is cracking and tearing at the edges, shredding into pieces so fine I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to stitch them back together.

If Noah finds out, it won’t just be me who pays the price.

Bianca will too.

“What the hell were you thinking?” Mom shakes her head, gesturing to the chair at the dining table like I’m a young girl in trouble again.

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