Page 50 of Quadruplets for the Vipers

I feel a hand on my shoulder as the person pulls me close. For a moment I think it’s Rider or Knox, come to check on me. But then I tense when I realize who it is.

Tony.

I try to pull away, but he holds me firm.

“It’s okay my love, I’m here now,” he murmurs sweetly but my blood turns to ice.

I freeze, fight or flight mode kicking in. What should I do? What can I say that will keep me safe? Tony was always unpredictable, but now he’s more volatile than ever. One wrong word could put everyone I love in danger. I don’t know which Tony I’m speaking to. The one who calls me a whore and is violent toward me and anyone who comes near me, or the one who whispers sweet nothings in my ear and tells me I’m the most important woman in his life.

“What are you doing here, Tony?”

His face darkens and I realize I’ve said the wrong thing. “Aren’t you happy to see me?”

“Of course,” I soothe, falling back into old habits of saying what he wants to hear to placate him. “I just mean, how did you find me?”

“I told you, I’ll always find you. Now, come on, let’s go home.” Sensing my hesitation, Tony plays his trump card, making sure I go willingly and without fuss. “It’s not safe here. The security is terrible, anyone could waltz in and plant bombs without being seen. Just recently I read about a madman with a gun who went on a rampage in a hospital, seeking revenge against the men who fucked his wife.”

We both know the threat he’s making.Come with me willingly or I’ll attack them. He won’t care what innocent bystanders are hurt in the process.

“If I come now, this stops. There’s no need for any more fighting. It’s the only way we can move on together. We need to forget about the past and only focus on the future.Ourfuture,” I insist, praying that I can convince Tony to spare them.

If I sacrifice myself, at least they’ll be safe. The war will be over. No one else will get hurt.

“Of course, my love, you know I hate violence,” he says smoothly, kissing me on the lips.

The scary part is, I think some twisted part of him genuinely believes that. He thinks he’s a good guy who only does what is necessary.

“Okay, let’s go.”

With that, I allow him to guide me into the SUV and drive away.

Drive me away from the men I love. From the future that I so desperately dreamed of.

In one fell swoop, I’ve lost everything. My child. My lovers. Myself. For I know the Leah that Tony thinks he loves isn’t me. The woman I will have to become to please him, to keep myself and the people I care about alive, isn’t anything like the real me.

As we drive back to the prison he calls home, I can’t help but feel as if this is punishment for failing to keep my promise. My hand cradles my stomach where there should be life. I should have known that I can only bring death.

Chapter 25

Axel

When I wake, the guys are around my bed, looking stone-faced.

“Where’s Leah?” are the first words from my mouth as I notice her absence.

‘She’s gone,” Knox says, with hurt and betrayal in his eyes.

“What do you mean she’s gone? Where?”

Panic floods me as I wonder if he means she’s dead. But that can’t be possible, she was fine when I saw her. She didn’t go near the fire. My lungs feel as if they’re burning as I try to sit up. The others share a look as they try to decide how to break the news to me.

“God damn it, tell me what’s going on!” I shout, causing heaving, racking coughs to come out of my chest.

“A nurse here performed an ultrasound to make sure the baby was okay. It…” Knox can’t finish his sentence, he can’t even bring himself to say the words. I know then that she lost the baby and my heart breaks.

“She lost the baby,” Rider says softly, taking over for Knox who’s too overwhelmed with emotion to speak. “She said she needed some air, that she wanted to be alone. She went outside to the parking lot and when we went to look for her she was gone.”

“Well, why the fuck didn’t you go after her? She must be devastated.”

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