Page 16 of Ruthless Vengeance
Clara flinches. It’s subtle, but I catch it.
I tighten my fingers on the wheel until my knuckles turn white as I clench my jaw.
He did hurt her, and somehow he’s still alive.
“No,” she says finally, but she doesn’t meet my eyes when I look over at her, which makes me think she’s lying.
But I don’t push her, not yet at least.
It’s past midnight by the time we arrive at the house so thankfully, everyone is asleep. The last thing Clara needs is to be ambushed by Lila and Rosa when she needs to sleep.
I carry Clara upstairs to her room but when she spots Zoe’s empty crib, she panics and claws her way out of my hold.
“Zoe—”
“Is sleeping in with Lila.”
“I need to see her.” She makes for the door, but I step in her way.
She’s exhausted, and right now my priority is making sure she’s okay.
“Sleep first, love, then I promise I will bring her to you.”
Clara looks like she’s about to protest, but then she yawns, and I know I’ve won.
I lead her over to the bed and tuck her in, her breathing turning heavy before her head even hits the pillow.
I press a kiss to her cheek before quietly exiting the room. I’m desperate to climb into bed beside her, but I know I won’t be able to sleep until I find out about this Ben guy. So, I head down the hall to Andre’s office and pour myself a much-needed drink.
I’m three scotches down by the time Vince calls with an update.
“We got something. Jax checked Tommaso’s security footage before the shootout and found someone matching that Ben guy’s description.”
I rub my temple, my mind and body completely exhausted. “Send it to me.”
Seconds later, my phone pings with an email. I open it, and my stomach twists as I stare at the grainy footage of a man with sharp features and cropped blonde hair talking to Tommaso.
Something about him seems vaguely familiar, but I can’t place him.
I forward the image to Liam, my private investigator, ordering him to find out everything he can about him.
If he’s a risk to my family, I need to know about it.
Chapter Five
CLARA
I wakeup as the sun starts to stream through the windows, a welcome change from the dark cell.
Marco came in at some point during the night and fell asleep on top of the sheets.
He looks exhausted with his hair all disheveled and a shadow starting to cover his jaw.
I want to let him sleep, but I need to see my baby girl, so I move to try and leave the bed without waking him up.
As I stir, his eyes open.
He smiles at me. “Good morning. I’ll get our girl.”
