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LIA

Leo was Mael’s father.

He also trafficked Mael and Theo when they were younger. It was why he was willing to risk so much to try to infiltrate the mob. It was no wonder Mael hated Leo and why he hated my dad.

I closed my eyes at the thought.

If something happened to Mael… what was I supposed to do?

I couldn’t even stand the thought of it, much less if it became a reality.

Nothing was going to happen to Mael.

It couldn’t because there was a part of me that felt like I wouldn’t survive if that were the case. And if I wished hard enough for it, would it make it true?

I closed my eyes.

I knew that wasn’t the case, even if I hoped.

Just like how I wished, more than anything, for everything Mael told me about Leo and my dad to not be true.

Why did Dad get into this mess?

Why?

It wasn’t like we needed the money. His business was going well. My grandpa had been well-off and had left an inheritance behind for my dad. Some of the money was even left to me in a trust.

I froze as a thought came to me.

How much of the money I received was from that business?

I closed my eyes. I was going to be sick.

My thoughts shifted to the little black book I found in my room just mere weeks before. With everything happening, I had pushed it to the back of my mind, but now…

Caden’s words bounced in my mind.

Lia, only read this when you think you can handle it.

Did he know?

And did he find out before he… overdosed?

I stood up from where I was sitting on the couch and looked around the apartment.

Mael was off doing… I didn’t know what, and I didn’t want to know. I just wanted him to come home safely to me, but I didn’t know what time that would be. It wasn’t like he was a regular man with a regular job and nine-to-five hours.

And I was home alone. Mael had specifically told me not to go anywhere without him, but this felt too important to ignore.

My little brother obviously hid the book in our hiding place for me to find, even if he was trying to protect me from the content inside the book.

I grabbed my purse and phone and walked out of the apartment. Mael’s place was only accessible using an elevator and a code on the door, so I didn’t have the key to get back inside. I didn’t even have the code. But that was going to be a problem I dealt with later. For now, I was calling for a ride back to Dad’s house.

* * *

The car pulled up to my childhood home.

And for the first time, I didn’t get that warm, fuzzy feeling I usually got when I saw it.

For the first time, I wondered just how many secrets it held and just how many lives had been lost so this house could be built.

I looked up and met the driver’s eyes through the rearview mirror. I pulled out some of the cash I had in my purse and handed it to him. “Thank you.”

He nodded, and I climbed out. My legs shook as I stood in front of the property, fighting against the urge to call the driver back, when I heard him drive away.

I closed my eyes.

Another thing I would need to worry about—how to get back to Mael’s apartment once I was done.

I walked up to the front door, using my own key, and went inside.

I looked at everything with new eyes.

It was just all so… tainted.

My feet stopped in front of the portrait of my mom, Caden, and me.

Our smile was frozen in time. How sad was it that I was the only one in this picture who survived? That they had all left me here to deal with the reality of who my dad was.

My eyes focused on my mom.

Did she know?

Her sad eyes haunted me. I always thought those eyes were simply because of how she appeared, and that was all, but the closer I looked at the picture, the more persistent the thought became that those sad eyes of hers were from something else.

“What are you doing here?”

I jumped about a foot in the air when I heard Dad’s voice coming from my left.

I looked over to see Dad standing by the mouth of the hallway connecting the living room and the kitchen. His clothes were wrinkled, and his brown hair was standing up on end. There were heavy bags under his dull green eyes. I might have my mom’s eyes, but I took after my dad. Caden was the one who looked like our mom, and for the longest time, it was hard to look at him and be reminded of all the things that I had missed out on because my mom had left this earth too soon.

“Dad, what are you doing home?”

He frowned at me. “I decided to work from home today. What are you doing here, sweetheart?”

“Huh? Oh, I think I left my sweater in my old room the last time I was here,” I said, the lie coming out easier than I thought it would. Even still, I didn’t think he believed me.

He narrowed his eyes at me, and I resisted the urge to shift on my feet and give myself away.

“Okay,” he said finally.

“I’m going to get it. I… I have work today, so I can’t stay long.”

He smiled, but for some reason, this smile felt off. “Okay, sweetheart. You should come home for dinner soon though. It looks like you haven’t been eating properly.”

I blinked, feeling my eyes burn. He sounded like he genuinely cared. Was it a lie, then?

“Of course,” I said softly. “I’ll go up to my room. See you soon.”

I waved awkwardly at him. The smile was still on his face when he nodded at me. I turned and walked away, my back burning from his gaze.

I never felt more awkward in my father’s presence. I would like to say it was because of what Mael had told me, but there was something about the expression on his face…

Wouldn’t Leo have told him I was taken to the cabin to hide from my stalker? But there were no words of concern, only an off look in his eyes that had all my hackles rising.

And right now, it felt like I was prey, out in the open with no shelter or tree for protection. It suddenly became urgent that I get the book and get out of there as soon as possible. I rushed upstairs as soon as I turned a corner and was sure Dad couldn’t see me anymore.

My room was exactly as I had left it. I walked over to the closet in a daze, pressing my hand down on the hardwood floor until I heard that familiar squeak. I pushed the board up.

The black book seemed to take all of my attention.

I grabbed it without a thought, shoved it in my purse, and got out of there. Dad wasn’t anywhere in sight when I got back downstairs. I let out a small sigh of relief. I didn’t think I could do another encounter with him or keep up the facade that nothing was wrong if I looked into his eyes once more. I was about to head out of there when voices coming from Dad’s office caught my attention. Everything told me to get out of there as quickly as possible, but I was curious enough to pivot around and head to his office instead.

He was talking on the phone.

“No, I don’t know why she’s here. I thought you said you took her away.”

I closed my eyes as the truth of his words finally hit me, and what it all meant. I was the she he was referring to, and there was no doubt in my mind that he was talking to Leo.

“Yeah, I’ll try to keep her here. But I don’t think she trusts us anymore.”

He got that right.

But why did he even need my trust in the first place? Why give me a normal childhood and make me believe that he loved me?

Why do all of this?

Tears pricked at my eyes, and I pushed away from the wall, rushing out of the house. I wasn’t going to let him keep me here long enough for Leo to come by and take me away once more.

I looked around my surroundings as soon as I got outside. It was early afternoon, and the sun was shining brightly on me.

I walked away from the property without looking back. Even just being near this house felt dangerous somehow.

I would call for a car when the house was no longer in sight. Or I could call for Mael. No doubt, he would be angry, but his being angry at me was a better alternative to having Leo find me.

I let out a small, humorless laugh. Since when did my stalker become a better, safer alternative to a man I thought of as my uncle for most of my life—not counting the brief period when I had developed a crush on him—or even my dad?

How had my life come to this?

I didn’t know how long I had been walking, but I figured it must be safe enough to call for a ride. I pulled out my phone, but before I could make a call, it vibrated in my hand. Mael’s name flashed on the screen, and I picked up.

“Hello?”

There was a brief silence before Mael’s voice came through. “Where are you?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Baby.” There was a warning in his voice that told me he knew more than he let on. How would he know unless…

“How do you know I’m not at the apartment?”

“I have cameras all over the place. Do you really think I wouldn’t have been notified once you left? I would have called sooner had I checked the notification on my phone. What are you doing back at your dad’s house?”

“How did you know I went to my dad’s house?” I asked, trying to keep my voice calm. But how the hell could he have known?

“I tracked your phone.”

“You tracked my phone?” I repeated slowly, as if I said it slow enough, it might not be true, because what in the actual fuck?

“Yes,” he said matter-of-factly.

“Why?” I gritted out. I doubted talking to him about personal boundaries would go anywhere. Was I supposed to just accept that this was the way he was?

“For your own safety.”

“Careful. Your obsessive personality is showing through.”

“Wasn’t trying to hide it, kitten.”

“You are so fucking infuriating.”

“Yeah. We can talk about that as soon as I pick you up. I’m about five minutes away. And, baby? I’m punishing you for this tonight.”

I closed my eyes, and even if I knew what he just said wasn’t sane or normal or even something I should accept, there was a part of me, a part deep down that I would never admit out loud, that stood at attention from his words. My clit pounded, and my stomach muscles tightened.

“You’re making me crazy,” I said finally.

He laughed darkly. “Right back at you.”

I let out a small sigh, about to say anything else that didn’t make it seem like I was just going to lie down and let him do whatever he wanted with me, when the rumbling of an engine coming from behind me caught my attention.

For a quick second, I thought it might be Mael, but the car wasn’t his. I watched it, waiting for it to pass me. It didn’t. The wheels turned slightly in my direction, and I froze. I was momentarily stunned in disbelief, as if trying to convince myself that the car wasn’t really headed toward me.

But it showed no sign of slowing down.

I screamed and jumped out of the way just moments before the car drove over the spot I had been standing in.

A sound rang out, and it took me a moment to realize Mael was shouting through the phone. I brought it up to my ear. “Lia? Answer me. What the fuck happened?”

“Someone just tried to run me over,” I said, my voice shaky.

“What the fuck? I’m coming, baby. Just stay where you are.”

Tires screeched, and I watched the black SUV turn around as if heading back for me.

“Mael?”

“Yeah, baby.”

“You need to hurry. Because the car is coming back for me.”