Page 9

CHAPTER NINE

ROYCE

My heart sinks in my chest as footsteps tap against the creaking floorboards above me.

Gia.

She’s left the safety of the closet I forced her into and now she is walking straight into danger.

I shift, twisting to look up the stairs as she appears at the top of them like an avenging angel. If I lose her and Bianca now…

Jace glances past me, a slow smile spreading across his gaunt face. “There you are, Gia. The men told me they couldn’t find you when they swept through the house.”

Stupid woman.

She should have just stayed where I told her to stay. This would all be over sooner. Jace had no idea she was here. They didn’t find her.

And here she comes offering herself to them on a plate.

If she had learned to listen to me at any point in her life, we wouldn’t be in this situation right now. She would be safe with our daughter and I wouldn’t be bleeding all over the fucking floors.

After this is over, she’s going to learn what happens when she disobeys me.

I shift to look at her, trying to shove myself to my feet, but the bastard shot me in the leg and my head is spinning from the blood loss. “Get the hell out of here, Gia.”

Gia’s eyes are wide, her lips parted slightly as she keeps the gun aimed at the ground. “What the hell is going on here? The pair of you fucking idiots scare the living hell out of me and my child, and then I come down to see what’s happening and you’re sitting here?”

“We’re not having a fucking tea party!” I grab the banister, gripping it tight and gritting my teeth as I haul myself to my feet. I’m torn between lunging for Jace or lunging for her.

Wringing her neck sounds like a good idea right about now.

The throbbing in my leg only gets worse, hot and sticky blood drying, sticking my jeans to my thigh. I won’t be lunging for anyone right now, but once I get my hands on her, she’s going to be sorry she came out of that damn closet.

Her attention is on Jace. “What are you doing here?”

“Noah wants you and Bianca home. He isn’t happy that this jackass stole you out from under his nose.”

“She’s not going anywhere with you,” I say, my voice a low growl.

If I have to cut his fingers off right now to make sure he never puts a hand on her, that’s what I’m going to do. Jace is looking at her like he can’t wait for the moment he gets her alone.

The last thing he’s ever going to do is think he can touch what’s mine.

My gun is on the other side of the room, trapped beneath the body of a man I shot when he was trying to choke me. It would be a long run to try and get there and shoot him before he got his hands on Gia.

Gia walks down the stairs, brushing by me. “When do we leave?”

I grip the railing until my knuckles are white, grinding my teeth against the pain. “You’re not going anywhere with him, Gia! Get your ass back upstairs and stay there like I told you to do in the first place.”

She whirls around, ramming a finger into my chest. “You did enough here. You don’t get to tell me what I can and can’t do. This isn’t my fight and I’m taking my daughter and going home.”

All I hear is that she’s going to take Bianca from me, and I can’t let that happen. Not again. She already kept her from me once and I missed out on a year and a half of my daughter’s life.

There’s a bloody handprint left on the banister as I push off it, limping toward them. “Get back upstairs now.”

I rip the gun from her hand, pointing it at Jace’s head.

Gia stares daggers at me, looking like there’s nothing more she’d love to do than tear my heart from my chest and crush it between her hands just to see me bleed more.

“If you think that I’m staying here with you, you’re an idiot.”

“Nice.” I sigh and flick the safety off, turning the gun on her. “I’m tired of this fucking shit from you, Gia. Get your ass back upstairs now or the first bullet I’m firing is going straight into your fucking head.”

The smug smirk falls from the corners of her full lips. “Just let me go.”

It’s not her that I won’t let go of, but I can’t say that right now. If she kept Bianca a secret from even me, I have to operate under the assumption that nobody in her life knows who Bianca is related to.

Right now, Gia isn’t seeing the bigger picture to this either.

Her eyes grow wide as she looks at me, but there’s a steely determination to them. She steps forward, pressing her forehead to the gun. “Pull the trigger, Royce.”

And though I want to, I can’t. It’s like my brain isn’t sending the message to my finger. I can’t pull the trigger because if I do, there’s nobody left who can protect my daughter from Jace. I’m injured and he has the upper hand.

Leaving Gia alive is the only insurance policy I have.

Noah is unstable at best. He could turn against her without a second thought. I doubt it would take much for him to decide to kill her.

I’m not going to allow either of them to be taken from me. I won’t leave my daughter without a mother, even if she is one of the most infuriating people I’ve ever met. She could give my siblings a run for their money.

Jace nods to the stairs. “Go up and get Bianca. We’re leaving.”

Gia brushes by me, jogging up the stairs. The little touch is enough to send blood coursing through my body, warming me from the inside out. Maybe it’s the way my anger boils out of control, my focus slipping for just a second.

“You didn’t really think she was going to listen to you, did you?” Jace kicks me in the thigh, sending me down on the stairs.

There’s a dull thud as my head cracks against the step, sending stars dancing across my vision.

The gun falls from my hand, clattering across the floor before he grabs it and tucks it into his back pocket. “Really, Royce. You’re supposed to be better than this. You were the last time we fought.”

“You’re dead when I get my hands on you. I’m not going to let you take them from me.”

“You’re not going to do shit about it.” He nods to Gia as she comes down the stairs again, this time with a diaper bag slung over one shoulder and Bianca in her arms.

Bianca reaches for me and for a second, my life flashes before my eyes. He’s going to take her, and I don’t know what’s going to happen to the two of them when he does.

Jace looks between me and Bianca, his eyes narrowing. His lips press together, glancing back and forth as understanding dawns in his eyes.

Fuck.

If he doesn’t see the resemblance, he’d have to be stupid. As soon as I looked at her, I knew she was mine and I wasn’t seeing us standing beside each other.

He says nothing about it, which only worries me more.

Gia pauses and glances down at me, the look in her eyes softening for a moment. It’s gone in the same instant, the emotion draining from her face and her arms tightening around Bianca.

I swallow hard, trying to clear what feels like shattered glass lodged in my throat as I look at Bianca. “You’re going to regret going with him. He’s going to take you back to Noah, and then what are you going to do?”

“I don’t know, but it has to be better than here.”

“You’re not the woman I thought you were if you believe that.” I grab the railing, pulling to my feet one last time, hoping that it’s enough even though I feel like I’m going to pass out. “You’re on your fucking own, Gia. That’s it. You’re fucking done.”

“You never knew me, remember?” She spits the words out, stepping farther away from me, taking my daughter out of my life once more.

There’s no way to make Gia see the mistake she’s making.

Her gaze drops to the blood-soaked shirt tied around my thigh. “I hope you survive that, for what it’s worth. I don’t think you deserve to die.”

Jace chuckles. “How touching. He’s going to die eventually. You didn’t think that Noah was going to leave him alive after abducting his sister and niece, did you?”

“Please,” Gia says, a hint of urgency in her voice. “Let’s just leave. You know his family is likely going to be on their way here and we need to go before they arrive.”

He motions to the door. “Go get in the car.”

“You first.” Gia turns her back to me, shifting slightly so she’s standing in between me and Jace. “I know that despite Noah’s orders, you’re going to try and kill him before we leave.”

“And you think that standing in the way is going to stop me? Your brother will get over the death of one Lynde.”

If I could take a step forward without falling, I would throw him to the ground.

Before I do anything, Gia’s fist shoots out and she catches Jace straight in the nose. There’s a crunch as her fist connects with the cartilage. Blood trickles from his nostril as he groans.

“You didn’t have to fucking break my nose.” His voice is nasal as he presses his hands to either side of his nose and moves it back into place.

Gia shakes out her fist as Bianca starts to cry. “Noah gave you orders. You follow them the same as anyone else, so let’s go. Otherwise, you can explain to him why I broke your nose.”

Jace looks like he’s seconds away from lunging at her, but he holds himself back.

I’d find a way to kill him if he hurts her. I don’t care that I’m bleeding out.

Gia waits until Jace leaves the house before looking down at me again. Something in her eyes softens as she crouches down, her hand hovering close to me like she’s going to touch me. “I don’t know if your family is on the way, but I hope that they find you soon for Bianca’s sake.”

She pulls her hand back, regret crossing her face. In that moment, I don’t think I’ve hated her more. She’s choosing to leave again. Killing Jace would’ve been simple, but she’s a coward. A coward who would rather leave me dying on the floor than put a bullet through the people who want to oppress her.

As she walks out the door, there’s a small part of me that’s impressed with how ruthless she is.

When we were dating all those years ago, I didn’t think she had it in her. I thought she was far removed from the mafia life. I should’ve seen this coming when I told her who I was and what my family did and she remained unbothered.

If Aiden ever finds out that I overlooked checking into her and finding out exactly who she was, he’s never going to forgive me.

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.