Page 171 of Dance of Thorns

Ironically, her plan was a fake kidnapping. She planned to send Cesare a bogus ransom note to keep him running around, and in the meantime whisk us away to the Syndicate.

It wasn't her plan that went wrong.

It was that the man she thought of as her friend, who’d once been a driver for our father, turned out to be a literal psychopath and serial killer.

Her ally was Lorenzo Cielo, and my mother has never forgiven herself for not seeing him for who he really was.

“Lark?”

I blink as I turn to the woman who brought me into the world in a tiny beach-side cabin in Maine. Dark thoughts can wait. They have no place here, when I look into my mother’s eyes and feel the warmth of her smile.

”Yeah, Mom?”

She laughs in a way that brings a huge smile to my face.

“I was just saying I still can’t believe I’m about to have both of you standing in front of me.”

I smile back, seeing the look of glee on her face.

“Any minute now,” I wink, reaching out to squeeze her hand. “I’m going to grab a coffee. You want one?”

I feel her grip on my hand tighten.

“It’s just over there, Mom,” I murmur, turning to point across the lounge of the private airfield.

She blushes. “Sorry,” she murmurs. “I’m just…”

Scared to see me even leave the room.

It's okay, I get it.

She lost me for so many years.

“You want him to come with me to keep me safe at Starbucks?” I grin at her as I lean into Bane, who’s sitting on the other side of me.

“Har har,” Mom sighs.

“How aboutIgo get the coffees, and you two stay right here,” Bane growls.

“I like this plan,” Mom says, quickly nodding. “Much better.” She winks at me. “Damn, I like him.”

I grin as I turn toward Bane, lean in, and kiss him.

“I like him too. Can you please get me a black coffee?”

“And I’ll take anything with so much sugar it's more dessert than coffee,” mom pipes up as Bane stands.

“Coming right up, ladies.”

When he’s gone, I glance back at my mother.

“I talked to Val yesterday,” I say.

Her eyes dart to mine, a hint of worry in them.

She’s fearless, my mom. I’ve learned that pretty fast. But there's one thing that gets her worried, other than me leaving her side: anything to do with family.

She knew that she had a brother that she’d lost contact with. She also knew that brother had a couple of sons. But she’s only just found out that those sons are Val, my friend from ballet, andVaughn.