Page 105 of Little Deer

“They’re around here somewhere, so shut the hell up,” a male voice snaps angrily. “It’s all fucking changed in here, so I don’t know where they might have put them, but they won’t be far.”

“We don’t have fucking time for this bullshit,” another male voice, one that sounds vaguely familiar, snaps back. “The only reason we got in here in the first place is because my stupid brother decided now was the time to attack. I’ll give it to him that he’s got some uses at least. Not like my worthless son.”

I know who it is. Leonardo De Luca. The man that told me he was going to sell me.

Fuck.

I look at the others in terror, even as I realize that people are moving not only from one fork, but the others as well.

We’re trapped.

Sienna and Rori share a look and Rori whispers, “All of you behind me. Now.”

“We can’t stay here,” Kida hisses. “We’re sitting ducks.”

“We have nowhere to go,” Rori hisses back, voice sharp.

“We have the same way that Sofia went,” Gia hisses back.

“No, we can’t,” Rori says coldly. Then she whispers a command to Hades, and he places himself at the front of the fork, teeth bared, guarding it.

“What the fuck are you doing, Rori?” Sienna demands in a low voice. Rori doesn’t answer, but the flash of guilt in her eyes is thick. “What did you fucking do?” Sienna rasps, her face going cold and hard herself.

Again, no answer.

Is Rori keeping us here for a reason? Is she working with the De Lucas?

I look at Amara, Kida, and Gia, and I see the same mirror expressions of realization and horror. We’re fucked. If she’sworking with them, we have nowhere to go, no way to get away from her.

Soren starts to fuss, and I try to curl myself around him to muffle the sound, but it’s too late.

“What the fuck was that?” Leonardo’s voice demands, getting closer. “Why is there a fucking baby in here?”

“It seems your daughter has a surprise,” the other voice announces as he steps into view.

I don’t recognize him, but then I see it. The resemblance to Dante, other than the color of his skin or the color of his eyes. He even has the same look Nico has when he’s trying to assess something. This must be Dante’s father.

Leonardo steps out behind him, a cold, triumphant smile on his face as he takes us all in. “You were right. They put them all in the fucking passages,” Leonardo laughs darkly. “They gave them all right to us. Hello, daughters.” The dangerous undertone to his voice has me starting to tremble.

Every instinct is telling me to run.

Leonardo’s eyes shoot to Soren in my arms, assessing. “And, clearly, my youngest daughter held a secret from me as well.” His eyes lift to mine, dark, ugly, and with an anticipation that has my stomach rolling. “Well, at least you gave us something else to use. Tell me, are you like your worthless mother and gave me a granddaughter, or did you actually do something right and give me a grandson?”

Hades lets out a low snarl, and Esposito raises his gun and points it at the dog. “Tell him to stand down or he dies,” Esposito warns Rori sharply.

Rori gives the command, her own gun raised and pointed at him. She says nothing else, only watches him.

“I expect an answer, daughter,” Leonardo barks.

I stare at him with a defiance that I pull up from the depths of my soul. I won’t tell him anything. I only tighten my grip onSoren, ignoring his cries. It kills something inside me to hurt him this way, but the larger protective side wins out.

Leonardo’s eyes go hard, his jaw clenching. “I’ll find out soon enough. I’ll have to adjust my plans, but we’ll deal with that. Perhaps we can salvage our plans after all,” he adds to Esposito. “You have connections for people who take unwanted children, yes?”

The cruel implication isn’t lost on me, and I have to fight not to lose my shit.

Leonardo looks at Gia, and his eyes narrow. “And you, you were the cause of all of this. I should never have let you have that apartment.”

“Father,” Gia returns quietly, but there’s no fear in her voice, just a quiet determination.