Page 32 of Ruthless Secrets (Alpha Mafia Daddies #6)

Chapter Twenty-Seven

CLARA

I can barely stand as I watch Marco drive away.

Zoe starts to cry in my arms, as if she can sense my fear.

That can’t be the last time we see him, it just can’t.

Alio places a comforting hand on my shoulder. “Let’s get you inside.”

Terrified that if I open my mouth, I’ll just start hysterically sobbing, I settle on nodding and following him inside the cabin, which is to be our home for god knows how long.

As I hold Zoe, it dawns on me that Marco and I never discussed arrangements if anything were to happen to us. I’d like to think Andre and Lila would take her in, but they’re being targeted too.

What if none of us survives?

My chest starts aching, and I can’t breathe. “Oh, god.”

“Clara?”

I look up to see Lila frowning at me.

She’s the only other person who understands how I’m feeling right now. But then my eyes flick to Rosa, and I know this is not the sort of conversation to be having in front of her .

“I-I’m sorry.” I hastily wipe my eyes.

I don’t think I’ve cried this much since Adam left and I vowed then that no man would ever make me cry like this again. But then Marco came along and changed everything.

I still hope it’s for the better, but only time will tell.

Marissa puts her arm around me and Rosa. “Let’s go and get you settled in your rooms.”

She looks to be around the age my mom should have been if she were alive, with dark chestnut hair and eyes to match. She’s tall and extremely graceful, like a dancer, and she radiates a natural maternal warmth that puts me at ease as she leads all of us inside the cabin.

I was nervous about Marco leaving Zoe and me with strangers, but the fact that Marissa and her husband were willing to take us all in at such short notice tells me exactly the sort of people they are.

Alio follows behind us all with the bags.

I thought maybe Jax would be staying here too, but he left after unloading the trunk of his car.

Once inside the cabin, Marissa leads us through the cozy living space.

There’s a fire roaring in the hearth with shelves on either side, fit to bursting with old paperbacks.

If we were here under different circumstances, I would feel overjoyed at the idea of spending all night sitting by the fire, drinking cocoa and reading.

Marissa leads us down the narrow, dimly lit hall just off the living room. “Your rooms are just this way.”

She shows us through the first door on the right.

The room is a little cramped with two twin beds sitting parallel to each other on opposite sides of the room, their simple wooden frames matching the cabin’s rustic aesthetic with a small nightstand nestled between them.

Near the foot of each bed, two compact travel cribs stand side by side for the girls.

Through the window on the far wall, dense trees surround the cabin, their dark silhouettes visible against the faint moonlight.

Marissa looks at me and Lila. “We thought you might want to keep the babies together. But you’re welcome to use the other rooms too. We’ve put Rosa right next door.”

Lila smiles at her. “This is perfect, thank you.”

“Would you like anything to eat? Or maybe some hot cocoa?”

Lila shakes her head. “Please don’t trouble yourself. I think we’ll just get the girls back down and head to bed ourselves.”

“Well, I’m right down the hall if you need anything.”

Once Marissa closes the door, I feel close to tears.

I clutch Zoe tighter, trying to remember that the room is temporary, a place to keep the girls safe until the danger passes.

If it ever does.

I’m about to get ready to feed Zoe when Rosa grips my hand.

“Can I stay with you?”

“Of course.” I squeeze her hand. “You can bunk with us.”

I’m trying my best to stay strong, not just for myself, but for Rosa and Lila, who, now that it’s just us in our room, seems to barely be holding it together.

Every time I glance at Lila, I see the exhaustion in her eyes. Her shoulders are slumped, her worry weighing her down.

I can tell she’s doing her best to hide it from Rosa, but she’s not fooling me.

She’s scared, and so am I.

I give Zoe a quick feed and settle her down to sleep in the cot at the end of my bed without too much of an issue .

Lila, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to be having much luck with Holly.

“Shh…” She rocks her daughter.

I hold out my hands for Holly. “Do you want me to try?”

Lila pushes her dark hair out of her face. “She’s overtired at this point. I doubt anything will help.”

“Let me give you a break at least.”

Lila doesn’t protest as I take Holly from her.

The poor baby is exhausted, and she’s looking around with panic in her eyes. I try to relax my body to help put her at ease, but it’s easier said than done, so I settle on singing to her softly as I rock her back and forth.

Rosa curls up on the other twin bed, pulling the checked comforter over her body as she starts reading a book that she must have grabbed from the living room.

I’m glad she decided to stay here with us so I can keep an eye on her. It’s what Marco would want.

“I don’t know how people manage two young kids at once.” I collapse onto the bed beside Lila once Holly is asleep.

I catch the sound of sniffing and glance over to see her wiping at her eyes. "Everything will be fine." I run my hand up and down her back in slow, soothing strokes. "You know how overprotective Marco and Andre are. They sent us here as a precaution. Nothing’s going to happen to them,”

We both know that’s not true, but maybe if I say it enough, it will come true.

Lila shakes her head, her fingers gripping the sleeve of my jumper as she clings to me, sniffing. "It’s not that. There’s something else."

I pull back slightly, watching as her lower lip trembles.

"What is it?"

She hesitates, her eyes darting to where Rosa lies on the bed before whispering under her breath, "I’m pregnant. "

Her words are like a punch to the gut.

This should be a moment where all of us should be jumping for joy, and yet all I can think of is the fact that Andre might never get to hold this child.

Lila lets out a shaky breath, wiping at her damp cheeks. "I only just found out. I haven’t even had time to tell Andre yet. And now...what if I never get the chance? What if something happens to him and?—"

Her voice cracks, and then she’s sobbing in my arms.

"It won’t. You can’t think like that. They are going to come back to us, Lila. We are going to get through this."

She nods, though I know she’s not convinced.

I tighten my grip around her, holding her close as she cries softly into my shoulder.

My eyes flick to the bedside table, where a deck of cards sits abandoned, and an idea sparks in my mind.

It might be the middle of the night, but it seems none of us are going to be sleeping anytime soon, and we could all use a distraction.

"How about we play a game?" I pull away from Lila and reach for the deck. "Let’s play poker."

Lila looks at me like I’ve lost my mind.

"You want to play poker right now ?"

Rosa perks up from her spot on the bed, finally looking away from her book. "I’m in."

"See?” I open the pack and pull out the cards. “Rosa’s got the right idea."

Lila huffs a small, tired laugh, but she doesn’t argue. It’s not like we’ve got anything else to be doing.

The three of us move onto the floor between the two beds, and I shuffle the cards.

For the next hour, we focus on nothing but the game. Somehow, we even find it in us to laugh when Rosa tries and fails to bluff her way through a terrible hand .

While it might not be enough to make us forget about the reality of our situation, it does help to ease some of the anxiety.

Eventually, after losing another hand, Rosa tosses her cards on the pile and yawns.

"I’m calling it. I need sleep." She stretches her arms up above her head.

I glance at the burner phone that has been glued to my side in case Marco calls and blink when I see the time.

"It’s four in the morning? How did that happen?"

Lila shakes her head. "Time means nothing anymore.”

I start gathering the cards to put them away. "We should all get some sleep. The girls will be up soon."

Lila nods and stands, but as she looks down at the twin bed, her lower lip trembles.

I get to my feet. "Do you want to sleep with me tonight?"

Her eyes flicker with something close to relief before she nods. "Yeah, I’d like that."

We all settle into bed, but sleep doesn’t come easily. My body is exhausted, and my limbs heavy, but my mind can’t stop racing with thoughts of Marco and Zoe.

I try to focus on the sound of the wind blowing outside, but it’s not enough to provide a distraction.

At some point, my eyelids grow so heavy that I eventually fall asleep. Barely an hour later, I catch the soft sounds of Zoe whimpering as she starts to wake up.

I only have a few minutes before she starts screaming, so I quietly slide out of the bed, careful not to wake Lila, and pick my daughter up out of the crib.

"Shhh, baby girl. It’s okay.”

I rock her gently, rubbing her back as she nuzzles into me. As I soothe her, my mind drifts to Marco.

The burner phone has remained silent all night, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. From the small amount of light peeking in through the window, it’s barely morning. He is likely sleeping himself, but my chest tightens regardless.

What if something has happened?

My thoughts are interrupted by the sound of Holly stirring.

Before she has a chance to wake Lila, I pick her up and carry both girls out into the living room to give Lila and Rosa the chance to sleep a little longer.

The babies feel so small and fragile in my arms.

How anyone could ever think of hurting them makes me sick to my stomach.

The house is eerily quiet, the fire in the hearth reduced to ash as the sun starts to rise.

I go in search of some milk to give to Holly before settling us all on the couch so I can feed Zoe.

As I stroke my daughter’s dark hair, I think about how difficult it was to raise her on my own.

The thought of having another feels overwhelming, so I can’t even imagine what Lila is feeling, being pregnant again.

It should be happy news, but how can it be when it’s likely she could be raising her children alone?

That fear must be consuming her, just like my own fears are eating away at me as I hold Zoe in my arms.

I shake my head and set my shoulders straighter. “Stop it, Clara.”

I need to snap out of this negative spiral, if not for me, then for Lila, Rosa, and the girls.

We have to believe that Marco and Andre will find a way to take care of this threat because the alternative is too heartbreaking to bear.

Everything will be okay. It just has to be.