Page 24 of Their Stolen Obsession

“I don’t understand…” Gloria repeated while shaking her head, tears streaming down her face.

God. This was a fucked-up mess, but Frank was right. Everything was his doing. He had set his daughter, his own flesh and blood, down this destructive path. Liv wouldn’t have sacrificed her worth to a scumbag such as Sebastian if her father hadn’t gambled away the family fortune. Her family groomed her to believe she had to marry a man who hated everything about her and only wanted her as his trophy. To live a screwed-up life with a pig who beat her, disrespected her, and made her vulnerable for the motherfucking cartel to get their filthy hands on the most beautiful being to walk this planet. Sebastian never gave a damn if Liv lived or died, and his need to remain silent proved that.

Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!

I hated Sebastian, but I couldn’t bring myself to despise Frank, too. He cared. He gave a shit. His love for Liv matched ours.

I stared at Sin, and his pain reflected back at me. We turned our attention to the older man crouched down with his back against the wall and his head between his knees. He wept so damn hard, and we gave him thetime he needed.

Once Frank’s sobs quieted, I said, “We’ll get her back.”

Sin kneeled, towering over Liv’s father, and touched his shoulder. “No matter what we have to do, we’ll get your daughter back.”

Frank glanced up, tears streaming down his face. “Why?”

Sin stared him straight in the eyes. “Life is meaningless without Liv in this world.”

“This is absurd. I’m calling the police,” Gloria said, frustrated, and I heard the click of her purse.

I turned around to find Gloria reaching into her Louis Vuitton bag and pulling out her cellphone. I locked eyes with Mr. Valencia, and we held a mutual understanding. If she called that number, everything was over. Liv would be dead.

Frank panicked.

Mr. Valencia scrambled to get up with Sin’s help, and he confronted his wife.

Frank grabbed her phone. “No. Don’t. They are right. Liv will be in more danger if we go to the cops.”

Gloria gasped, “What has gotten into you, darling? Give me back my phone.”

Frank ignored her demand.

“Listen. The men who took Liv will kill her as soon as law enforcement gets involved,” Sin said andstared Gloria straight in her frightened eyes. “Is that what you want? Do you want your daughter to die?”

Oh, no.

Sin hit a nerve. Gloria’s fear turned into anger. The daggers in her stare pecked at him like a mother hen protecting her young.

“Excuse me? Of course, I don’t want my only child to die!” Gloria grabbed the phone from her husband and dialed the number. “How could you say such a—”

Out of instinct, I slapped the device out of her hand.

Shit.

I was dead.

“I can’t let you do that, Mrs. Valencia.” I gave her a stare full of pleading, soliciting my case. If I could, I’d drop to my damn knees to beg her to understand, but I had to be firm with her. “Please. I’m imploring you to let Mr. Cruz and I handle this. I promise you we will move hell on this fucking earth to bring your daughter back to you. I swear.”

Tears bit at my eyes. Fuck. I couldn’t help it.

“Why should we trust you?” Gloria asked as she held my intense stare, unwavering.

I got choked up, my emotions getting the best of me. “Because we love your daughter, and she’s our entire world.”

Shock blew across Gloria’s face, followed by an emotion I couldn’t recognize no matter how hard I tried to read her. She watched me pick up her cellphone from the ground, and I slowly handed it back to her.

“I don’t know what the hell Liv has got herself into, but we will do this your way,” Gloria said as she dropped the device back into her purse and took the necklace from Frank. “Here. I think you’ll need this. It was the only piece of her left. Maybe the necklace can help.”

Fuck. This stung. I was getting too fucking soft.