“And get this place raided?”Nova stands and huffs.“You could get all of us killed!”
The closet door swings open unannounced, and Dante stares at the two of us having our little secretive meeting.
How much did he hear?I know better than to ask, but it weighs heavily on me.
“Nothing goes unnoticed under my roof,” Dante says, his voice chill as he gestures for us to exit the closet.
Nova hurries past me, knowing not to upset the don.
I take my time, stopping at the entrance to the hallway, and stare into his icy cold gaze.“I may be forced to work for you, but I’ll never trust you,” I seethe.
Dante doesn’t so much as flinch.“I can live with your hatred, son.I’ve done so for years.Your fiancée will be home any minute.Might I suggest you focus onthatinstead of whatever else you two were scheming.”
I huff under my breath and brush past him, stepping out into the hallway.
At least he doesn’t know what we were discussing.If he did, he’d probably throw me down into the prison cell with that child.
I ignore Dante, stalking down the hallway.Nova already hurried off, probably keeping out of my father’s way.I don’t blame her, she’s smart.Besides, she’s still living under his roof until graduation in a few weeks.
He digs into his jacket pocket, retrieving his phone, and glances at the screen.I can tell he’s tracking Mom with his app, and I roll my eyes, heading for the kitchen.
I’ve barely had anything to eat today, my stomach doing somersaults after last night, but maybe a cup of coffee will at least keep the impending headache at bay.
I know my way around the kitchen, and while they have a personal chef, I prefer to do things on my own, my own way.
A few minutes later, I hear the commotion from the hallway as Mom and Harper join us back inside the compound.
I breathe a sigh of relief, not because I worried Mom would do anything to Harper, but Moreno was with them.The coffee is just about ready, but it’ll have to wait.I hurry to check on Harper, wrapping my arms instantly around her waist.
She leans into my embrace, exhaling softly like she’d been holding her breath the entire day.I know better than to ask if she’s doing okay.She begins to unbutton her coat, and I pause my hands over hers.“How about we take a walk?”I suggest, wanting the cover of privacy to talk.
“Oh, okay.”Harper nods agreeably, and I slip on my coat and shoes, accompanying her out the back door into the yard.While there are cameras outside, they don’t pick up on any sound.
I hold her hand as we walk, unwilling to let her go.I need to feel her to know that she’s truly safe.
“How’d lunch and the spa with Mom go?”I ask.
“We only did lunch,” Harper says.A heavy breath of air rushes out of her lungs.
“That well, huh?”I can sense her frustration.
We walk alongside one another through the yard and into the forest, where it at least feels peaceful.I know it’s anything but that—last night she was running through here trying to escape with the child.
“Your mom seems nice, but I don’t know—Moreno was with us the entire time.It definitely felt like he was there to make sure I didn’t say anything to your mom about last night.”
I tug her hand and stop walking.“I’m sure Mom knew what was going on.”
Harper stares at me, confused.“How?”
“He probably told her,” I say.“There’s no way that she didn’t hear the gunshot last night or the men storming the compound.Nova woke up, they had a guard outside her door.”
“Oh,” Harper whispers, her eyes wide.“Do you think—was it a test?”Her cheeks burn, and I can only hope that if it was, she passed it.
“Tell me what happened.”
She recounts to me the events of the lunch, how my mother asked about us.None of it seems suspicious until she admits that Mom came to check on her in the bathroom when she couldn’t eat lunch.
“I swear I didn’t mention the little boy,” Harper whispers.“I almost did, but I thought better of it.”
