A hand wraps around my hair and gently gathers it together before pushing it to lay over my left shoulder. Goose bumps cover my body when I feel lips on my right ear. “You look lost.”
My eyes fall closed at the familiar voice, and I swallow the knot in my throat. “Matteo.” I whisper his name.
“Where is your King?” he asks, the hard object pressed to my back, digging into my spine through my shirt. It’s a gun. I know it.
Refusing to answer, I stay quiet. I will not give him the satisfaction of knowing where Dillan is. He’ll have to do the work himself to figure that out. But we both know he’s only one of two places—Kingdom or Glass. That’s all he cares about.
“So it seems he’s trained you well.” He chuckles. “A perfect little puppet.”
I spin around and slam my fists into his chest. His hand comes up, wrapping around my throat so tight it cuts my air off. I grip his forearm, trying to twist his skin to force him to let go, but it’s useless. I start clawing at his face, listening to him laugh while I manage to tear his skin. I’ll never beat him, but I’ll go down fighting.
Within seconds, my body starts to convulse, begging for air, and my arms fall to my side, unable to hold them up anymore. He watches my lips part as I try to breathe but get nothing. He lowers the gun to his side, and he smiles at me, so cruel it makes my blood run cold. Tears blur my vision, and just when I think he can’t hurt me, he says the one thing that terrifies me.
“It’s okay, Mia. Father no longer cares about his Kingdom. He has decided on another way you can earn the Bianchi name.”
My eyes grow heavy. My tense body relaxes, accepting its fate, and I welcome the darkness. It’s better than the alternative.
His chuckle is the last thing I hear before everything goes black.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
BONES
I’M INSIDE THE meat locker, letting out my anger on a man who has been skimming money from us when the door opens, and Titan enters.
He props his back against the door, crossing his tatted arms over his chest. “What do you want?” I ask before punching the guy in the face.
Fuck, I’m in a horrible mood right now.
“I’ll wait,” he answers.
I punch the guy again, and he falls out of the chair. I chose not to tie him down. I’m in for the fight right now. I reach down and grab his shirt, yanking him to his feet and slamming his back into the wall. I go to hit him again, but he ducks, making my fist hit the wall. “Fuck,” I hiss, and the guy shoves me back.
I hit the desk. Thankfully, it’s bolted down, and as he runs for me, I lift my foot. My boot connects with his chest, knocking him off his feet. I yank him up and grip the back of his hair, slamming his face into the desk over and over until his body goes slack.
Letting go of him, he falls to the floor, knocked out. I turn to face Titan, fisting my hand that hit the wall, trying to gauge if it’s broken. “What?” I snap.
“Turner called me. Guess who was at the Airport?”
“I don’t know.” I sigh, not wanting to play this damn game. “Who the hell was it?”
“Matteo.”
I frown. “Why the fuck would he be there?” I ask. Luca would be seen there, but not the others. They’re too uptight for that environment. They’re too good for the Mason brothers and the Airport.
He shrugs. “Turner said he was there watching a poker game but didn’t stay long. Left after he got a phone call.”
Someone knocks on the door, and Titan moves away to open it. Cross enters and looks at the passed-out guy on the floor. “You’re not answering your cell.” His eyes come to meet mine.
“I’ve been busy.” I shut it off and left it in my car after I left the hospital. I didn’t want to take the chance of Mia calling me and begging me to let her stay. I won’t be able to walk away from her again. I’ve already done it twice.
“Haven called me. She said she’s been trying to get ahold of you.” Cross goes on.
“Is Luca okay?” Titan is the one who asks.
“Yeah,” he answers but keeps his eyes on mine. “They can’t find Mia.”
I stiffen. “What do you mean they can’t find Mia? She’s with Nite.” That’s the only reason I left her there was because Luca said he wanted her to go with him.
Cross shakes his head. “Nite arrived at the hospital, and she’s nowhere to be found. Luca immediately called Dr. Lane, and they were going to check the security cameras—”