There was a sudden knock on the door, and he pushed me away, striding across the room to open it. I grasped my wrist, the shooting pain causing bile to rise in my throat. It was broken, meaning I was down to one working hand and no guns.
I had failed.
“Phone for you, Don,” the guard replied, holding out a cell phone to father.
“What?” he barked, his eyes on me.
“It’s Adrian.”
My heart dropped. Lucas…
“That fucker better have some good news.” Father turned to me. “Shall we hear what happened to your precious Lucas Valentino?”
I stared back at him, my hands balled into fists to hide how much they shook. Father pressed the speakerphone button and barked. “Where are they?”
But instead of Adrian, it was Lucas’ voice that came on the phone. “Hey asshole.”
I had to grab the back of the chair to keep from falling to the floor. Lucas was still alive. I didn’t know what condition he was in, but he was alive. He had Adrian’s phone! We still have a chance.
“Valentino,” father’s fury was palpable. “Where is my partner?”
“Dead. And I have what you want.”
Nico’s head raised just slightly, and I gave him a small shake of mine to keep him from reacting.
“And what do I want?”
“Your legacy,” Lucas replied. “I’m sending you picture proof right now.”
Father’s phone beeped and he swore when he looked down on the screen.
“I want to talk, Carmine,” Lucas said. “Don to Don.”
“A lion doesn’t concern himself with the opinion of sheep.” Father replied.
“Then you will never get your hands on the children,” Lucas replied. “Like I said. I want to talk. I’ll be there in an hour. And if anything happens to Leda or Nico before I arrive. I will kill you.”
Father laughed—a deep, hearty laugh that had no trace of humor in it. “You got balls, boy. I’ll give you that. Fine. One hour. If you’re late, I start taking body parts. Starting with your welp growing in my daughter’s belly.”
The guard approached me and with my wrist injured, I was unable to resist as he forced me into the chair next to Nico, winding a length of rope around my midsection.
“Are you all right?” Nico murmured, keeping his head down.
“I’m fine,” I told him, laying my broken wrist in my lap. “Nico. Your eye.”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” he interrupted with a shake of his head. “We are going to get through this, Leda. We are going to win.”
Were we? I had come in with the thought that I might beat my father, but after seeing what he had done to Nico, I wasn’t so sure.
I had no way to protect myself.
No way to protect my baby.
In silence, we waited. Minutes stretched like hours, and every moment reminded me of just how powerless we were in front of our father.