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“She has enough slack to get to the bathroom. She’ll be fed and watered, which is more than I can say for the victims of your family’s sick trade.” I click the button to lock my phone and slide it back into my pocket.
“I want to talk to her,” Lorenzo demands.
I scoff. “No way.”
“That could be hours old. I need to know she’s…” His throat bobs as he swallows. “I need to know she’s alive.” The last word is a harsh whisper.
“You’ll have to take my word for it.”
“You sneaky little cunt.” He steps closer, towering over me, all trembling rage. “If you don’t let me talk to my wife, I will cut off your face and wear it like a fucking mask to check in with whoever has her. Let me speak to her right now or we do fuck all to help you and you will never find the man you’re looking for.”
He’s right. I have nothing to go on without their help. Three years of nonstop searching has brought me nothing. And so what if he speaks to her? It’s not like she has any idea where she is.
I run my tongue along my top teeth. “I’ll let you talk to her when you give me the name and tell me where I can find him. Once he’s dead, you’ll get her back, completely unharmed.”
“We don’t know who this man is you’re looking for, but I will use every single resource at my disposal to find him. Now let me fucking talk to her or you get nothing. I will tear out your fucking heart right now and then I will find your friend and I’ll make her pray for a death that will never come.”
I eye him warily. Phoenix won’t survive long if I don’t walk out of this church, and I can’t take that risk. I can’t let her lose her chance at a happy life because of my scheming. I don’t care what happens to me after, but I owe it to my mom and Phoenix to find the man responsible first.
“You’ll give me whatever resources I need to find him?”
“Yes.”
I suck on my lip. Dammit! “You have one minute.”
Phoenix picks up after two rings, but she doesn’t speak, as per my instructions. “It’s me. Put her on the phone.”
“The Moretti bitch?”
“Yeah.”
“But—”
“Just do it.”
She huffs in response, but Mia’s soft tone fills my ear a few seconds later. “H-hello.” Her tremulous fear calls to my own, and fingers of that terror I’ve been battling every day of my life crawl up my spine. Warriors don’t escape fear.
Guilt takes hold of my throat, but I bat it away. She’s safe. And even if the Morettis refuse to do what they’re told, I will make sure her baby stays safe. They just don’t need to know that. “I have someone who wants to talk to you.”
I pass Lorenzo my phone, and he grabs onto it like it’s a lifeline. “Tesoro.” His voice cracks, and I can hear her crying. He steps away so I can only hear his side of the conversation. “Are you hurt? Is the baby okay?”
A few seconds pass before he speaks again. “No one will hurt you, sunshine. I promise I’ll have you home soon.”
I walk over to him and motion for him to pass me the phone. “That’s enough.”
He glares at me, but he knows the rules of this game we play all too well. “I love you, tesoro. You are everything to me.”
There are tears in his eyes when he hands me back the phone, and I pity him for one brief moment, but the momentary lapse in judgment fades just as quickly as it came. How much pity did he have for the countless women and children he and his family sold into slavery?
Mia is sobbing quietly when I put the phone back to my ear. “Put my friend back on.”
I walk far enough away to speak with Phoenix privately but keep my eyes on the three men. “Hey,” Phoenix says a second later.
“She’s pregnant.”
“So?” she snaps back at me.
“We don’t hurt kids, Nix. That makes us no better than them. Just take care of her. Okay?”
