“Oh, thank God.”
“Trust me, he wasn’t involved in this.” God had forsaken me a long time ago. I couldn’t even blame him.
“How is Luciano? Is he injured?”
“I haven’t had a chance to examine him yet. We were pressed for time.” Hearing Amelia’s shuddering intake of breath, I added, “But on first glance, I didn’t see any obvious injuries. He’s traumatized, though.”
“Of course he is,” she whispered. “Thank you. I’ll wait for you.”
I hung up and focused on the street. It was fairly crowded for this time of night, even by LA standards. I turned on the radio, where a local radio station issued a warning to stay away from the Port area due to a chimp attack. I turned it off again. A small sob sounded in the back of the car.
“You’re safe now,” I said. “I’m taking you to your sister, Amelia.”
His sobs quieted, and he stopped breathing. I glanced over my shoulder, but only his nose peeked out between the fur. What he’d experienced would leave scars, but at least he’d been spared a worse fate. “No need to stop breathing. I already know you’re there. I put you in the back seat myself.”
I focused back on the street when the boy sucked in a shaky breath.
I felt strangely at peace that I had saved this boy. It almost felt as if I had saved a very tiny part of myself, too.
Ifelt almost sick with nerves when an unfamiliar black limousine pulled up in the driveway of the mansion. The hole in the front window from a bullet only increased my anxiety. My imagination had run wild in the past few hours. I would have never forgiven myself if Luciano had died because I couldn’t convince Nestore to exchange my father. And what if something happened to Nestore? Maybe his soldiers considered him invincible, almost inhuman, but I knew he wasn’t, and the thought of losing him forever… I didn’t allow myself to finish that thought.
I rushed outside but froze on the staircase when the door opened. Nestore emerged bare-chested, the disturbing bone knife tucked into his belt, and his bone crown atop his head. Relief washed over me. He was back.
I could only imagine what Corvin and the others felt when they saw Nestore. He was an unsettling sight. I hoped he’d made them suffer, but knowing him, I didn’t have a doubt. The blood covering the blade only affirmed my hopes.
Nestore briefly gazed up to me, his expression hard and focused, before he turned to the back and opened the door. He bent down and straightened with his fur coat pressed to his chest.
I stumbled down the stairs. “Where’s Luciano?” What if Nestore had lied? What if my brother had died and he wanted to tell me the bad news in person?
My vision turned black at the edges as my heart pounded in my chest, an erratic rhythm that almost made me pass out.
“Here,” Nestore said calmly as he moved toward me. That was when I noticed a small nose peeking out between the fur.
“Is he okay?” I rushed toward him, then hesitated. What if he were seriously injured?
“I covered him in my coat so he wouldn’t see what was going on.”
I reached for the soft fur, then peeled it away until Luciano’s pale, tear-streaked face came into view. His eyes were squeezed shut, and he had a bruise on his cheek that was turning a dark purple. My heart clenched when I saw the leather collar around his neck and the leash attached to it. “I hope they suffered,” I whispered.
“The chimps had fun.”
My eyes grew wide with realization, then I gave a small appreciative nod. I touched Luciano’s unblemished cheek. “Luciano, it’s me, Amelia. You’re safe now. I’ll take care of you.”
His eyelids peeled up, and he looked up at me with bloodshot, glassy blue eyes. His face scrunched up, and he reached for me. I picked him up, careful not to tug on the leash or collar.
He pressed against me, his tiny arms practically crushing my neck as he sobbed against my shoulder.
Tears sprang into my eyes as I held him tightly. “Can you?” I nodded toward the leash. Nestore reached for the collar, and Luciano stiffened.
“It’s okay. Nestore will free you of that thing around your throat.”
When the collar finally came off, his bruised neck became visible. His skin was red and scraped. I kissed the top of his head. “Where’s Mommy?”
I sent Nestore a helpless look.
“She’s on a private jet on her way here. She’ll arrive in about two hours.”
“Did you hear? Your mommy will be here soon. Until then, let’s get you inside and clean you up.” The stench of urine and feces told me nobody had bothered to help Luciano when he needed to relieve himself. He still needed diapers, so of course, he’d sullied himself.
