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It clicks then as I look at Dulce. “You left your kids with a porn star and a cowboy?” I can’t help it, I grin.
“And a crocodile.” She smiles widely.
And at that, I laugh—the first genuine laugh since this mess started.
“So, are you going to introduce us to your men or what?” Reese asks, crossing her arms.
I roll my eyes. “This is Maxim, the Bratva pakhan. Rémy, world-class assassin extraordinaire. And Calix, Santos’s brother,” I tell them with a saccharine-sweet smile. “And they’re not my men.”
I feel the pissed-off vibes coming from behind me as I focus on the shocked faces before me.
“Now, angel, you forgot to tell them I’m also your husband,” Calix drawls, throwing his arm around me.
“He’s what?” Lollie shouts just as a doctor pokes his head around the corner.
“Miss Michelakis?” The look on his face sucks the oxygen right out of the room.
“Mrs. Cirillo,” Calix corrects, but I shake him off and head to the doctor.
“What’s wrong?”
“Let’s go somewhere more private.”
I shake my head. “Just fucking tell me,” I tell him, feeling everyone draw closer.
Hands at my waist offer me warmth and comfort as the doctor dips his head and sighs. “We ran a number of tests on all the children you brought in. Two of the younger ones have extensive internal damage caused by sustained abuse. We’re repairing what we can, but neither child will ever be able to bear children of their own.”
I nod slowly, keeping my sadness masked as he continues.
“The oldest child, Lena, shows signs of giving birth, and after an examination, I determined this to be true. But when questioned, she became emotional and shut down. I’ve called a psychologist and a team of therapists down to aid the victims, but it will take time.”
“Not victims, survivors. Take me to Lena.”
“She doesn’t want to see anyone right now, but she did ask me to give you this.”
He hands me an envelope with a crudely drawn angel on the front. I turn to look at Calix, who is staring down at the envelope too. He looks up at me and offers me a nod before he steps back.
“There is something else too. When we ran all the tests, we also ran some blood tests, trying to identify the children, and we found the boy, er—” he checks his notes “—Zale, well, I believe Lena is his mother. The father shares DNA markers with Mr. Cirillo here. We tested him after we treated his gunshot wound.”
Aslanov reaches for him, but the doctor speaks up quickly, realizing his error. “He’s not the boy’s father. I’m sorry. He’s the boy’s uncle.”
“Santos is his father. Why am I not surprised?” I shake my head. “Anything else?”
“I’ll keep you updated as soon as I have anything else. Everyone is resting comfortably for now as the police work to find their parents.”
I nod and walk on leaden feet to the nearest chair and sit with the envelope in my hands.
“Let’s give Sugar some space. Come on, we can wait outside.” Lollie rounds everyone up and forces them outside. Everyone but Rémy, Calix, and Maxim.
Rémy stands near the window while Calix and Maxim flank either side of me. I want to tell them I don’t need them, but then they might hear the lie in my voice, so I don’t speak at all. Instead, I open the envelope and slide out the lined paper.
I read the letter aloud, feeling my voice shake.
Dear Angel,
I heard one of the men call you that and knew I was finally free. I prayed and prayed so hard and God finally sent me an angel just when I thought he’d forgotten about me.
I don’t know if you know this, but my name is Lena Smith. I haven’t been called that in a really long time. He calls me Sophia and I hate it. I hate him. I hate what he did to me and what he took from me, but mostly I hate myself.
