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"You're my sister. I'm never leaving you. I love you, Riley."
“You can’t tell anyone,” Riley whispers. “If he finds out I’ve told, he’ll kill my son.”
“I promise,” Morgan and I both say at the same time.
As we huddle together, a mix of fear and determination takes root within me. I've promised to stand by Riley, but with that promise comes the realization of the danger we all now face. I glance at Morgan, her eyes shining with unshed tears, and understand that this is a battle we must fight together.
We're sisters, even if not by blood. And sisters do not abandon each other.
No matter what.
Chapter Twenty
Danielle
When I return to our room, exhaustion weighs me down like a lead vest. My heart aches for Riley, for Morgan, for the tiny near-nephew I've just learned I have. Luca Morgan Taylor — a name that made my best friend weep the moment she heard it. Not only has she learned that she has a nephew out there, but he's named after her, too.
Stepping inside the suite I share with Owen, I freeze.
The room is packed up; Owen's stuff, my stuff, everything is in bags. But that isn't what has me standing there in shock. It's the man himself — Owen — standing in the middle of the room with a gun in his hand. His face is set in a grim line, his eyes burning with determination. He looks like a Marine ready for battle, and it takes my breath away.
"What's going on?" I ask, though I already have a feeling of where this is headed.
"We need to get out of here." His voice is firm but compassionate at the same time. "Dani, we need to leave. The Santoros will be here tomorrow. It's not safe." His eyes meet mine, a storm of emotions swirling in their depths — determination, ferocity, but most of all, love. "I may have broken my promise to Dixon by falling in love with you, but I won't forget my mission to keep you safe. Grab your bags. Now."
I plant my feet, my voice rising in anger.
"I'm not going anywhere, Owen. I know about the Mafia, about the Syndicate." What Syndicate? I honestly have no idea, but I can't show him a single opening because he’ll take it and turn it to his advantage. "I'm not blind, and I'm not leaving, either. You think it's as simple as just grabbing my bags and walking out that door? Maybe it is for you, but I can't go. I won't leave Riley and Morgan to face this alone. If I leave, they die, too."
Owen's resolve falters as he absorbs my words.
"Riley, too?" he asks, his voice a whisper of disbelief. "He'd kill his own bride just because you left?" Beneath his breath, I hear him whisper, "He said he loved her."
As if a monster like Michael Vertucci could know what love is.
Choosing to ignore that whisper, I nod, my resolve steeling me against the fear that claws at my heart.
"Is that why you're staying?" Owen presses, searching my face for answers. "For them? You don't need to stay, Dani. It's too dangerous. I could get you out and come back for them. That might work. Will you at least try?"
I waver. "Owen, I..."
"Is there something else keeping you here? Tell me, Dani."
I pause, a secret burning on my tongue, a secret named Luca Morgan Taylor, a secret I can't reveal.
Instead, I choose another truth, equally powerful.
"As long as we're here, away from everything else, I can pretend that what we have is real, that it won’t end. I love you, Owen. I don't want to lose you."
Owen steps forward, his determination unshaken. "I love you, Danielle. But we can't stay. It’s too dangerous. We're leaving."
His advance triggers my reflexes; I grab a coffee cup, hurl it just past his head with accuracy so pinpoint it brushes his ear. He halts, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
"Dani, what the hell are you doing? We need to go. Now."
With another cup in hand, I stand my ground.
I am resolute. Committed to the women I consider my sisters and to little Luca Morgan Taylor. I will not fail them.
