Page 10 of Luna
Because I’m not safe in this house.
I wish I could take my younger brothers with me, but I think they’ll be safe with Fabian. His disdain for them has all but disappeared over the last few years. He seems to genuinely like them—if not care for them.
It’s just me he hates.
We reach the room Christian and I share—shared—and the men release me.
“Phone?” one of them asks, and I look up for the first time. I realize I know both of them—Andres and Jalen. They both worked for Papa for years.
The looks on their faces are sympathetic, and I wonder if they’ll help me.
“Whatever you’re thinking—forget it,” Jalen says softly. “We answer to your brother now, and his are the only orders we follow.”
I nod, pulling my phone out of my pocket and handing it over. “Of course.”
Andres makes a face. “I’m sorry, kid. This isn’t fair to you, and I know it’s not what your father would’ve wanted.”
“No, it’s not, but he raised me to be a strong woman. I’ll get through this just like he taught me.” I hesitate. “Thank you.”
Without another word, I step into the room. Christian’s earthy sage and sandalwood scent hits me like a brick wall, and I find myself fighting tears once again.
Fuck.
I don’t know if I can do this.
I close my eyes and take a deep breath.
I don’t have a choice but to do this.
A few tears slip down my cheeks, but I ignore them as I open my eyes. They land on my laptop, an idea already forming.
I might not have my phone, but that doesn’t mean I can’t contact the two people I need to get me out of this.
Sebastian is a beta who is great at forgeries—including creating new identities, which I’ll need. The easiest way to reach him is on the dark web, and thank goodness for Aurora—or should I say Lark—I know how to navigate it well enough to contact him, and to send her a message.
Sebastian can give me a new name, but Lark can help me disappear.
CHAPTER FIVE
Mariana
Istare at the clock on my bedside table. As soon as it reads 3:00, I pick up my bag and move toward the door.
It’s locked from the outside, but Papa taught me how to pick a lock when I was five years old. Within seconds, it’s unlocked, and I pull it open.
A quick glance down the hallway reveals that it’s empty. Fabian wouldn’t waste guards on me when he can just lock me in my room. There will be guards on the ground, but I know how to slip past them. Especially since there’s a shift change happening right now.
Instead of heading for the main staircase, I turn in the opposite direction. I turn down the next hallway and hurry to the wall at the end. Finding the switch is easy, as I’ve used this entrance more than once.
While Mama and Papa didn’t require our household staff to use the servant’s staircases, the house came with them.
Fabian, on the other hand, forces them to use them.
Fucking prick.
I should just be glad Papa didn’t have them walled up after he caught me using them to sneak into Christian’s room when I was a teenager.
Slipping into the dark, I pull the false wall shut behind me and take a moment as grief rushes through me.
