Page 47 of Between Control and Chaos
I rest a reassuring arm on his shoulder. “Don’t blame yourself.” Staring down at him, I remove my hands, sliding them into my pockets. “I interrogated the capos.”
“And?”
“Matteo was hiding something.” I meet his stare, and he raises an eyebrow.
I offer a curt nod, a silent understanding.
He’s deceased.
“Anyone else?”
“Can’t say for certain. I’ve brought Rhys back in; he’s your daughter’s new personal bodyguard.”
The color drains from Moreno’s face. “Nova needs a bodyguard, why exactly? Who has been threatening my daughter?”
“After Harper’s disappearance, I thought it might be good to protect the family. Nova isn’t mafia but like you said, she’s your daughter. If the DeLucas want to hurt us…”
“Appreciated.” Moreno’s eyes flicker and I sense his concern.
“She’s in good hands; I can assure you Rhys knows how to protect her.”
“But where are Rhys and Nova now?” Moreno asks, glancing past me. She hasn’t come to visit, and while I had hoped he wouldn’t notice, that was unlikely and foolish.
Best to rip the Band-Aid off.
“Against better judgment and my direct orders, she boarded a plane with Luca, Ashton, and the others to go get Harper.”
The monitors beep haphazardly, and a slew of nurses rush into his room to check on him.
I’m shuffled out, against Moreno’s request. “Let him stay! I demand answers!” Moreno shouts, forgetting perhaps who is in charge.
He reports to me, not the other way around.
I step out into the hallway at the insistence of the hospital staff while they check his vitals and inevitably sedate him.
Paige is going to be pissed when she finds out Nova is with Rhys in Nevada. I let Paige believe her daughter was back at the compound, trying to help with Harper’s disappearance. Since she hadn’t been home, there had been no way for her to know otherwise.
The cell phone reception in this place is horrible. I head down to the elevator, making my way into the hospital lobby to check my phone.
There are several missed texts and calls from both Rhys and Ashton. Two more texts from Jaxson Monroe.
Not a word from my son.
How odd.
I glance at the texts, briefly read through them. It’s mostly updates on the plane landing, heading to the DeLuca compound, and then my stomach drops to the ground.
It’s the text from Rhys which has me calling him, wondering what the hell happened in the past couple of hours.
Rhys: Luca is using himself as bait.
Why the fuck is my son the bait? Why didn’t Ashton or Liam offer themselves up, and what the hell plan are they thinking?
Rhys answers on the first ring.
“Tell me Luca is safe.”
“I wish I could do that, sir.”
