Page 51 of Kingpin's Secret Baby

I grit my teeth, forcing the nausea down as I strain against the restraints. “I don’t give a damn about your fairy tale, Crowe. Where’s Fantasia?”

Desmond's expression softens into something like pity. “Gone,” he says simply.

“Bullshit.”

The chair creaks as I jerk against my bindings, my pulse hammering. “What did you do to her?”

Desmond holds up a hand, his voice calm but firm. “Nothing. She left of her own free will when I gave her the chance.”

I don’t believe him. I won’t. “You expect me to believe that?”

“It's the truth.” He crosses his arms, looking down at me. “I let her go. Told the Ashwoods she must’ve died in the explosion. They've no reason to hunt her anymore.”

I strain against the ropes again, ignoring the way they bite into my skin. “Then let me go after her.”

“Why?” Desmond demands, his voice hardening. “So you can chase after a woman who clearly doesn't want to be found? Who ran at the first opportunity?”

“You don't know what you're talking about,” I snarl.

She wouldn’t-

But the words die in my throat.

Because wouldn’t she?

She’s been pushing me away since the day we landed in this country. Holding me at arm’s length even when she was in my arms. And now, when she finally had the chance.

“Don't I?” He crouches in front of me, his eyes - my eyes - searching my face. “She's gone, Piers. Made her choice. And now it's time for you to make yours.”

I go still, watching him warily.

“Your place is with us now. With your real family.” Desmond's voice drops, becoming almost gentle. “In Ireland. Where you should’ve been all along, if our mother hadn't given you up.”

Real family.The words taste bitter.

What kind of mother gives up her baby?

I spent my whole life wondering about her- if she ever thought about me, if she regretted it, if she even remembered I existed. And now, after all these years, I finally have a name, a connection, a so-calledreal family- and I feel nothing but anger.

Because the only family I ever had was the one I chose. The one I bled for. The one that turned on me.

And yet, I can’t let her go.

Because Fantasia is out there somewhere. Alone. Probably scared, definitely hurting. And no matter what Desmond says, no matter what choice she made in that burning forest, I know one thing with absolute certainty:

I will find her again.

I always do.

I wrench against the ropes again, my teeth bared. “Let me go,” I snap. “I’m going after her.”

Desmond sighs, shaking his head. “You have to let her go, Piers. She made her choice. There’s no point pining after a woman who doesn’t want to be found.”

My jaw clenches so tight it aches.He’s wrong. He has to be.

Desmond lifts a hand in a calm-down gesture, his gaze steady. “Now calm down… no one's going to hurt you.”

I glare at him, chest heaving. “Then why the fuck am I tied up?”

---