Page 73 of Cruel Secrets

Gia digs the heels of her hands into her eyes. “There’s no way that this is happening right now. Me and Bianca were never supposed to be pulled into this shit show, and now we’re even deeper into another fucking mess!”

Bianca starts crying and I pull her out of the car, holding her close. She thrashes against me, tears streaming down her red cheeks as she looks for Gia.

“Come here.” Gia reaches for our daughter, holding her close and rocking her. “Everything is going to be fine, Bia bean. We’re going to get through this, and then we’re going to get you a nice house with a big backyard where your uncle is never going to be able to find you.”

Skyla nods, wiping some of Bianca’s tears. “We’ve got this figured out. We’ve been preparing for scenarios like this for months.”

“I’m glad you guys have been preparing,” Gia says, venom in her voice as she hits full mama bear mode, carrying Bianca around in a small circle, trying to soothe her back to sleep. “That doesn’t help me, though. We weren’t supposed to be part of this. We were supposed to be working on our paintings and moving on with our lives.”

I move closer to her, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her in tight before she can wriggle away from me. My lips brush against the shell of her ear. “Everything is going to be fine. I’m going to take care of everything. We just have to work together, alright? I promise that we’re going to be fine.”

A tear rolls down Gia’s cheek. “You can’t promise that.”

“I know, but I told you that I’m going to do whatever it takes to keep you and Bianca safe, and I mean that. No matter the cost, I’m going to take care of you two.”

Skyla hums and looks out at the road, dipping her head. “I think we’re going to have company soon. That car has circled twice and if I’m right, it’s on its way back.”

Gia’s breath catches in her throat as she leans into me, Bianca’s crying finally stopping. “What do we do now?”

The car passes by again, slowing more as Skyla steps away from us. “We’re going to switch cars. The three of you are going to get in mine.”

I nod, switching keys with her. “We’re going to continue to a house in Ontario. You’ll be following us there?”

Skyla nods. “I’ll hang back and keep everyone else at a distance if they start to catch up. You should be able to get across the border without a problem at the very least.”

Gia hands me Bianca. “Hold her while I move the seat over.”

She makes quick work of the seat while I rock Bianca back and forth, trying to lull her back to sleep. She’s missed all of her naps today, so she should be ready to sleep, but when her little hands curl into fists, I know she’s trying her hardest to fight it.

“It’s okay, baby girl. Just go to sleep. Mom and Dad have this.” I keep my voice soft and soothing, glaring at Skyla when she stares at me. “What?”

“I didn’t think I was ever going to see the day when you had kids.”

“And?”

My heart speeds up as she shrugs. I wish that there was a single person in my life who would’ve pictured me settling down and having a family, but I didn’t even think about that kind of future for myself.

I was born to kill and that’s what I’m good at.

Skyla smiles and wiggles her fingers at Bianca. “You make a good dad. I can see how much you love her.”

Beaming, I settle Bianca into her car seat when Gia steps away from the car.

As soon as Bianca is secure, I shut the door. “Okay, that car is doing another lap. They shouldn’t be able to see us from this distance, but we need to get out of here now.”

Skyla nods, getting the address from Gia. My sister heads to one car while me and Gia get in the other.

Gia runs her fingers through her hair, her breath coming in short bursts as she props her feet on the edge of the seat and pulls her knees to her chest. “You know, I used to be steady in an emergency. I didn’t panic like this before I had Bianca.”

“Well, now there’s someone else to worry about. Someone you love more than life itself.” I reach out and take her hand, squeezing it tight before letting go and starting the car. “I know how terrifying this is, but you need to get it together.”

Well, there’s that look that could kill again.

Gia scoffs and shakes her head, shoving my hand away from her as Bianca starts another round of tears and whimpers in the back. “I can’t believe you just said that to me!”

I grip the wheel tighter, shifting the car into gear and driving out of the parking lot like I’m nothing more than another diner leaving for the night. “Look, panicking isn’t going to do any good, and you sitting there and worrying is only going to make it harder to think.”

“Yeah, sure. Sorry. This is hard for you. I forgot that.” She crosses her arms over her chest, glaring out the window. “I need time to process this, Royce.”

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