Page 85 of Little Deer
Ada’s entire demeanor changes as she stares at Sienna. Her lips tremble, her body going rigid, and her eyes widening in both shock and horror. “Mama?” Dante asks, concerned.
Ada ignores him, just stares at Sienna. “W-W-What did you say?” she whispers.
Sienna blinks, brow furrowing in confusion. She glances at Alessio whose eyes are narrowed on the older woman. Not menacingly, more thoughtful, curious even. Sienna looks back at Ada, and repeats her statement. “I guess you haven’t heard that we’re back, huh?” she jokes lightly.
“We?” Ada gasps, looking around the room. Her eyes fall on me, then Amara. Suddenly she starts talking in another language that I don’t recognize, but Dante must, because for once he looks shocked. His mouth goes slack, he takes a step back, making Sofia look at him in concern.
“Holy shit,” Dante breathes. “You. That’s the piece that was missing. That’s why he blackmailed you.”
“What did she say?” Nico demands.
Ada gets shakily to her feet, ignoring the hand Pietro offers her. She steps closer to Sienna, her eyes wet. Oh so carefully, like she’s sure that Sienna will bolt, she cups the side of Sienna’s face. Sienna stiffens, but doesn’t pull away. “I knew that you would get away but I hoped to never see you pulled back in,” Ada whispers. Then she pulls away and her gaze sweeps to Amara and then me. The tears spill down her cheeks. “I tried my best, but I failed if they found you. I am so sorry.”
“What is she talking about?” I whisper to Massimo, unease making my stomach cramp. Massimo doesn’t answer, eyes narrowed like he’s trying to fit the pieces together.
“You got us out,” Amara suddenly says softly, watching Ada. “Or you were the one to set up the network to get us out, right?”
A collective gasp fills the room. Ada looks at Amara, nodding slowly. “Bianca De Luca was suffering greatly at the hands of Giovanni. He beat her daily for not doing things the way he wanted. They came to our home one night because Giovanni wanted to talk to Gregorio about the routes and the cuts, and that left her with me in the kitchen. She was bruised and so broken, pregnant and exhausted, but also determined. She told me she found out earlier in the day the baby was a girl, and she would not allow her to suffer the same fate as her. She was working on a plan. I told her it was dangerous to be talking of such things, but she told me that she would do anything to save her daughter. Her own family abandoned her, left her to being abused instead of helping her. They wanted the connections more. At first I told her I couldn’t help her, but then she told me that she already had a plan, and had been thinking about it for just such a case. She had people in place that could help her, but she needed someone on the outside to take the baby where it needed to go. She had someone ready to take her. I thought it over, but I just kept thinking of her child being forced into such a life because of her gender. It was well known through the staff inall the family's households that the De Lucas only wanted boys. So I agreed.”
“How…How did you get me out?” Amara finally asks, her voice trembling.
“The doctor was paid off and you were given to the nurse, who gave her to Bianca’s housekeeper. She then snuck you out to me. I had to meet her at an abandoned warehouse down the road from Gregorio’s. From there, I was in charge of getting you to the next point of contact, who would get you out of the city. Out of the state.”
“And Gregorio found out,” Nico butts in. “That’s why he blackmailed you, right?”
Ada nods. “It was when I got the final baby out. I was so tired, and he had beaten me again, and…well, other things, and I wasn’t as careful. He followed me, thinking I was sneaking out to see a lover, but when he saw me with the baby and taking her to the next destination, he knew I was involved in something. He held me for days until I finally told him. He told me that I wouldn’t be helping anymore, and that I had to do what he said or he would hand me over to Leonardo and Giovanni to do with me as they pleased. He’d also kill Dante. That’s how he got me to do the books.” She looks at Amara. “Are you the youngest?”
“I’m the oldest,” Amara says with a sad smile. “I was the first one you go out. Sienna would have been a few months after me.” She looks over at me. “Lucy is the youngest out of all of us that got out. We don’t know about my other sister.” She gives her a hopeful smile. “Do you remember her? She would have been the only other daughter from Bianca.”
Ada nods slowly. “She was a very sombre baby. So quiet, while the rest of you liked to cry. She was given to a Russian woman, Anya. We tried to go through each family so that they didn’t trace back to just one. I don’t know what her final destination was after that, I am sorry.”
“That gives a new place to start,” Aurelio assures her with a warm smile. He pulls out his phone. “I’ll get our men on it with that new information.”
I look at Massimo, shocked. This woman was one of the ones to help get us out? I don’t know what I’m supposed to say about any of it, but one thing I do know is that Leonardo and Esposito won’t take her spilling any of this to us well.
Just how much danger are we about to be in?
40
MASSIMO
I thinkit’s safe to say we’re all reeling from the overload of information we just got hit with from Dante’s mother. Dante looks like he’s ready to murder his father, while also being concerned for his mother and what kind of toll that conversation will have on her. I don’t envy him that, but he has Sofia.
I don’t think any of us thought to say a word when Sofia followed him and his mother out. Or that Nico and Gia were right behind them. Gia looks stricken, like she’s not sure how to handle all the information or the fact that the woman who could have gotten her out was right in front of her. I don’t envy Nico’s position.
Especially when I’m walking with Lucy back to our room. A fact that Kida wasn’t pleased about, but Zeno just simply threw her over his shoulder once she handed the baby back to Lucy, and carted her out. Alessio and I both snickered, while the others all looked surprised. Well, other than Papa, who just looked pleased. I think the fact that we’re all ending up with womenof our own is exactly what he wants. Maybe not under these circumstances, necessarily, but he’s been harping at us for years to settle and be happy.
We’ll see how he feels about that with all the women running around and causing trouble. Then again, he might just join in. Few would look at him and know that he has a wild side to him.
“Kida is going to be so mad,” Lucy remarks with worry, but also a hint of amusement as we finally reach my room. I open the door, pulling her inside and shutting the door behind us. I have Soren in the crook of my other arm, where he’s cooing softly, and I grin down at him. Now to hope that he sleeps well when I put him down.
I have plans for his mama tonight.
“She’ll be fine,” I assure Lucy as I move to Soren in his bassinet. “Besides, it sounds like she and Zeno have some things to figure out as well.”
Lucy smirks. “I doubt that it’s going to end the way you and I did earlier. My sister doesn’t have a submissive bone in her body.” She looks up at me. “Is your brother good with dodging bullets? If he pissed her off enough, she won’t be throwing things at his head; she might shoot him.”
I chuckle. “We’re all adept at dodging them lately. Alessio especially. Nico shot at him already, and next time I don’t think he’ll purposely miss.”
