Brandi   “Are you sure it’s okay for me to come over?” I whisper again. “I already told you it’s fine. Mom loves company, and Papi doesn’t care what I do, as long as you’re not a boy.” She replies with a big grin. I smile shyly and nod. It’s only been a week since we became friends, but when I’m with her, I can push everything that’s happening with Colin out of my head. “Is that your house?!” she exclaims as the gate opens. My chest sinks from just looking at it. I wish I didn’t have to come here. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, preparing myself to enter that house. But today I'm not that sad because I'll be with Gianna for the next two days, where Colin can’t touch me. I will pick up some clothes and get out of here before he gets home from practice. “It’s bigger than mine; wow.” She says as the car comes to a stop.  “I’ll be right back. I’ll grab some clothes and tell my aunt I’m staying with you and your family for

GioI stand, pull my gun from my waist, and make my way over to him, grabbing him by the collar. “Woah, Woah, calm down. I thought you would be happy to see me.”He says.“Where is she?” I growl as I press the gun on his temple.“Right now?” He tilts his head to the side.“She’s probably taking a swim.”“I'm not joking. Your brains will be on my carpet if you don’t tell me where the fuck Fenice is?”“If you kill me, how will you find her?”I close my eyes and think about it for a moment. I have searched for months and turned up nothing. The best detectives couldn’t find her. Not even calling in favors from my government buddies turned up anything fruitful. So Cole is my best bet on finding her since he knows where she is.I take a deep breath, release his collar, and pull the gun from his head. I make my way behind my desk, put

GioHolding her in my arms after so long feels surreal. After months of looking, I started to think that I would never find her, or it would be when my child had grown. Well, children, since she’s having twins. I smile One child with her is a dream come true, creating life with the woman I love. I never expected she would be having twins. I am so happy I could burst. Not only do I have my woman back in my arms, but we're having not one but two babies, and Gianna is finally onboard. That part matters less to me, but I know how important it is to Fenice. I pull away and look at her as she sits before me, her belly still exposed. My heart is so whole.“Can we be together? She’s okay with it?” She whispers.“You heard her yourself, or do I need to call her back?”She shakes her head as her eyes water.“Stop crying. I am yours, and y

GioRing, ring, ringI groan at the sound of the phone ringing. I open my eyes and glance at the clock. It’s nine in the morning. It’s probably Jillian calling. I took the month off work after we arrived two days ago. I've missed the last three months taking care of her and bonding with the twins, so I want to do that over the next couple of months. I left Jillian a message to that effect, and I'm sure she's calling to chew me out now. Unfortunately for her, I'm not in the mood to get cursed at. I grab my phone about to end the call when I see Gia’s name. She rarely calls this early, so something must be up. “Hey sweetie, is something wrong?”“Everything is great. I’m getting married. My best friend is home, and I have siblings on the way. I'm so excited!"“That’s great, sweetie, but why are you calling this early?”“Oh,

ColeI rub the last of the rope on the pocket knife I always carry in my boots. Dad's people took my gun and my phone, but fortunately for me, they didn't find my knife or who knows how long I would be stuck here. My hands and legs finally free, I stand and head over to the window and peer out into the woodland growing darker with each second. Two days have passed since I've been locked in this room. The woman who knocked me out comes here once a day after nightfall to bring me food and water. I don't know what dad is planning to do to me, so I should get out of here and get help from William and Gio to get Uncle Sly out. They are probably wondering where I am, but since William told me to watch and not make trouble, I doubt they'll figure out I'm here. I head up the steps, looking for the handle, but find nothing. I run my hand over the door and feel nothing but a smooth surface. Shit, it's like I feared. It only opens from the outside, which means I'll have to