Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 71949 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 360(@200wpm)___ 288(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71949 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 360(@200wpm)___ 288(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
“Thank you very much, Tricia,” I say into the phone. “We’re very happy to hear this result.”
“I’m sure you are, Mr. Bellamy. We will call later to schedule a second blood test just to make sure, but a reversal of the initial test result is extremely rare. Please give your father our best wishes as he recovers.”
The line goes dead, and a tiny dart of coldness pierces the ecstasy in my heart.
My father. Rosen said they owed him a favor. That’s how they got the result in so quickly.
What the hell was he doing helping out a genetic testing lab?
It could be nothing. It probably is. He probably made some big donation to one of their charity wings. I was thinking about starting a Huntington’s research charity myself. Maybe grow a branch off Raven’s foundation. Or I’ll make a big fucking donation to one of them myself.
I don’t give a fuck about my father right now. What matters is that Daniela—the love of my life, my fiancée—is happy and healthy. Belinda is happy and healthy. My siblings are happy and healthy.
Everything worked out perfectly.
Everything is fixed.
When we pull into the long gravel drive, the blue lights from the last of the police cruisers still glow faintly through the trees. They found Dani’s car on the side of the highway, the engine still warm, but no sign of Reyes. Fine. Let the cops deal with him. A man that messed up doesn’t get far. And I already got confirmation that the vial of blood he’d been keeping—his little blackmail insurance—is gone.
No more leverage.
Again, everything fixed.
Dani turns to me as we park. “Can we see Belinda now?”
“Of course.” I squeeze her hand. “She’s been waiting for you.”
Inside, the house smells like coffee and cinnamon rolls. Safe. Home. Raven rushes to Dani, wraps her in a hug. Vinnie’s close behind, expression half relieved, half shell shocked.
Belinda’s sitting at the kitchen island, laptop open, eyes glassy. The light from the screen paints her face green.
“Bee?” Dani says softly.
Belinda doesn’t look up right away. When she finally does, her face is pale. “I found something.”
Strange that she didn’t jump up and hug Daniela. But she’s been through a lot. We have to let her settle back into her routine. Kids need that.
We gather around the computer. On the screen is a grainy night-vision video. Belinda’s voice trembles through the tiny speakers—her voice from that night outside Gwen’s house. She’s talking to someone off camera.
“Do you remember his face?” Dani asks quietly.
Belinda shakes her head. “It was too dark. But…the camera had night vision. I can see him now.”
The figure turns on-screen. The hood slips off. The image sharpens.
Dani pulls out a file photo on her phone—Diego Vega. “Is this him?”
Belinda goes still. The silence stretches thin as wire. Then, in a small, horrified voice, she says, “That’s him. That’s the man who paid for my Uber.”
The room goes silent.
My blood runs cold.
That man has nine fucking lives, like a snarling tomcat who lives in a dumpster.
Vinnie’s eyes meet mine. We don’t need words. Every alarm in both our bodies is going off at once.
Before I can even process it, my phone buzzes again. Unknown number.
Maybe it’s the testing center scheduling the second test. The number is different, but maybe they use a separate line for reception.
I step aside, answer. “Hawk Bellamy.”
The voice that greets me is rough, distorted, like it’s crawling through gravel.
“Mr. Bellamy,” it says, dark amusement curling around the syllables. “You people are persistent.”
Vinnie stiffens. His head snaps up. “Put it on speaker,” he mouths.
I do.
“Who is this?” I ask, though part of me already knows.
“You’ve been trying to reach me,” the voice says. “Tell your family to stop.”
Vinnie nods sharply and mouths, “Vega.”
“I’m sick,” Vega continues, “of you Bellamys trying to resurrect ghosts. Your sister has been especially irritating.”
I glance toward Raven. “Raven’s never done anything to you.”
A low laugh. “Wrong sister.”
My chest tightens. “What the hell does that mean?”
He chuckles again. “You’ll find out soon enough. Tell your family to leave me be. If you ever want to see Robin alive again, call them all off.”
The line clicks dead.
The room explodes into motion—Vinnie grabbing his laptop, Raven wailing, Dani clutching Belinda to her chest.
I stand there, phone still pressed to my ear, pulse pounding in my skull.
Robin.
My sister.
Vega is alive.
He has Robin.
I steady my feet.
No.
Just no.
Daniela is alive and safe. We’re getting married.
Belinda is alive and safe.
Vinnie and Raven are safe.
Eagle is recovering.
I fixed it.
Fucking fixed everything.
Except I didn’t.