Chapter 4

I took Lucia to the amusement park first.

Eight o'clock came, then nine, then half past ten. Theodore never showed up.

"Is Dad... Is Don Ricci not coming?" our daughter asked quietly.

I finally gave in and called Theodore.

"Delia?" He sounded flustered, as if he'd only just remembered us. "Something urgent came up. The deal at the port went wrong, and I can't get away. I'll send my assistant to stay with you..."

He'd broken his promise again.

The flicker of hope that had briefly sparked in me died for good.

"Don't bother," I said coldly, and hung up.

He didn't know that from that moment on, our daughter and I no longer needed him.

I crouched beside Lucia, held her close, and smoothed her hair. "Sweetheart, it's okay if he doesn't come. You've got Mommy."

Lucia nodded, as understanding as ever.

She laughed on the carousel and spread her arms wide on the swing ride, shouting with joy. Watching her, I felt my heart melt.

But something happened on our way home from the amusement park.

A black van pulled up beside us. Every instinct told me we were in danger.

I grabbed Lucia's hand, scooped her up, and ran. Then I called Theodore.

He rejected the first call.

He didn't answer the second time.

Just as I was losing hope, I spotted Theodore through the window of a brightly lit restaurant at the end of the street. He was sitting with Brynn and Amy.

It was Amy's birthday. She had her hands clasped and her eyes closed as she made a wish.

Theodore and Brynn watched her with loving smiles. They looked like a happy little family, and it hurt to see them.

So that was Theodore's emergency. Nothing had gone wrong at the port. He'd lied to me.

The call connected just as the man behind me caught up.

"Theodore, come save me and our daughter! We're in the alley right outside Eden!"

I screamed as the man grabbed Lucia's arm. "Daddy, save me and Mommy!" she cried.

But at the mention of the restaurant, Theodore's face changed.

His voice turned sharp. "Enough, Delia. I don't know how you found out where I am, but I'll let it go this time.

"Yes, I'm with Amy for her birthday, but I've already told Brynn this is the last time.

"And don't drag our daughter into your act. You'll teach her bad habits."

As the accusations kept coming, I nearly screamed. "No, Theodore! Turn around—"

He hung up on me.

I gripped my phone, my fingers ice-cold, as a wave of helplessness washed over me.

Then Theodore stood to leave. He was so close. If he'd looked back just once, he would have seen us being dragged toward the van.

But just then, Amy tugged at his sleeve, and he bent down to pick her up.

The man yanked my arm. I fought him as he dragged me toward the van, and my phone slipped from my hand.

The screen lit up with a text from Theodore.

"Be good and go home. Wait for me. I bought that amusement park for you and our daughter."

They took us to an abandoned building. Our kidnapper looked familiar, and when I got a clear look at his face, I recognized him. It was Keane, who had been Luca's sworn enemy.

"I was after Brynn and her daughter, but Theodore never leaves their side. He ignores his own wife and daughter and dotes on another man's. I never got a chance." He tapped my cheek with his pistol.

His words cut deep.

Theodore had been so busy celebrating Amy's birthday that he'd pushed our daughter and me straight into danger without even realizing it!

Lucia trembled beside me. I held her close and tried to stay calm.

"What do you want? Money? Shipping routes? I can give you anything."

He leered at me and reached for my face. "That's what I wanted at first. But now I think you'll do just fine too..."

The moment Keane touched me, gunshots rang out.

Within seconds, his men were on the ground and he was pinned down.

Before I called Theodore for help, I'd secretly twisted my ring to turn on the tiny transmitter inside.

My father's people received the signal and came at once.

The abandoned building went up in flames. I threw my wedding ring into the ruins, held my daughter close, and boarded a private jet that carried us off into the deep blue night.

My daughter and I were going to start a new life...