Chapter 62

ROSALIND

Blurting the truth to Cesare was a blessing and a curse. He's helping me get Miranda out of state, away from her father and the Moirai, but he's determined to interfere with my most precious relationship.

There wasn't much time to rebuild my bond with Miranda after I rescued her from Mom and Matteo. Gunther was furious that I'd taken company equipment for a side-quest instead of reporting to him after my first mission.

Miranda still saw me as a monster when I enrolled her at school and for years afterward. I'd hoped the memory of that day would fade with time, but she only built up walls.

I knew there was a chance I would be the villain of her story and hoped to abduct her without shedding blood, but so much went wrong, and I had to adapt.

Leaving Miranda behind to get molested by her father wasn't an option, considering her uncle is also a pimp. I couldn't let her fall into the same trap I did and become another sex toy.

Cesare gives Miranda's shoulder an absent pat, but his attention is fixated on me. He wants me to lay my secrets bare and expose the wounds of my past when I can't even utter the words.

Miranda isn't the only one who's built walls around her heart. Mine are a fortress of festering corpses, broken skeletons, and shame. Even if I wanted to talk, my mouth couldn't form the words.

I can't let her know she's the daughter of two monsters. I also can't allow her to know her father never died.

A tense silence falls across the back of the limo that continues as we walk through the airport. I glance around, my senses on high alert. Every face that passes could be a threat, especially if Matteo or his men have followed Cesare.

Miranda walks by my side, staring straight ahead and avoiding eye contact. I wonder what the hell Cesare could have said to her in such a short amount of time to form such a deep attachment. The loudspeakers overhead announce flight departures in a cacophony of languages that drown out those thoughts.

Matteo spent months paying me special attention, remembering the little things that made me feel special. He eroded the boundaries bit by bit until he became my entire world. Years passed before I realized what was happening was abusive, and by then it was already too late.

Up ahead are signs to the airport lockers, one of the many locations where Britt and I left items necessary for escaping the Moirai. I guide Miranda toward them, and Cesare follows, his posture also rigid.

After retrieving the bag containing our IDs, I steer Miranda to the ladies' bathroom and usher her inside.

The door closes behind us, muffling the sounds of the airport.

"I already went earlier," she says, her gaze darting to the door.

I pull her toward the bathroom sinks. "What happened between you and Cesare when I was gone?"

Her brows pull together. "What do you mean?"

"Do you remember what I taught you about grooming?"

She flinches, her features clouding with hurt. "Of course, but Cesare isn't like that."

"You've only met him twice," I reply.

"He's the best thing that ever happened to us, and you're about to mess it up."

"Explain."

"He's fun, and not an unfeeling robot. He's generous and lets me eat whatever I want. He cares more about my happiness and isn't obsessed with how I'm doing at school. When I'm with him, it's like having a cool uncle or a protective big brother, but you're like an overbearing headmistress."

My jaw tightens. Cesare gets to enjoy the luxury of being carefree when he's grown up with loving parents, older brothers, and protective bodyguards. His home is a fortress, and he has enough resources to handle the Moirai. He doesn't lose sleep worrying about Miranda's future when he can solve all his problems with money.

I inhale a deep breath and push down my frustration. Maybe he's right and I need to tell her the truth, but I can't traumatize her immediately before she starts a new school.

If she discovers I'm her mother, she'll want to know her father. One quick search in google later, she'll reach out to that sadistic bastard.

She isn't yet mature enough to handle the truth. I pause for the woman exiting a stall to wash her hands and turn on the hairdryer before turning to face Miranda.

"If I'm unfeeling, it's because I've had to make tough decisions. Decisions you're not ready to understand."

She raises her chin. "Cesare trusted me enough to tell me about the man hurting his friends."

"Men like Cesare are dangerous."

"And so are you," she spits.

I wince, the barb sinking like a dagger because she's right. "You need to understand that everything I've ever done was to keep you safe."

"But not happy." She folds her arms across her chest.

The hand dryer shuts off, plunging us both in silence. I watch the woman walk out of the bathroom before turning back to Miranda.

"The place I took you from wasn't a safe environment," I say, my voice tight. "I didn't want you to grow up the same way I did."

She rolls her eyes before glancing away. "That still doesn't explain why you'd turn down someone as good for you as Cesare."

Because he's despicable. Because he's toxic. Because he's a terrible influence on my girl. Because he makes me confront a part of me that enjoys pain and degradation.

"Cesare might be fun, but he's also reckless, and he's not above using you as a pawn."

She scoffs. "Do you think I'm stupid?"

My brow furrows. "What are you talking about?"

"He only likes me because I'm your sister and that's okay. He's completely obsessed with you."

I grimace. He's obsessed with keeping me as a plaything. He's obsessed with my threshold for pain. He's obsessed with breaking through my calm exterior and watching me squirm.

"And he's not a groomer," she adds. "Groomers try to convince their victims that they're special or something. Cesare always steers the conversation to you. He isn't even remotely interested in me."

Maybe she has a point. Cesare had suggested homeschooling Miranda, but he didn't object when I wanted to send her to Helsing Island. That's the opposite of what happened to me.

When Mom signed me up for a boarding school, Matteo refused, wanting to keep me close. The only time he agreed to send me away was after the c-section, when I was no longer his type.

None of this matters because Cesare won't live long enough to pose any kind of threat.

A stall door opens, and Britt walks out, making Miranda scowl. "I'm going to wait outside with Cesare."

"Don't." I reach for her shoulder, but she shrugs me off and walks to the door.

"Let me get her." Britt rushes toward Miranda

I grab her wrist. "Let her go."

Britt scowls. "You're not seriously going to leave her alone with that psychopath?"

"She'll be safe for a few minutes," I mutter, my gaze scanning my best friend's thinner form. "Are you on medical leave?"

"Everyone's slacking off while Dr. Daniel's on vacation," she replies with a shrug.

For the first time since leaving captivity, I smile. Not returning to the Moirai means not submitting to the medical procedures I promised Dr. Daniel in exchange for giving me clearance to rescue Miranda.

I pull Britt in for a hug. "It's good to see you, but you can't stay."

"Is the rest of the team still alive?" she asks. "Gunther's telling everyone they got demoted to the catacombs to supervise waste disposal."

"Axel is dead, and the rest are still in a dungeon." I pull back from the hug and place both hands on her shoulders. "Don't return to HQ."

"Something happening?" She cocks her head.

"The Montesano brothers are holding an entire team hostage, and all Gunther has given them in return is a ceasefire."

Her lip curls with disgust. "The firm doesn't give a shit."

"Everyone is disposable," I reply. "It's time for that plan you had to leave and never return."

"What will you do?"

"When Miranda is safe, I'll take care of Cesare."