Chapter 26

The ride back to the house was quiet. I could tell both men had something on their minds, but they didn’t tell me what it was. I didn’t ask because it felt wrong. The air was thick with anxiety and I think I was almost afraid if I questioned it, they’d tell me the truth. Whatever the truth is, I’m not sure I want to know about it. As soon as we walk into the house, Drake says, “Sit,” while pointing at the sectional. I take a seat and wait while the wheels in my head keep turning, and it finally hits me.

They’ve had their fill. Both men are done with me and want me to leave. This is what I wanted, right? Why is the lump in my throat growing? Why am I ready to cry when I never wanted either of these men to begin with?

I shake my head, trying to keep my emotions at bay. “You don’t have to say anything. I’ll go.”

Drake folds his arms over his chest as he narrows his gaze at me. “What?”

I wipe a tear that breaks free. “We don’t need to have a conversation. You’re done. I’ll go.”

He chuckles with amusement, “You aren’t going anywhere, Pretty Girl. We are nowhere near done with you, but we need to have a conversation. It’s going to be hard to hear, but it’s necessary.”

Dante kneels in front of me, “Sunshine. Your parents aren’t your parents.”

“What?” I ask because I heard the words he said, but they make little sense to me, so I’m sure I’ve misheard him.

“They aren’t your biological parents,” Drake clarifies.

I laugh because for years I fantasized I had been adopted and my real parents were looking for me. Reality eventually squashed the fantasy, just like it does with all fantasies. I hadn’t been adopted and nobody that loved me fiercely was looking for me.

I glance at Dante first and then Drake; both expressions show concern but I still don’t understand what they’re trying to say.

“What are you talking about?”

Drake says, “Bebe kidnapped you when you were a baby. Those assholes are not your family.”

I gasp loudly before asking, “They kidnapped us?”

Dante squeezes my hand gently. “No, Sunshine. Just you. She isn’t your sister.”

Drake approaches us and says, “It’s time to go see them. They will answer every single question you have.”

Pushing away from Dante, I rise from my seat, “I am not going to my parent’s house.”

Both brothers grab one of my hands as Drake says, “No. We are going to our warehouse, where they are being held.”

My eyes snap to his. “You kidnapped them?”

He chuckles like I told a funny joke, “After what they’ve done to you, they are lucky to be still breathing. Although, the only reason they aren’t dead is so that you can get the answers you need.”

What game are these two playing? This can’t possibly be true. My family hates me. Indeed, had they kidnapped me they would’ve returned me because none of them can stand the sight of me. Their hatred for me runs so deep that I’m sure if this were true I w, would’ve been back with my biological family within years.

“Is this a cruel joke?”

I don’t get a response from either brother. Instead, I’m pulled out of the house and back to the car. I sit in the back with a man on each side of me. Drake grabs my leg, but I glare at him. “Don’t fucking touch me.”

Much to my surprise, he listened and removed his hand from my leg. “For now, Pretty Girl. For now, I’ll let you be in charge. Just don’t get used to it because you’re mine. I have no intention of not touching my property.”

I roll my eyes at him, “People are not possessions, Drake. You don’t own me. Neither of you do.”

He grips my chin tight and watches me with apparent interest. “Pretty Girl, I will possess you. Every part of you won’t be able to exist without us. I’ll be sure of it. We own you, Natalia. One day soon, you’ll be thankful for that fact.”

“I hate you,” I whisper. I want to hurt him, but it only makes him laugh.

“You want to, baby. You’ve tried, but you can’t because nobody gives you everything you need like I do. No other man can feel your pain. No other man knows how to take that pain away. Both my brother and I can give you everything you’ve never even known that you needed.”

I struggle out of his grip, and he allows it as I turn away from him. “You’re such an asshole.”

My emotions are all over the place. With every second that we drive, it gets harder to breathe. I’m pissed at them both, but I’m not sure why. Because they blackmailed me into this bizarre situation? Maybe because they are lying to me about my family? Perhaps it’s the false hope that I’ll finally get the answer to the biggest question of my life.

Why does my family hate me so much?

Your blood is supposed to love you simply because you share blood. It”s not complicated. There”s no doubt about it. It just is. For my entire life, I’ve never fit. It’s like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. I’m the square peg. The one piece that doesn’t belong. I once read that the need for belonging is the reason cults are born. Because everybody wants to find that place where they are accepted for who they are. They want to find their people. Giada is the closest I’ve ever found. She loves me despite all my flaws, and there are many. Now that she’s married, it’s different. It’ll probably change even more after she’s a mother. I’m happy for her. I’m just really unhappy for myself. Of course, I want all the good things for my best friend. Is it too much to ask to have a little positive thrown my way too? Yeah, I’m sulking. I need to snap out of this and deal with the issue at hand. My family.

I still can’t wrap my head around what these two jerks could gain by lying to me about this. What is it they’re after? Maybe they want to hurt me by hurting my family? That thought causes bile to rise in my throat, but it’s the only thing that makes any sense to me. It’s more sensible than the alternative that they are telling the truth.

Stop it Natalia. They are liars. If it’s unbelievable, it’s because it’s fiction.