Chapter 25 Stassi
STASSI
Iwake to soreness between my legs. My body still tingles in places only Theo knows how to touch. The sheets beside me are warm, his scent lingering on the pillow.
Theo's still asleep. That's rare.
The sheets gather at his waist, exposing his chiseled bare chest. One muscular arm is flung over his abs, the other bent near his head. His hair's a little messy.
His face is relaxed in sleep, those worry lines smoothed out, making him look younger. Almost innocent.
I suddenly remember him slipping back into bed around 4 AM. He'd mentioned having a call with Ares, something urgent about everything that's going on.
He deserves a little more sleep.
I slip out of bed carefully, trying not to wake him.
I wrap a robe around myself and tiptoe to the door, carefully turning the handle so it doesn't make a noise.
The house is eerily quiet.
Too quiet.
Usually by now, I'd hear Marlena clattering in the kitchen or humming some off-key song while making coffee. Or maybe Xander giggling over breakfast.
But there's nothing.
No sound. No movement.
I head toward the kitchen, speeding up a little.
I'm looking forward to seeing Marlena, telling her about yesterday's trip to the zoo—how Theo's eyes lit up watching Xander, how our natural family rhythm fell into place like we'd been doing this forever.
A little girl time before the day officially begins.
But the kitchen is empty. The coffee pot sits cold and unused. No breakfast prep. No Marlena bustling around in her apron. No smell of fresh bread or eggs cooking.
Strange. In all the years I've known her, Marlena's never slept in past 6 AM. She's religious about her morning routine.
I check the time: 7:15 AM.
The silence feels heavy now. I try to shake it off. Maybe she needed extra rest? She did chase Xander around last night while Theo made dinner for all of us.
I move to the coffee machine and start it, just going through the motions of brewing a pot: add water, add filter, pour in grounds, press red button.
Maybe they're outside.
That's something they've done before, an early morning walk around the garden to "check on the trees," as Xander puts it.
I pour myself a cup of coffee and step outside. The morning air is crisp, carrying the scent of olive and citrus trees. I take one slow sip, letting the warmth calm me. The garden stretches before me, and it looks so beautiful in the morning sun. I can see why Theo likes sitting out here.
It's peaceful, and it's a nice luxury to have now, especially before the day begins and we leave for Greece.
I take another sip, scanning the area.
That's when I see it.
Just past the edge of the pool. Near the outdoor grill and the shaded lounge area. Something small and orange in the dirt.
I set my cup down and walk toward it. My stomach tightens as I move closer.
I squint.
No, it can't be.
When I'm a few yards away, I know it instantly.
Xander's plastic tiger.
His new "most favoritest" toy. The one Theo got him at the zoo yesterday so he could have a tiger to protect him. The one he'd been clutching when he finally fell asleep last night.
When I get close enough, I see the toy is broken. One leg snapped off, its painted face crushed inward. It's lying at a weird angle, half-sunk into the soil like someone stomped it deliberately into the ground.
"Xander?" I call out. My pulse quickens. "Marlena?"
I spin on my heels and sprint back to the villa.
"Xander?" I shout, my voice cracking. "Xander! Marlena!"
I run inside, my pulse hammering in my ears as I race down the hallway.
"Xander!" I call again, my voice higher now, edged with panic. "Xander, baby, where are you?"
I burst into his bedroom. The dinosaur bedspread is rumpled, twisted like someone yanked it hastily aside. His pillow sits on the floor. The little nightlight shaped like a stegosaurus still glows softly in the corner.
But no Xander.
I feel the air sucked from my lungs as I stare at the space where my son should be, where his little body should be curled beneath the covers, his dark hair splayed across the pillow, mouth slightly open in sleep.
"Xander?" The word comes out choked.
I drop to my knees, checking under the bed, a stupid, desperate action. As if my three-year-old would be hiding there, playing some elaborate game of hide-and-seek at seven in the morning.
I push myself up, lungs burning as I try to catch my breath, and rush to check Marlena's room, though I already know what I'll find.
Empty. Bed made. Her reading glasses sit on the nightstand beside a half-finished novel. Her slippers are missing and so is she.
"Marlena?" My voice is shrill now. "Marlena, are you here?"
I try to think rationally. Maybe they went for breakfast? Maybe they're playing in another room? Maybe they're outside for a walk in town?
But what about the tiger?
And Marlena would never leave without telling me. She would never take Xander anywhere without my permission. Not after everything we've been through. Not after all the protocols we've established.
And Theo's security team? Where the hell are they?
I tear through the villa, opening doors, calling for both of them. Each unanswered shout chips away at the fragile calm I've tried to keep.
My chest tightens, making it hard to breathe. Black spots dance at the edges of my vision. I press my back against the wall, trying to force air into my lungs.
Not now. Don't you dare break down now.
I push myself off the wall and run toward our bedroom.
"Theo!" I yell, barging into the room. "Theo, wake up! Xander's gone. Marlena too."
Theo bolts upright like he's been shocked, groggily rubbing his eyes. "Stassi?"
I'm already starting to cry.
"They're gone, Theo. Xander. Marlena. They're not here."
He focuses on me and in an instant he's alert. Awake. "What do you mean 'gone'?" His voice is rough.
"I mean they're not here," I say, holding up my hands, "and I found Xander's tiger outside, crushed into the dirt. His bed is empty. Marlena's room is empty. The house is empty."
Theo jumps out of bed, wearing only his boxer briefs.
"Are you absolutely sure? They could be—"
"I checked everywhere," I cut him off, panic rising in my throat. "Marlena would never take him without telling me. Never."
Theo curses and grabs his phone off the nightstand. "It's okay. It's okay. I've got men posted out front. I'll call them. They probably took them for a walk without telling anyone."
He presses a button on his phone, dialing a number.
"Come on, come on," he mutters as it rings. "Pick the fuck up."
No answer.
He tries another number.
And another.
Still nothing.
With each unanswered call, dread pools deeper in my stomach.
He calls a fourth number.
Nothing.
His face pales. "They're not answering. Any of them."
My knees nearly buckle. "Your security team?"
"I don't like this," he mutters, voice turning sharp. He grabs his gun from the drawer and walks over to the window, yanking the curtain aside.
He takes a step back.
"FUCK!"
He bolts and calls back to me. "Stay here."
"Like hell I will," I snap, following him as he runs out of the room.
I follow him, heart in my throat. My limbs don't feel real anymore. I feel loose, anxiety coursing through me.
I chase after Theo as he swings open the front door and runs barefoot outside.
"Theo!" I call after him, but he doesn't slow.
He's running with focus, gun in hand, his boxer briefs the only clothing on his body. His back muscles tense with each stride as he sprints toward the black SUV parked at the end of the circular driveway, where his security team should be waiting, alert, ready to protect us.
I'm only halfway down the drive when Theo reaches the vehicle.
Then I see it.
Blood. Everywhere.
The black SUV's windshield is shattered, spider-web cracks radiating from several distinct holes. Bullet holes. The driver's side window is completely gone, just a jagged frame of glass remains. The passenger window is intact but painted crimson from the inside.
One of Theo's men is slumped forward over the steering wheel. Dark blood has pooled on the dashboard beneath his face, dripping down and out of view. His eyes are open, staring at nothing.
The other guard is pressed against the passenger window, his head at an unnatural angle, blood smeared in a grotesque streak across the glass where his body had slid down.
Bile rises in my throat. I double over, hands on my knees, fighting the urge to vomit.
"No, no, no," I whisper, squeezing my eyes shut, but the image is burned into my mind.
"Get back inside," Theo yells to me. "Now."
I frantically look around and something catches my eye. A splash of color against the greenery beside the villa.
I take a few steps before I see something that makes my world turn upside down.
A red-stained hand with a ring on it I know all too well.
"Marlena!" I scream.
I run. My legs move before my mind can process what I'm seeing.
I don't even realize I've dropped to my knees until my skin scrapes against the gravel.
Marlena lies to the right of the drive, half-concealed by one of the rosebushes.
Her silver-gray hair is matted with dirt and blood.
Her shirt is soaked in blood. Her eyes, black, stare blankly at the sky.
"No, no, no—" I yell.
This can't be happening. Not to her. Not the one woman in my life who became the family I desperately needed when I had no one. Marlena. My Marlena. The woman who knew every secret, who kept us safe, who loved Xander like her own.
I look down and see one slipper still on her foot, the other lying a few feet away.
Had she tried to run? To fight? To protect my son?
My son.
Where is my son? Have they hurt him, too?
My body starts to convulse. I can't breathe. My lungs feel like they're closing in.
This is my fault.
I should've left them hidden. Should've never come back. I brought this on her. On us.
"Xander," I sob out. My baby. My little boy.
My mind flashes through every nightmare I've ever had.
Xander taken.
Xander hurt.
Xander crying for me.
Xander alone, terrified.
Xander dead.
I see him in the bathtub, splashing water and giggling.
I see him eating ice cream, chocolate smeared across his cheek.
I see him sleeping, tiny hands clutching his stuffed dinosaur.
I see him running to me, arms outstretched, eyes bright.
I see him meeting his father for the first time, shy but curious.
This is why I left. This is why I stayed away.
I hadn't been paranoid. I'd been right. They'd found us. Whoever had been sending those pictures, those threats, they'd found us. And now they had my baby.
The ground beneath me seems to dissolve. The sky darkens.
I can't breathe. I can't think. I can't move.
Marlena's blood seeps into the fabric of my robe where I kneel, warm and sticky against my skin.
I should have listened to the warning. I should have run again. I should have never come back to Theo. I should have never let him find us.
My chest constricts, pain radiating outward.
I hear shouting. Distant. Muffled. Like I'm underwater.
Theo's voice. Calling my name. Getting closer.
But I'm falling. Falling into darkness.
The last thing I register is the feel of the ground against my cheek, the smell of earth and blood, and Theo's panicked face swimming above me, his mouth forming my name.
And then.
Blackness…