CHAPTER 16
MIA
The mansion was silent as I finished getting dressed. I was supposed to meet Laura today to reassure her that I was okay, but the rain outside changed my plans. So instead of going anywhere, I’d be staying in—with a cozy bed, a bowl of popcorn, and a lineup of rom-coms to keep me company.
Zane had gone out to take care of something, and I was getting ready to go for a walk. The one good thing about people knowing I was back was the ability to go outside without hiding or worrying about running into anyone.
The black hoodie slipped over my skin like a whisper, and my fingers trembled slightly as I adjusted the fabric. I wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was the uneasiness growing inside me, the nagging feeling that something was wrong. I tugged at the hem of my flannel shorts, but the discomfort wasn’t in the clothes—it was in me.
And then I felt it.
The presence.
Cold. Imposing.
I turned around slowly, and my stomach sank.
Nico Riviera stood in the bedroom doorway as if the world belonged to him.
I didn’t scream. I didn’t move. It wouldn’t have done any good.
He closed the door with a soft click, and every cell in my body stiffened.
“Time passes,” he murmured, his eyes darting around the room before locking onto me. “But you're still the same.”
My mouth went dry. “What do you want?”
“I want to talk.”
“We have nothing to talk about.”
He smiled, a thin, calculated smile. “I disagree.”
I instinctively took a step back, but there was nowhere to go.
His lips curled into something that wasn’t quite a smile. "Interesting answer, considering one of my most skilled spies turned up dead. Along with several other men. All of whom, coincidentally, had a hand in your… care, once upon a time."
A chill ran down my spine.
"I had nothing to do with that," I forced out, my voice barely above a whisper.
Nico exhaled a slow stream of smoke, his sharp eyes dissecting me, peeling me apart like I was nothing more than a puzzle he’d long since solved. Then he stepped closer, his presence a suffocating weight.
"You think I’m stupid, little girl?" His voice was soft—too soft. "You think I don’t know how vengeance seeps into the bones, how it festers, how it calls for blood?"
I swallowed hard, my throat tight.
His fingers ghosted over my cheek, deceptively gentle before gripping my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze. "If I find out you had anything to do with this, Mia…" He leaned in, his breath hot against my skin, laced with smoke and something far worse. "I won’t kill you. That would be too kind."
My stomach twisted violently.
"I’ll make sure you live long enough to regret it."
"I told you, I'm not involved," I said, keeping my voice steady, though my hands were curled into fists at my sides.
Nico exhaled slowly, the ember of his cigarette burning between his fingers. "No voy a tolerar que mi hija me mienta."
The word hija landed like a stone in my stomach. He almost never acknowledged me as his, and now that he had, it tasted bitter. Not something to be proud of—just another weapon in his arsenal.
Still, I forced the words out. "I'm loyal to you, Papá."
He studied me, eyes dark and calculating, before stepping closer, his presence suffocating. "La lealtad no se dice, se demuestra. And so far, all I see are loose ends and half-truths."
My throat tightened. "I haven't lied to you."
Nico took another drag, exhaling smoke through his nose like a dragon about to burn everything to the ground. "Then you won’t mind proving it."
I went still.
His gaze sharpened. "Find out who did this. Bring me a name."
A chill ran down my spine. He wasn’t asking—he was commanding. A test. A trap.
And there was no right answer.
My heart stopped.
Even though I killed Rachel, the deaths of those men weren’t on my hands. That could’ve been Seth. I wouldn’t be surprised if he sought revenge. But no matter what, I would never turn my brother over to our father.
Nico watched me, his expression unreadable, but I knew him well enough to see the warning in his silence. He was waiting, measuring my hesitation like a butcher weighing meat.
"I will," I lied.
Nico let out a low laugh, blowing smoke into the air. “Don’t lie to me, Mia.” He tilted his head, his eyes analyzing me like a predator. “I know you better than anyone. I know when you're lying.”
I wanted to argue, but my throat was closed.
He took another step forward. “And I also know when someone is working in the shadows.”
“Dad,” I said, and he slapped me across the face hard enough that I knew it would leave marks.
"You worthless slut. Sabes lo que le hicieron a tu hermano... and still, you dared to walk among them." His voice was low, venomous, each word dripping with disgust. “I should throw you in the cage. But I already promised you, so I can’t.”
“I’ll be better,” I muttered, suddenly feeling like that little girl again.
“You deserve the pain, Mia,” James said, as he whipped me one more time before entering me from behind. The throbbing pain made me close my eyes.
I was bad. I am wrong.
“I love you, Mia. But he wants me to punish you, darling. It’ll be over soon. You’re my little monster, you know that? Only mine. I’ll keep you with me forever.”
“Please… it hurts.”
“No… my little monster, you don’t feel pain. Pain is erasable. Learn to live without it.” His movements became more brutal.
“Don’t cry. You preferred it to yourself rather than Katie. You know I don’t love her like I love you. I wouldn’t be so delicate with her.”
“Me,” I murmured, my body almost giving in.
It’s not real.
The blood ran cold in my veins.
“If I find out,” he continued, his tone sharp as a blade, “that you’re the reason certain people are disappearing…”
My stomach turned.
He smiled, but it was empty. “I’ll make sure Katie pays the price.”
My breath caught.
“She’s coming to the States,” he said casually, as if discussing the weather. “A transfer from Mexico to here.” He tilted his head. “And if I find out you’re even thinking about coming closer, Mia…”
The threat didn’t need to be said.
My eyes started to burn.
“Your actions will already bring her punishment,” he added, his calmness destroying me.
My vision became blurred.
“Papá…” My voice broke, and I hated it.
"Hiciste tus elecciones, nina." He stepped back, satisfied. "Ahora aprenderás las consecuencias."
You made your choices, little girl. Now you’ll learn the consequences.
Tears streamed hotly down my face, the pain tearing me apart from the inside out.
And then, the door opened with a bang.
Nico didn’t even have time to turn around before a punch connected with his jaw hard enough to make him stagger.
The sound of the impact echoed through the room.
I held my breath.
Zane stood there, eyes wild, breathing heavily, fists clenched.
Nico wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, then smiled.
“You know,” he said, as if amused, “you need to learn your place, Mitchell.”
Zane didn’t move, but the tension in his body was on the verge of breaking.
“Funny,” he growled, his voice low, dangerous. “I was thinking the exact same thing about you.”
“She is my daughter, not your wife yet.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. She’s mine. Come near her again and the deal is off.”
“Be careful, Mitchell. You’re showing your cards too much.”
“And you’re poking at something that doesn’t want to be poked at.”
Nico stared at him, then looked at me with a disgusted expression, making me withdraw and leave the room without saying anything.
Zane turned to me, checking on me, and I cried even harder because I knew Katie would suffer from this.
Nico wasn’t the type you bullied. When you cut off his head, another one grew in its place.
It made no sense to kill him when I knew there were people with the same or perhaps worse ideals, ready to take the throne when he was gone.
This situation was delicate. And I could only fear for the lives of Zane, Katie, Seth, and everyone I loved.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” I whispered.
“Mia, I won’t let him mistreat you.”
“Then he’s going to do it to her!” I screamed. “I’d rather it be me. I don’t want her to get hurt. I can take the pain. I’ve been taking it for years.”
“Mia…”
“Go away.”
“No.”
“Then I will.” I marched off.
The rain fell heavily, soaking my clothes, my skin, my thoughts. But none of it bothered me as much as he did. Standing there. Stubborn. Annoying. Determined.
“Zane, go away.” My words came out sharp, but my voice shook at the end. I hated this. I hated that he made me doubt what I needed to do.
“No.” He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
I took a deep breath, trying not to scream. “You don’t understand—”
“I understand.” His calmness irritated me more than anything else. “You think you have to face this alone. Like you always have.”
“Because I have to! Because it’s my problem! If you stay, he’ll use you against me. You know that, Zane!”
“Yes.” He didn’t back down. “And I don’t care.”
My fingers curled into fists. “But I care!” I pushed at him, but he didn’t move. He never moved.
“I can handle my father. I can handle all of this. But you—” My throat tightened, and I hated how my voice cracked. “You don’t need to be here.”
"I know I don’t need to, but do you? Do you know that, Mia?" Zane’s voice was quiet, but there was a weight behind it that made me pause.
I bit my lip, refusing to let the emotion creep in.
"You can come home, Mia. I'll protect you, your brother, your sister. Nico won’t touch them."
I shook my head, my chest tightening. "I don’t deserve to be protected, Zane. I don’t want any of that. This is my life. This has always been my life."
His face hardened, but his voice softened, a trace of something like desperation in it. "It’ll only be your life if you let it."
The words hit harder than I expected. My breathing caught in my throat, and I couldn’t hold back anymore. "He's going to kill her..."
Zane’s expression shifted. "Who?"
I let out a long breath, the weight of the truth too heavy to hide anymore. "My mother. Katie." I could barely get the words out. "He keeps her hidden from everything and everyone. It's how he controls me. If I try to fight back, he hurts her. Moves her to another place. It's like I can never get to her. She's the most protected prisoner he has, Zane. Nico’s golden ticket. Sometimes I think he’s obsessed with her, other times I think he's hiding her for something bigger."
Zane was quiet for a moment, his eyes narrowing as if he was processing it all. Then, without hesitation, he stepped closer, his hands catching me by the shoulders and pulling me into him.
"We’re going to find her, Mia." His voice was steady, strong. "You’re not doing this alone."
I felt my body stiffen against him, but he didn’t let go. His warmth wrapped around me, and I wanted to pull away, to shove the fear back down, but I couldn’t.
"Zane," I whispered, shaking my head. "You don’t understand. She’s untouchable. He’s locked her away for years.”
"She’s alive," Zane interrupted, his voice firm. "If she’s out there, we’ll find her.”
His fingers tangled in my hair, grounding me, and something inside me broke. For the first time in forever, I allowed myself to believe him.
He stared at me, the sound of rain between us.
Then he spoke, his voice low, intense, almost breaking me completely.
“I don’t know how to walk away when it comes to you.”
My lungs seized.
My heart skipped a beat, slamming against my ribs, messed up like everything else I felt when I looked at him.
I should hate this.
“I should leave you,” I murmured, gripping the collar of his jacket, my fingers trembling against the soaked fabric.
“Yeah, you should.” He looked at me with that damn soft yet firm gaze at the same time.
“But I can’t.”
The silence between us was heavy, vibrant, loaded with something I couldn’t name—and that scared me as much as it drew me in.
Then he touched my face, and I felt the shiver, the cold rain contrasting with the warmth of his touch.
“I’m thankful for that every day.”
And it destroyed me.
I pulled him to me, and our lips collided in a hungry, desperate kiss, as if the world around us was falling apart. The rain ran between us, but I didn’t even notice. All I felt was him.
His hands on me, his taste, his breath against mine.
He held me like I might run away.
I kissed him like it was my last chance.
And maybe it was.
The rain kept falling, dripping between us, but none of that mattered. My lips tingled from the kiss, my breath ragged, and Zane… he looked at me in that way that made my heart stumble.
“I’ve never kissed anyone in the rain,” I murmured, half-laughing, half-breathless.
He blinked, looking as surprised as I was. “Me neither.”
My chest tightened. There was something so stupid and beautiful about it.
We, two misfits, soaking wet and shivering, but stuck together, as if the universe had decided we had no choice.
A smile spread across my face before I could stop it. “So, was it good for you?”
He let out a sigh—the one he always let out when he thought I was being ridiculous, but deep down, he was trying not to smile, too.
“Obvious question, Mia.”
“I need to be sure.” I leaned in, my fingers tracing the line of his jaw, feeling his skin warm beneath the cold rain. “Maybe we need to try again, just to be sure.”
This time, he didn’t disagree.