Chapter 18 #2
“All this time, the mafia has been in hiding. Those faithful to Moretti, and those faithful to his underboss, Coltello. It wasn’t just us Devil boys fighting Moretti’s men that bloody night.
Coltello had betrayed him, and the mafia fractured from within.
Ever since Devil came out on top, the mafia—both factions, those loyal to Moretti and those loyal to Coltello—have been in hiding.
We’re not naive enough to think they’re permanently defeated.
If they found out your existence, that could very well be the catalyst to an all-out war again. ”
I stop chewing my bacon, my mouth hanging open.
“Don’t eat with your mouth open,” he chides, before taking a bite of his own food.
I snap it shut, and even with everything I’m learning, I still have it in me to roll my eyes. It’s like Logan’s trying to make up for all these years of absence by going into dad overdrive.
“I never doubted Damien would kill you if your existence became known,” he continues. “That’s why I felt I had to go behind his back to protect you. He’s my best friend, and I’ve always been loyal to him. But you come first.”
At once, my chest compresses, and all thoughts of eye rolling go straight out the window. The words I’ve been hungering to hear all my life. You come first. They’ve just been spoken to me, by the last person on Earth I’d have expected to hear them from.
As if he has no idea of the effect he’s having on me, Logan sets aside his half-finished plate pensively.
“I didn’t have a choice but to tell Damien of Laura and William Day’s death.
That goes beyond you. It meant your cover was blown, and the up-till-now dormant factions of the mafia were beginning to rise once more.
But I did tell him I’d… take care of you. ”
I shiver at what taking care of you must mean in Devil language.
“He’s been a lazy bastard ever since Seraphina came into his life, so I had no doubt he’d let me do just that, and not bother himself more with it.
I even told him you were missing to buy a little more time.
Turns out, he’s not as lazy as I give him credit for, because apparently, this whole time, he knew exactly where you were and that I was lying to him. ”
There’s a long pause, and then he continues, “I’ve always known him to be bloodthirsty and merciless.
So I was very confused yesterday, when he told me he’s known where you were since the beginning.
The old Damien would have killed you, and me too.
But I guess Seraphina has softened him up these past few months.
Having her in his life has given him a new understanding of what it means to love someone. How important it is.”
I gulp down the weird lump in my throat.
“Or maybe,” he smirks, “he’s just stopped giving a shit about anything and anyone that isn’t her.
He has had a hard few months. I’ll spare you the details, but shit hit the fan a few months ago with Angel and Vale.
He nearly lost Seraphina a number of times.
Since then, he’s basically been holed up in his apartment with her.
I get the feeling he’d cheerfully allow Devil to burn to the ground, as long as he got to keep her.
Everything else has pretty much faded to the background, and that includes you. ”
There’s a long silence as I sip my decaf coffee thoughtfully. “I have a question,” I say abruptly.
“Yes?”
“What is… what was…” I clear my throat. “What is my real name? That is, what name was I born with?”
Logan pauses. “Aurora Moretti.”
“Aurora,” I echo, rolling the name around on my tongue. I don’t hate it.
He opens his mouth to say something more, but the phone rings suddenly, abruptly ending our conversation.
“Yeah?” he snaps into it. Then he raises an eyebrow. “Right. What did you say his name was? Josh Allen?”
I gasp loudly, wondering if Josh Allen is my Josh. I suddenly realize I never even learned his last name, and I’m forcefully reminded of the time Quill accused my college friends of not being real because they didn’t know mine.
I groan, feeling like the worst kind of friend there is.
Then I forget all about last names when Logan says, “Alright. Put him in the cell.”
He hangs up the call and looks at me. I guess he can tell I’m in shock, because he frowns. “What’s wrong?”
“You put Josh in the cell?”
I can’t imagine such a naive, cheerful optimist locked up in such a dark space. Especially because of me.
“You know him?” questions Logan.
“Yes. He’s… he’s my friend,” I stammer.
Logan presses a contact on his phone, and puts it to his ear again. Then he shakes his head. “Too late. There’s no cell service down there. I’ll see what this is all about.”
I nod gratefully as he gets up. Then he rummages through his pockets. “You’re not a prisoner,” he says hesitantly. “But I am going to have to lock you up. Fuck. Where did I put the key?”
“I’ll still be here when you’re back,” I protest. “Please go get Josh.”
Logan hesitates at the door. “I really shouldn’t leave you like this. Damien would kill me—”
“Come on. Why would I try to run away? You’re my stepfather, right?”
His face relaxes into a smile. “Right. But believe me, Piper. You’re in danger. Stay right here. I’ll be back in less than ten minutes. Stay, okay?”
“Yes. I promise. Please go get Josh.”
“Fine,” he concedes at last. “Behave.”
With that, he slams the door shut, and I huff out an annoyed breath.
I’m not a child, but you wouldn’t know it by the way both he and Quill treat me.
Quill.
With everything that I’ve been learning, I’ve managed not to think of the boy who’s been my obsession since fifth grade, for nearly an hour. Probably a world record.
Sinking onto the couch, my heart feels painfully swollen. I wonder what he’s doing right now.
Is he searching frantically for me? Is he furious? Maybe he feels I betrayed him by running away. Maybe he’s just stopped caring.
At that thought, my skin feels clammy and achy. I guess it’s weird, with how convinced I’ve been that I hated his guts, to realize that there is just no Piper without Quill.
I know how pathetic that makes me sound, but I just can’t help it. Anyway, it’s too late to do a thing about it.
Because there definitely is a Quill without Piper.
Josh is the one in that cell. Not Quill.
I bet Quill never even went looking for me. I bet his anger got the best of him. I bet leaving him was one betrayal too many. He’s probably given up on trying to hold onto me, and honestly, I don’t blame me.
The little burst of joy and hope that bonding with Logan made me feel suddenly bursts and drops like a deflated balloon in my chest. I draw my legs up and sink my head into my knees, then topple over onto my side, curling myself into that sad little fetal position that Quill once found me in.
The position that made him go soft for a minute, before he tied me up with duct tape.
I would do anything to have him here with me. I’d even let him tie me up with duct tape. The thought makes my core tingle, even as my heart twists in pain.
Suddenly, there’s a knock on the door.
I jump up, startled. Could it be Quill? But no, that’s ridiculous. You can’t summon someone just by thinking of them. Can you?
It must be Logan then, but why the hell would he knock? He certainly didn’t this morning, when he brought up the breakfast tray. This is his apartment, and I guess he sees me as his daughter. No reason to stand on ceremony.
So… Quill? Some part of me knows that’s not true. If Logan didn’t knock, Quill certainly wouldn’t either. I’m very aware, as I cross the living room, my heart racing, that it’s more wishful thinking than anything else that convinces me he’s the one I’ll find on the other side of the door.
I’m well aware, anyway, that it doesn’t matter what I do. The door isn’t locked, so whoever is waiting on the other side of it can just come in if I don’t open it.
So I do, and then I freeze.
There are three men, and I’ve never seen any of them before, but I recognize the light glinting in their eyes, cleaving through the darkness of their expressions.
It’s the look of the predator who’s finally caught his prey, and I know it, because I’ve seen that look in Quill’s eye before.
Only Quill the predator didn’t scare me half as much as these strangers, who inch into the room, forcing me to back away.
These three men have guns, and I have the very uncomfortable feeling they’d have no qualms to use them against me.
Any doubt I had about the fact that I’m in deep shit disappears when one of them says, “Hello, Aurora.”
Fuck.