Kidnapped By the Mob (Miami Mafia 2)

Chapter13

Daisy led me through the lavish home that was apparently hers. The only thing that made the situation less strange was that Daisy at least seemed to be aware of how odd the circumstance was.

She led me to the massive lanai that hung off the back of the home overlooking a pool. It had been landscaped to look like a natural pond, complete with a waterfall. "And this is my pool. Where I can swim. Every day. We used to have two minutes of hot water a day, and now we have this."

I laughed, even if it was hollow and barely sincere. Then her words sunk in. "What do you mean, ‘we’?"

"I'm not going to let you go back to that place alone."

A sharp pain hit my head and I fell into one of the plush chairs. The stupid lawn furniture was more comfortable than anything that was in our apartment. "‘That place?’ That was our home."

Daisy bit her bottom lip and shifted her weight. Shit, I hadn't meant to make that sound like an accusation, but I didn't want her to make our life before this sound like a joke either. Alek and Borya weren't some heroes coming in on white horses to save us. If anything, they were dropping bombs and destroying everything in their wake.

Finally, Daisy spoke again. "After what happened with Borya, I don't think you can go back. And you don't have to! I mean look around here. Alek has plenty of money. We can help out and make sure Layla gets everything she needs."

At the mention of Layla, my blood ran cold. How could I have forgotten her so easily? "I need to call her. Do you have your phone?"

"I have a new phone, but I don't have any of my old numbers in it."

"I know it by heart."

She pulled the phone out of her back pocket and handed it over. Almost using muscle memory alone, I dialed Layla's number, listening to the ringing over and over again as it went to voicemail. "Layla, it's Becks. Something happened to my phone. I need to hear your voice and make sure everything is okay. Things have been," what was I even supposed to say? "weird. This is Daisy's phone, but I don't know how long I'm going to be with her, so call me back as soon as you get this." I hung up and immediately stared at the phone, expecting it to start ringing immediately.

It wasn't like Layla was ever more than a hundred feet from her phone. There was no reason for her to miss a call.

"When is the last time she didn't answer?" asked Daisy as she sat on the chair across from me, both of us staring at the phone now.

"Not answering? That's pretty common. She can get hyper-focused on whatever project she's working on. But she'll always call me back. If anyone understands paranoia, it's her."

"How soon does she call back?"

"Minutes."

Soon minutes turned to an hour and there was no return call. Even when I called her back three more times. Had Black Thorn found out about her somehow?

That didn't make any sense. They were after Borya. I wasn't anything to them. They were after me to get to him. Layla was nothing to Borya. She was just a loose end from my life. While she meant everything to me, Borya didn't even know she existed.

"I have to go back to Talon Rock. I have to check on her."

Daisy shook her head, shooting up like a bullet. "You can't leave. I know Alek, and Borya is just as intense as his brother. If you leave, he's going to lose his mind."

"Borya has no claim on me," I said, knowing the words were bullshit even as they fell out of my mouth.

"I saw you laying in that bed with him. Are you going to pretend none of that happened?"

"I'm going to pretend whatever the hell I need to where Layla is concerned." Borya knew this dangerous world more than I did. He had power and money I could only dream of.

But he was also the one who had dragged me into all this danger in the first place. If I brought him with me, I'd be leading that danger right to Layla. She was already terrified of her own shadow. I don't need to give her more reason to be scared. I just need to make sure that she's okay. Then I could continue whatever it was I was doing with Borya.

Easy enough.

"Is there a bathroom I can use?"

Daisy and I must've been friends for too long because when she tightened her lips and narrowed her eyes in suspicion, it was as though she saw right through me.

But who was she to stop me? I'd spent so much of my life taking care of her and Layla. I wasn't about to stop now. Borya had to know that this was a part of me.

And even if there was some connection between us that I couldn't deny, he was still a danger that I couldn't bring around my Layla. Not until I knew a few more things for certain.

"The bathroom is down the hall on the right. The second door. It should be open."

"Thanks," I said, turning away before Daisy's knowing gaze could see anything else I didn't want her to.

I would make it back to Borya. I would.

But first, I needed to make sure my sister was safe.