Abducted By My Father's Best Friend (Taken)

Mia.

She’s really the only person who can make everyone see that I’m innocent and her father is part of a bigger scheme of ripping off all his business partners.

Once the other three members of the Four Families find out one of the heads of a family has betrayed them, there’ll be a war. The ‘Il Ordine Pubblico’ will be null and void.

Georgio DeWinter doesn’t really know what he’s doing, does he? Why would he put the life of his own daughter in danger?

Part of me wants to call him right now and tell him… I know.

But not yet. I’ll bid my time, plan it all out. I need to be smart about this, because this obviously took a lot of planning to pull this off.

I can’t believe there’s any part of him that would think Mia’d be ok if anyone ever found out.

I guess he plans on no one ever learning the truth.

Sorry to put a damper on your plans, buddy.

Now, I get to be the one to tell Mia her father was behind the whole damn thing. It pisses me off.

Everyone’s out to kill me.

Everyone thinks I’m guilty.

The fact Georgio DeWinter doesn’t care if I live or die makes me madder than fuck. How could he do this to me? I’ve stood by the asshole through thick and thin, and had his back fully.

As I make my way back to Tony’s on foot, people mill about in the streets, laughing and dining in their little cafes. I breathe it all in. The air. The happiness. The romance.

It makes me think of Mia. How I’ll need to tell her soon.

When I get back to Tony’s, Enzo isn’t there, and I breathe a sigh of relief. I want to tell Mia before I have to play pretend in front of Enzo. I’m tired of keeping on this game face.

I find Mia on the back patio, gazing up at the sky. It’s a clear day with just a hint of a breeze tugging at her long, silky hair.

“Did you find Enzo and Oliver?”

I nod, unable to find my words.

Her face lights up. “And?”

I can’t stop staring at her. Out here, in the most romantic city in the world, she’s different. Maybe it’s in the air. Maybe she’s always been this way, but there’s something about her, right now in this moment, and I wonder to myself if I can kiss her yet.

Is anyone here?

Will someone see?

I brush the moment away.

“I was hiding for a bit, listening in on their conversation. Then, Enzo spotted me and I had to pretend to be Donovan Sabatini.”

“Did they suspect anything?”

I shake my head. “No.”

“So, what did they say?”

I have no desire to tell her that her father is a criminal.

I feel responsible for her. I feel indebted to her.

I feel so much my heart is ready to explode the more I think about telling her.

But I have to.

There’s no way I can keep something this big from her.

It’s kind of like her and I are on the same side of this thing. We’re in it together.

Fuck.

Chapter 15

Mia

* * *

Ever get that feeling? Like you know a ball is about to drop somewhere. That all the fun and happiness is child’s play, and there’s something darker looming off in the corner.

Sebastian is like a rain cloud since he stepped onto the patio.

I’m afraid to ask if there’s something wrong.

He stares at me differently.

“What?” I ask him, unable to handle the deafening sound of silence.

“Someone did set me up,” Sebastian finally says, his unlit eyes appearing lost like a child that’s wandered too far from home.

“That’s good news, right?”

He nods, but his mood is still somber. “There’s something else.”

I cross my arms, my nervous energy from his mood making me on high alert. “Ok,” I say, slowly. “Tell me.”

“Mia,” he breathes in deep and my stomach drops, “your father is the one who framed me.”

And now my stomach is in my throat, suffocating me. “Uhh,” I can’t get any words out. I can’t think. I lean against the rail and Sebastian steps closer.

“Are you ok?” he asks.

How can he possibly think I’m ok? I shake my head. “No, I… I don’t believe you.”

He rubs at his chin. “Oliver and Enzo said they’re working with your father on framing me and stealing the money for themselves.”

Lies. This can’t be true. “No… no.” My father has always adored Sebastian Cain. They’re almost like brothers. Why would he hurt him in this way? “You can’t believe them. I bet they’d say anything to take the heat off themselves.”

My heart pounds with disbelief. This can’t be true. Tears threaten to spill and Sebastian steps closer, but I step further away, blocking myself into a corner.

“Ok, Mia. I guess we should get the evidence we need to see for ourselves. I’m not trusting them until I have some hard proof.”