Regrets & Revenge (Foster Family Book 2)

by Zavi James

  “True enough,” Dante agreed, straightening up. “Would mean I’d get a break from all this shit.” He gestured vaguely to the group of us standing around.

  “We shouldn’t keep you any longer than necessary,” Emilio said, pulling his wife to his side. “You have a long trip and a lot to sort out.”

  “Any other helpful reminders?” Dante muttered under his breath. “You’re right. Let’s get this show on the road.” He strode over to the door to the apartment and opened it before looking back at me. “Come on, boss.”

  The eyes of the room fell on me and somehow my brain signaled to my feet to move. As I squeezed past Dante to walk out of the door, he flashed me a smile that I was unable to return. Nothing about my situation could get me to smile. The shock and the fear had begun to coil in my stomach and spread through my limbs, and it was taking all my effort to put one foot in front of the other.

  We walked down the stairs and into the open. The evening had brought a cool breeze and we piled into the cars in silence that was maintained the entire way back to the Diaz residence. Emilio hadn’t allowed for Carmen and me to be in the same car, our goodbyes done and dusted at the doorstep of the complex. He hadn’t arrived at the house at the same time as us, most likely to avoid any last-ditch attempt Carmen had to try and save me.

  As I got out of the car, I considered running, but I had enough sense to know that it wouldn’t get me far. I was pregnant, had nowhere to turn to, and was severely outnumbered. I saw Dante’s car parked in the driveway, ready for us to begin the journey away from my temporary safe haven.

  “Time to go,” Dante said, opening the door for me to climb in. He bent at the waist, in a mock bow as if he was some sort of footman. For a split second, I thought I might throw up on his shoes, before I got into the passenger seat and the slam of the door closing sealed my fate.

  Chapter Eight

  Mia

  “Are you going to stop sulking?” Dante asked as he got back into the car. He slammed the door shut, tossed a bag of chips onto my lap, and pulled out of the gas station, restarting our journey home.

  Home. I wasn’t sure I was allowed to consider it home anymore. Dad was no longer there, and I’d severed ties with everyone I’d once held dear. You didn’t need to be blackmailed into returning home the way that I had. Home wasn’t meant to be a place where you feared losing your life.

  “You can’t be mad at me for wanting to get my family back together.”

  “Yes, I can. You threatened me.” The fear had subsided enough for me to bite back at him and his behavior.

  “Threatened? That’s a little bit dire, don’t you think? I used the art of persuasion.” It came as no surprise that Dante knew how to put a spin on it. He had been doing this his entire life. Anything remotely underhanded could be cleverly explained to ensure you didn’t get into trouble. That might have washed in a court of law, but I knew Dante and I wasn’t impressed by the stunt he’d pulled.

  “You’re a dickhead and I don’t know why I considered you a friend.”

  “Because I buy you chips as an apology.” Dante turned his head to look at me, concern running over his features.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Can you still eat chips?” he asked, eyes returning to the road. “It’s not one of the many restricted items the parasite won’t allow you to have?”’

  “I… Did you just call my baby a parasite?”

  “Did you just call your parasite a baby?” Dante didn’t wait a beat before he continued. “I’m sure she’s going to be beautiful when she’s here. Well, if she looks like you. If she looks like Luc, then we’ll have to sell her to the circus or something and try again. I will nobly offer my services and a turkey baster for the second attempt.”

  I couldn’t help the laugh that came from me. A hearty sound that was the first true speck of joy in months. I had forgotten how ridiculous D could be. Forgotten how he would fill silences with whatever ran through his mind and he’d let out without filter.

  “What makes you think it’s a girl?” I asked him when my laughter subsided.

  “I don’t know,” he shrugged, and I could see the smile tugging on his lips. “I always thought you and Luc would end up with a bunch of girls. It’d drive him mad. No more than he deserves, really, after the shit we put Charlie through.” Dante looked at me once again. “Do you know?”

  I chewed on my bottom lip before nodding my head.

  “Oh my God.” He slapped his hands on the steering wheel. “What is it? Tell me. Am I right?”

  It would be so easy to believe that the past few months had never happened. That time hadn’t passed, and threats hadn’t been made. I could see the way it should have played out with Luc and I teasing Dante about his future Godchild until we finally cracked and told him. Or maybe he would have known before us and planned an entire gender reveal with Gabe and Tori’s help. However, that wasn’t the case. The reality was, I was being driven back home with my pregnancy a secret and my life hanging in the balance.

  “Can’t say,” I whispered, joy well and truly drained from my body. Ripping open the bag of chips, I was glad to keep my hands busy and my mind distracted.

  “Mia, I meant what I said,” Dante told me. “I swear I won’t let him hurt you.”

  How was I meant to tell Dante that it wasn’t Luc that I feared the most? Maybe he already knew, and that was why he hadn’t sworn to protect me from everyone. “I need you to promise me something else,” I said, popping a chip in my mouth and crunching on it. Salty foods had become a craving and Dante had struck lucky with his choice of snack.

  “What is it?”

  I swallowed the bite and looked out at the road ahead of us, illuminated by the headlights of the car. From what I could remember of biology, animals were all about survival of the fittest. Those who were able to adapt would succeed in survival. Even if you could adapt, there was always the predator and prey dichotomy and, unfortunately, I was not a natural born predator. I wasn’t entirely sure that you could learn how to become one. If that was my lot in life, then I could accept it, but there was only one thing I put before myself.

  “I need you to promise that you’ll make sure my baby stays safe. Before anything else, before myself, my baby is safe.” In the silence that followed my request, I thought Dante might decline. I’d asked him for something that he hadn’t offered, and potentially didn’t want to do.

  “I promise you,” he said eventually. Content with his answer, I settled back against the seat and stared out the window, occasionally feeding Dante a chip upon his request. “I missed you, Mia,” Dante said suddenly. “It’s been weird without you at home. Things changed. They haven’t been right.”

  “I missed you too, D,” I returned. I’d missed everyone, but this was the first time I’d allowed myself to truly admit it.

  “Next time you want to go AWOL, could you at least leave a note?” he laughed.

  “I did.”

  “What?”

  “I left a note. It was with my engagement ring. I told Luc I needed to clear my head.”

  Dante shook his head. “There wasn’t any note, Mia. Luc got back to the house and said he found the engagement ring and…” He stopped himself in the middle of his sentence and sucked in air between gritted teeth.

  “What’s the matter?” I asked him.

  “Xavier. Xavier was with him when they got back to the house.”

  I didn’t need for Dante to draw me a diagram. If Xavier had found the ring and the note before Luc, then he’d disposed of the evidence that meant I had still cared. He’d twisted the narrative to suit his purpose.

  “He got rid of it,” Dante said.

  “Of course, he did,” I confirmed before the silence swallowed us once more.

  By the time we arrived home, it was pitch black and I couldn’t stop yawning. Sleep was only staved off by the anxiety that thrummed through my veins. As I walked to the door behind Dante, it felt like I was wading through thick fog. I
was back in a place I never thought I would step foot in again. The silence of the night was the calm before the storm. The moment people knew I was back there would be questions and chaos. The fear of the unknown had taken over every one of my senses.

  Dante opened the door to his house and stepped inside. I’d barely placed a foot over the threshold when the barking began, and Cerberus bounded up to us. My heart felt fit to burst at the familiar sight. My little puppy had grown up into such a handsome boy. Crouching down, I scratched behind his ears as his tongue popped out. The nerves that had wrapped around me temporarily loosened their grip to make way for joy again. Cerb wouldn’t hate me for disappearing; he was just grateful for me to be back.

  “Cerb! Hi, boy! I missed you!” I turned my head away as he tried to lick my face and looked at Dante. “Why do you have Cerb?”

  “Luc couldn’t bear to have him at home. He reminded him too much of you,” Dante answered.

  I turned my head away unable to say anything to that. Cerberus had been inducted into the Foster family at my request. Luc and Cerb had always had a strange relationship, my fur baby preferring me over Luc, but I hadn’t realised that Luc would turn him out of the house.

  Cerb’s head had dipped and was now interested in my stomach. I laughed as he nudged it with his wet nose. “You’re going to be a big brother. Isn’t that exciting? You’re going to have a lot more responsibility.”

  “It’s pretty late. How about we get you settled in, and then, in the morning, we can discuss what happens next?”

  Cerb succeeded in licking the side of my face and I gently pushed his nose away from me. “We’re going to see Luc?” I asked.

  “I’m not sure,” D answered. “Probably.”

  The anxiety grew until I shook from the way it had balled in my chest. I stood up and nodded at Dante. “Whatever you think is best.” I would follow Dante’s lead with this one. He’d wanted me home and he’d gotten what he wanted, so the next steps were up to him. It was probably safer than anything I would come up with.

  Picking up my bag, he jerked his head toward the stairs. “Come on. I’ll show you your room.”

  Chapter Nine

  Dante

  The bitter smell of coffee filled the kitchen as I poured myself a mug and carried it back into the living room. It was still early, sun barely peeking over the horizon, but sleep skittered away without the light and warmth this morning. My mind couldn’t rest, and I envied Mia, who was still sound asleep in bed with Cerberus curled up at her feet. The events from yesterday plus the little alien she had growing inside her had probably taken it out of her.

  I’d thought finding her would be difficult, but I’d struck gold by getting to Emilio before Luc. Convincing her to come home had been simple, thanks to some quick thinking, even if it had led to Mia being pissed with me. But now that she was home, I needed to figure out the best way to proceed.

  Luc could tell people he wanted her dead until he was blue in the face, but I knew the truth. I’d been the one who was there at the start, before Xavier had started to get involved. I’d seen the way he’d collapsed in on himself, told the truth through alcohol-loosened lips and saw the engagement ring in the drawer of his desk at work. Luc couldn’t rid himself of Mia, and if he would allow himself to push past the rage and hear her out, then I was sure they could work through it.

  Getting them into the same room and talking would be the first task. Telling Luc the entire truth behind her reason for leaving him still gave me a stomach ache. Somehow, I struggled to imagine Luc taking the news in his stride and behaving in any rational manner. Not that I blamed him. I’d be livid if I found out my life was a lie, but Luc locking horns with Xavier brought a new host of issues to the table, and those involved my personal life.

  Xavier didn’t just happen to be our Don but was also my girlfriend’s father. When Tori had granted me a second chance, it had sent a ripple of whispers throughout the family. I’d been young and unfaithful, and yet, seven years later, she’d allowed me to try again, with the distinct warning that my life would not be worth living if I messed up a second time. Older and wiser, at least that was what I believed, I had every intention of treating Tori right, but I wasn’t sure how to juggle this news with my relationship.

  A loud knock on the door jolted me out of my thoughts. I set the coffee down and went to answer it, wondering what the hell had happened that would have someone on my doorstep this early. Only the Devil turned up before coffee had been had. When I pulled open the door, I wasn’t far wrong. Gabriel stood on the doorstep, hair slicked back and dressed ready for the day.

  “Where have you been?” he asked.

  Gabe and I had fostered a tense relationship since we were kids. I was too flighty, and he was an old man in a teenager’s skin. He’d made no attempt to hide his disdain over Tori’s choice to date me again, vocal that his twin could do better. Actually, Gabe made little attempt to hide his disdain at most things these days. He’d always been the odd kid. A little quieter than the rest of us, hanging around the outskirts. Lately, he was wound a little tighter than usual and I couldn’t place my finger on what had crawled up his ass and died.

  “Morning, Gabriel. Nice of you to drop by,” I said, rolling my eyes.

  “Tori’s been trying to get a hold of you. Why aren’t you answering your phone?”

  I hadn’t picked up a single call; after all, I was meant to be sick enough that I hadn’t turned up at work. A few missed calls from Tori sat in my notifications but I believed I’d be able to talk her around. A caring boyfriend who didn’t want his beloved to fall sick.

  “Luc said he hadn’t seen you either,” Gabe continued. I turned away from him and walked back into the house. My phone sat on the table, and when I went to check it, the screen remained blank. The battery must have died. “Well?” Gabe asked expectantly. He’d followed me into the house without invite.

  “I wasn’t feeling well,” I lied.

  “So, you were home all day?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Liar,” he hissed. “Your car wasn’t here. She stopped by to check on you.”

  Shit. How was I meant to get out of this one? “She must have caught me when I stepped out.” I didn’t even sound like I was convincing myself at this point.

  “If you’re messing her around, Atwood, you won’t get a third chance. I told her she was an idiot for taking you back.”

  “Peachy. Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

  “I mean it.”

  “Cerberus!” The dog came running down the stairs, followed closely by Mia at a slightly slower pace. Not how I wanted her reintroduction, but I was starting to see that my plans didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things.

  Gabe’s jaw dropped open when he saw her. “Mia?”

  Mia’s eyes grew as she took him in. “Oh, shit,” she squeaked.

  “Go let Cerb out,” I told her. Mia shuffled out of the room with the dog and Gabe turned his attention on me.

  “She’s pregnant.”

  “Nothing gets past you, does it?” I said, tapping the side of my nose.

  “Where did you find her?”

  “Not important. What’s important is that she’s back.”

  “Does Luc know? Does Dad?” There was something about Gabriel’s expression that was difficult to read. The surprise had been replaced with an expression that was more controlled and neutral. Most of us had either been distraught about Mia’s disappearance or livid with her actions. Not Gabriel. Gabe had maintained a level of calm reminiscent of his father. When anyone asked him about it, he merely responded saying that Mia had made her choice.

  “We only got back last night.”

  Gabe opened his mouth and then closed it again, his focus just past me, and I twisted my body to see Mia had joined us again.

  “Hi, Gabe,” she said quietly, walking up and stopping beside me. It was good to see that, despite my underhand tactics to bring her home, she trusted me enough to stick close by.<
br />
  “Mia.” Gabe’s eyes ran down her. “Flying visit or back for good?”

  “For good, hopefully,” I answered for her.

  With a hum, Gabe slowly moved his eyes away from Mia. “This is going to be a very costly mistake if you mess up.”

  “Good thing I don’t plan to. And it’ll help if you don’t breathe a word of this to anyone and let us handle it.”

  He took a moment, debating what I’d told him. “Dad will want to know. He put a lot of effort into trying to find you.”

  I caught the way she pursed her lips and I subtly tugged a strand of her hair behind her back, hoping she would take the hint. The less said to Gabe, the better. If Mia started to shoot her mouth off about Xavier, then things would unravel thick and fast and I couldn’t guarantee her safety.

  “Please, Gabe,” Mia said, changing tact. Her face had relaxed again as she bit back on whatever her initial thoughts had been.

  “If you need anything you know where to find me,” Gabe said eventually, not giving an answer as to whether he would keep our secret. “I suggest you go and see Vittoria and tell her what kept you busy yesterday, because she’s not happy.”

  “Sure thing,” I told him, already dreading the conversation with my girlfriend.

  “Congratulations, Mia,” Gabe said half-heartedly, “and good luck.” I wasn’t worthy of a farewell as Gabe left the house, and as he shut the door, I gave him the middle finger.

  “That’s not good, right?” Mia said, moving past me so she could sit on the couch.

  Sighing, I said, “Not great, but hopefully he’ll keep his mouth shut.” There was no guarantee that he would, but I hoped Gabe’s friendship with Mia would hold out long enough that we could approach Luc ourselves, rather than after the whispers trickled down the grapevine.

  “I need to go and speak to Tori.” I picked up the mug and drained the coffee, pulling a face at just how bitter it was without sugar and creamer. “I’m going to call Dom and ask him to come around. Is that okay?” The panic flooded her features. “Don’t worry, Mia,” I assured her. “He’ll be glad to see you’re home.”