Page 109 of Claimed

I shook my head. Thoughts slammed into me. I was the love of her life. I had to find her and explain everything about Elise, and what the Family really meant. Becoming a Costa didn’t mean a lifetime of darkness. We protected each other, stood up for those who belonged, and offered safety.

“We’ll get them,” Romeo soothed. “She can’t be far. Then you can sue her for full custody.”

“No. I’m not letting her go.”

A slow smile spread across his face. “Love conquers all, huh?”

“She never wanted to leave me. It says so here. She’s just scared.” I pocketed the note, its weight settling in my soul. “First, let’s locate Becky. We clean up this mess. Then, I’ll bring Violet and Jack home.”

“That’s probably best.”

“Any ideas where she is?”

“Yeah. I put a tracker in her convertible after she broke into my house.” Romeo pulled out his phone and swiped open an app. He frowned at the map. “This has to be a mistake.”

“What is it?”

I grabbed his wrist, pulling the screen toward me. “She’s at the cabin? How does she even know where it is?”

“She doesn’t,” he muttered. “She can’t.”

My heart stalled, then kicked my chest. “Violet’s with her.”

Becky had laid a trap, and Violet had walked right in.

I stormed out, Romeo hot on my heels. We got into my car and I throttled the engine. Fuck. Forty-five minutes away. I called Violet. Straight to voicemail.

Romeo shattered the tense silence. “We’ll get there in time. We’ll save them.”

I nodded, unable to think of the alternative. I’d save her and our son. I’d tear down the world if I had to.

The family cabin loomed ahead.

An early morning fog obscured its dark silhouette. It’d always been a place where business that couldn’t see the light of day was handled with merciless efficiency. Now it reminded me of the life I didn’t want for Jack.

Romeo parked the car. I checked the clip in my gun and breathed in the pine-scented air. We jogged to the cabin, the ground damp beneath my boots. Reaching the door, I hesitated before stepping inside.

A small fire crackled in the hearth, casting shadows across the room. Gun drawn, I searched every room. The floorboards creaked as I entered the bedroom. Jack slept on the bed, his chest rising and falling. Next to him, a nanny cam speaker, its quiet hum a lifeline to somewhere else.

The anxiety roping my chest released.

I turned back, facing Romeo. “Stay here. Watch him.”

“I won’t let you down, brother.”

Romeo took position at a window, and I stepped outside. The moon was a thin crescent, its light shining through a canopy of trees. Gun in hand, I scanned the area around the cabin, my senses heightened. The woods were eerily silent.

My gaze passed over the shed. It had never seemed so ominous. It drew me closer like a beacon of dread.

I approached, the beam of my flashlight cutting through the darkness, revealing dense underbrush. My mind raced, piecing together scenarios, each grimmer than the last.

A shiver ran down my spine. Whatever lay ahead could change everything. I steeled myself. Gun raised, I reached for the door, the metal cool beneath my fingertips. With a deep breath, I pushed it open.

FORTY-ONE

VIOLET

I took her to the shed.