“Please leave.” I hold his stare, not softening the harshness of my expression. “Now.”
His lips part. Shoulders slump. “I…”
Luca appears in the doorway, infusing me with relief.
“Get him out of here,” I beg. “Please.”
“Don’t panic.” Luca edges into the room, stopping beside Sebastian. “You’ve got nothing to worry about.”
I have everything to worry about—my brothers’ safety, and that of my parents. I don’t want any of them near me. Not now. Not ever.
“Make him leave.” I creep closer and closer to the window.
“I will, I promise, but you need to tell me why.”
I shake my head. I don’t need to tell him anything. Not when my trust in him bounces like a rubber ball. One minute he’s my savior, the next my captor.
“What the hell is going on?” Sebastian murmurs. “Why is she scared of me?”
The answer clogs my throat, the words filled with far too much depth and destruction for anyone to understand. Nobody here is capable of comprehending my fear over what I could do to him. What the dangers surrounding me will bring.
I just want to go back to pretending my family doesn’t exist. My meager strength was far less brittle then.
Luca doesn’t quit holding my gaze. He keeps the visual connection steady, not judging, not sympathizing. Just strong.
“Penny, Decker has put his life on the line for a long time all in an effort to find you.”
I continue to back away, not wanting to hear the placations.
“He didn’t willingly begin working with Cole,” he continues. “It was all for you.”
“You work for Cole?” I pin my brother with a stare, my insides begging for him to deny the betrayal. “You work for the family who took me?”
“It’s not like that.” He shakes his head. “It’s complicated.”
“We didn’t know.” A woman inches into the room. “We had no idea what was happening in Greece.”
I cast my gaze over her, from the gleaming shoes, to the designer clothes, all the way up to her subtly perfect make-up. She’s beautiful. But there’s something about her that sets me on edge. A familiarity. “Who are you?”
“Keira.” She gives a sad smile. “I’m Cole’s sister. And I’m told this little guy is my half-brother.” Her smile increases as she looks at Tobias. “It’s an honor to meet you.”
The hair on the back of my neck prickles.
The familiarity makes sense now. She’s Luther’s daughter. She even has the devil’s eyes. His full lips, too.
“Get them out of here,” I demand of Luca. “Or give me a way off this island. Now.”
Tobias trembles behind me, the tremors of his body sinking into mine.
“Penny.” Luca’s voice is smooth. “You’re not a prisoner here. You can both move around freely—get something to eat, have a shower, get changed, sleep if you want. But it’s not safe to leave.”
“I can look after myself.”
“Can you?” He raises a brow. “All on your own? Without the kid? Because there’s no way in hell Torian will let you leave with his brother.”
I don’t react to the threat.
I knew Tobias would be their invisible shackle. Yet the delivery of the blow still leaves a gaping wound. “So he’s the prisoner now?”
“No.” Luca takes another step. “There are no prisoners. The kid is Torian’s brother. He’s family. You have no right to take him.”
“I have every right. I’m the only parental figure he has left. I’m his teacher. His friend. His cook. His maid. I’m the one who tucks him in at night.”
“Penny.” Tobias clings tighter to me. “Please don’t leave me.” His heartbreaking kiddy sniffles return.
“You would take him from me after everything he’s witnessed today? After all the stories he’s been told?” I beg Luca with my eyes when I’d prefer to glare. Claw. Retaliate. “Can you imagine what he’s thinking right now? Luther told him you were the enemy. He was forced to attack Cole. Now you want to take him from the only familiarity he has left?”
Toby’s trembles increase, adding fuel to my argument.
“I’m not the enemy.” The woman crouches. “Tobias, I would never do anything to hurt you. We’re family.”
Her words are gentle. The delivery soft. She’s trying to win him over, bit by bit, second by second.
“You can attempt to brainwash him all you want,” I snip. “Believe me, he’s grown accustomed to the family trait, but he still can’t stay here. He needs his medicine.”
“What medicine?” Luca demands.
“He’s diabetic.” I squeeze Tobias’s shoulder and hope to hell he realizes it’s a sign for him to keep his mouth shut. “He needs regular injections. If I don’t get him home soon he’ll get sick. He could die.”
Keira stands, her attention swaying from Sebastian to Luca and back again. “We need to tell Cole.”
“Wait.” Luca’s eyes narrow on me. “The kid is diabetic?”
I swallow, suddenly unsettled with the thought of pinning more attention on Tobias.
“I assume there are risks associated with taking them back to Dad’s house,” Keira adds.
Dad.
God, the parental term when referencing Luther is abhorrent. He was never a father. Only a monster.
“The risks are monumental,” Luca growls, his focus turning harsh. “They’re not going back there.”
I stand taller. “Do you plan on forcibly stopping me?”
“You bet I do.”
“Luca,” Sebastian warns. “Watch yourself.”
My heart squeezes at the protection. Squeezes then flounders.
I remain locked tight in a visual battle with Luca, his scrutiny scathing as he attempts to stare me down.
“We need to talk,” he tells me. “In private.”
“Like hell you do.” Sebastian steps closer. “I’m not leaving you alone with her.”
Luca doesn’t falter. He keeps his eyes narrowed on mine. “Now,” he speaks to me.
I don’t know what this is about. But I can see the determination in his expression. Whatever it is holds importance.
“Leave us,” I murmur.
“That’s not going to happen.” Sebastian crosses his arms over his chest. “I’ll never let you out of my sight again.”
My heart protests the protection, wanting it and rejecting it at the same time.
“Get out.” I raise my voice. “I don’t want you here.”
Pain seeps into his features, tainting everything it touches—his eyes, his lips.
“And take the kid,” Luca adds.
“What?” I grasp Tobias’s shoulders. “No.”
“It’s only for a few minutes. Keira can get him something to eat.”
The woman nods. “I’ll look after him.”
I glare at her—the daughter to my rapist, the blood of my nightmares.
“Nothing is going to happen to him,” Luca continues. “He’s with family here.”