Chapter 3 - THE HOUSE I COULD NOT RETURN TO
Luka refused to let me go home.
I fought him for ten minutes.
“My clothes are there.”
“We’ll replace them.”
“My daughter’s crib is there.”
“We’ll replace it.”
“My entire life is there.”
His expression softened.
“That is exactly why they expect you to go back.”
I hated how much sense he made.
We left the hospital through a private service elevator.
A black SUV waited beneath the building.
The driver was a gray-haired man named Marcus who looked at Luka once and understood everything without being told.
He opened the rear door for me.
“Congratulations on the little girl.”
I almost cried at the kindness in his voice.
Luka sat across from us.
For twenty minutes, nobody spoke.
Then my phone started ringing.
DANIEL.
I stared at the screen.
Luka said nothing.
I answered.
“What?”
Daniel sounded irritated.
“You left the hospital.”
“You noticed?”
“Don’t start.”
I looked down at our daughter.
“You abandoned us.”
“I gave you space.”
“You walked away with Vanessa.”
Silence.
Then Daniel sighed.
“Elena, this is more complicated than you understand.”
My chest tightened.
“Does M-17 make it complicated?”
The silence on the line changed.
Not confusion.
Fear.
I looked at Luka.
His eyes hardened.
Daniel lowered his voice.
“Who told you that?”
“So you know what it is.”
“Listen to me carefully.”
“No.”
“Elena.”
“No.”
He took a breath.
“Where are you?”
I laughed once.
It sounded broken.
“You don’t get to ask.”
His voice became sharper.
“Where is the baby?”
Luka leaned forward.
I saw anger flash through him.
I answered slowly.
“With her mother.”
Daniel whispered something I almost missed.
“They weren’t supposed to tell you.”
My entire body went cold.
“Tell me what?”
The line disconnected.
I stared at the phone.
Luka held out his hand.
“Give it to me.”
“Why?”
“Because he just tracked it.”
Marcus swore from the front seat.
A motorcycle had appeared behind us.
Then another.
Luka looked through the rear window.
“Turn left.”
Marcus accelerated.
The motorcycles followed.
My newborn started crying.
I held her close.
“What is happening?”
Luka reached beneath his jacket.
I froze when I saw the outline of a weapon.
He noticed my expression.
“I’m not going to use it unless someone tries to take your daughter.”
My heart stopped.
“Take her?”
Luka looked directly at me.
“Elena, M-17 was never about you.”
May you like
He glanced toward the baby.
“It was about finding the next child born with your bloodline.”
