The merger documents blurred before my eyes. Liam's voice flowed like warm milk - smooth, educational, and utterly sleep-inducing.
He pointed at another chart showing pack territories from fifty years ago.
"...and this acquisition gave us control of the northern mining operations," he explained patiently. "It's important you understand where our wealth comes from, Luna."
I forced myself to nod. "I understand."
I didn't. All I understood was that every minute spent in this sterile office was a minute my son remained missing.
The polished tables and expensive art meant nothing when Billy was out there somewhere, probably scared and wondering why I hadn't found him yet.
My phone buzzed, saving me from another hour of corporate history.
Falon.
Command center. Now.
"Liam, I need to go," I said, already standing. "The Alpha needs me."
"Of course, Luna." He looked slightly disappointed but bowed his head respectfully. "We can continue this when you return."
I didn't bother responding, already moving toward the door. The text couldn't have come at a better time.
Anything was better than another minute listening to how the Gray family built their empire while mine was crumbling.
The walk to the command center felt different today.
My heart hammered against my ribs with a mixture of dread and hope. They found something. They have to have found something.
Every visit to this room held the potential to either break me or save me. Today felt... weighted.
When I entered, the air felt charged.
Falon stood before the massive main screen, his back to me, his posture rigid.
He didn't turn when I approached, just gave a sharp nod to Jax at the controls.
"Play it," Falon commanded, his voice low but cutting through the room's tension.
The screen lit up with grainy footage from what looked like a park security camera. It was the footage from when billy was kidnapped.
My breath caught in my throat when I saw him.
Billy.
He was wearing the blue jacket I'd bought him for his 10th birthday, the one with the dinosaur on the back. He looked... fine. Not hurt, not scared.
Just standing there in the park I used to take him to on Sundays.
Then I saw her.
Nonna walked into the frame, her familiar floral dress swaying as she moved.
She wasn't running or looking around nervously.
She walked right up to Billy and put a hand on his shoulder, saying something that made him look up at her and nod.
My mind raced, trying to make sense of what I was seeing.
What was going on? Was she trying to protect him from someone? Maybe she saw something and was getting him to safety.
They walked together toward a man standing near the park's entrance.
A man I didn't recognize. Nonna's body language wasn't tense with fear but held a grim purpose that made my stomach clench.
Then it happened.
Nonna took Billy's small hand in hers. Not to pull him away or protect him.
She placed his hand firmly into the stranger's waiting grip.
Billy looked up at the man, confusion clear on his face, but he didn't fight. He didn't pull away. He just... went.
And then Nonna... she buried her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking with sobs that were silent on the video but screamed in my soul.
As the man led my son away, another figure stepped into the frame.
Finn. Trevor's loyal dog. He walked up to Nonna and pressed a thick white envelope into her still-trembling hands.
She took it.
A sound I didn't recognize - something between a sob and a scream - ripped from my throat.
I stumbled back a step, my hand flying to my mouth. "Nonna," I whispered, the word tasting like betrayal. "Why would you do this?"
Falon finally turned to face me, his expression unreadable. "Do you know this woman?"
"She was safe," I choked out, the words feeling like broken glass in my throat.
"She loved him. She used to bake him cookies and tell him stories about Italy. This... this doesn't make sense. It doesn't sit right!"
My mind was reeling, trying to reconcile the woman who'd been like a grandmother to Billy with the woman who'd just sold him for an envelope of cash.
"I have sent for Finn," Falon stated, his tone leaving no room for argument. "He will be handled. Do you want me to send someone for the old woman?"
The image of Falon's guards dragging a weeping Nonna into this cold, sterile room made me feel sick.
However betrayed I felt, I couldn't do that to her. Not until I understood why.
"No," I said, the decision solidifying something cold and hard in my chest.
"I'll do it myself. I need to look her in the eye and ask her why."
In the back of the car, the world outside the tinted windows felt like it belonged to another planet.
Clara sat beside me, a silent, steady presence.
She didn't try to fill the silence with empty words, for which I was grateful.
My mind kept replaying the video - Billy's confused face, Nonna's trembling hands accepting that envelope, the finality of that handoff.
Each replay felt like a punch to the gut. How could she?
The woman who'd kissed his scraped knees, who'd sung him to sleep with old Italian lullabies. It didn't make sense.
None of it did.
I felt utterly, terrifyingly alone.
There was only one person left in the world who knew the real me, who knew Billy, who had been through hell and back with me.
The one person I could trust without question.
Danny.
"Clara, pull over, please. I just… I need a minute."
"Of course, Luna." Clara's voice was soft with concern.
The car slid to the curb near a bustling fast-food plaza. The normalcy of it was jarring.
"I'll get us something. What would you like?" Clara asked as I stepped out into the cool air.
"Anything. I don't care." My voice was distant, my focus already inward.
I leaned against the warm brick of the building, pulling out my phone.
My thumb hovered over his name. In a world of lies, he was my truth.
I typed the message quickly, before I could second-guess the ache in my chest that screamed for his support.
Riley: At Nonna's in 30. It's urgent. I found something about Billy. I need you.
It didn't take long time. He replied.
Danny: Sure, I'll be there in 20.
A small, fragile breath of relief escaped me.
He was coming. I wouldn't have to face this alone.
"Luna? Oh my god, you're the Luna, right?"
I looked up, the public mask snapping into place.
Agroup of three college-aged girls had stopped, their eyes wide.
"Yh,I am," I said, offering a tired but genuine smile.
The giggles, the requests for selfies—I went through the motions.
As the flashes died down, one girl lingered, her friends already walking toward the restaurant.
She twisted her hands, her courage clearly fraying.
"Can I… talk to you? Just for a second?"
Clara emerged from the restaurant, a protective glint in her eye, but I waved her off. "It's okay."
I turned to the girl. "What's wrong?"
The story tumbled out—a boyfriend who'd turned cold, an unexpected pregnancy, the pressure to get rid of it, the crushing feeling of being trapped and voiceless.
I saw my own reflection in her frightened eyes.
The powerlessness. The feeling of your life being decided by others.
"Listen to me," I said, my voice low and firm.
I placed a hand on her arm, a gesture of solidarity.
"A relationship is about two people making decisions together. If he doesn't respect you, if he makes you feel small, you don't silence yourself for his comfort." I glanced meaningfully at her stomach.
"This is your choice. Your life. Your body. Be strong for yourself first, because no one else will do it for you."
Tears welled in her eyes as she nodded, a new resolve straightening her shoulders.
"I feel so good hearing you say it, I think I know what I want. Thank you." she whispered before hurrying away.
Clara handed me a paper bag smelling of grease and salt. "What was that about?"
"A reminder," I said, sliding back into the car, the brief moment of strength already fading.
"To be strong, and that the people you love the most are the ones who can hurt the deepest."
The drive to Nonna's was a silent countdown to a confrontation I was no longer sure I was ready for.
Danny was already waiting on Nonna's porch when we pulled up.
He stood up straighter as I approached, his expression unreadable.
"Ri. What's going on? Your text sounded serious."
I didn't answer, just pushed past him into the familiar warmth of Nonna's home.
The scent of garlic and rosemary hung in the air, a cruel reminder of a thousand happier moments.
Nonna stood from her armchair, her hands fluttering to her chest. "Miacara!Danny! This is a surprise."
"We need to talk, Nonna," I said, my voice dangerously calm. "About Billy."
Her smile tightened. "Cosa c'è? What is there to talk about? those men who took him—"
"Stop." The word cracked through the cozy room. "Stop lying to me. I know you were there."
Danny stepped forward, putting a hand on my arm. "Riley, take it easy. Why would you accuse her of that?"
I shook his hand off, my eyes locked on Nonna. "I have proof."
I pulled out my phone, my hands trembling with rage and heartbreak.
As I pulled up the video, Danny tried to intervene again. "Riley, don't do this. You're upset, but this isn't the way—"
But it was too late. I thrust the screen toward Nonna.
The damning footage played out in silence—the hand-off, the envelope, her sobs.
Nonna's face collapsed.
The fight drained out of her, replaced by a flood of tears. She turned her devastated eyes toward Danny.
"Danny, basta così. I can't… I can't lie for you anymore." Her voice broke as she looked back at me.
"Mi dispiace, mia cara. I am so sorry. His debt… il debito… it was too much. They were going to kill him. What was I to do? She said it was the only way."
The world stopped.
Slowly, I turned my head to look at Danny.
The pieces crashed together in my mind—his presence here, his defensiveness, his desperation to always help me.
He had known. He had been here all along, letting me walk into this, pretending to be my ally.
The betrayal was so complete, so absolute, it felt like the floor had vanished beneath me.
"You," I whispered, the word a venomous curse.
Danny's face was a mask of shame and panic. "Riley, please, let me explain—"
The apology was a spark on gasoline.
My hand moved without thought, a white-hot arc of pure, unadulterated pain. The slap connected with his cheek in a crack that echoed like a gunshot in the small room.
He staggered back, hand flying to his face, his eyes wide with shock.
I stood there, my entire body trembling, the ghost of the impact burning on my palm.
I looked from his stunned face to Nonna's tear-streaked one.
"What else?" I asked, my voice hollow, the question rhetorical, born of a devastation too deep for answers.
"What else have you been hiding from me?" I shook my head, a broken, bitter sound escaping me.
"This was my fault. For trusting you."
I snatched my bag from the floor, turning toward the door.
I had to get out. I had to breathe air that wasn't poisoned by their betrayal.
"Riley, aspetta! Wait!" Nonna cried out, her voice ragged with grief.
"I am sorry! I want to make it right! The woman… the one who gave the money, who arranged it all… si chiamava... It was Selene."
My hand froze on the doorknob.
The name didn't feel like a sound. It felt like a final, sealing truth, dropping into the silence and changing everything forever.
Selene.