Page 135 of Chains of Recompense
I sit up slowly, hand instinctively going to my stomach.
But even if this is just another day, everything about it feels wrong.
As I pad downstairs, I pull my phone from my pocket, intending to check the time, when it rings.
My mother’s face flashes across the screen. Relief flickers briefly before anxiety snuffs it out.
I haven’t had the heart to call and tell her I’m not sick, after all.
Because that will only lead to questions that I’m not prepared to answer.
Not yet.
Not until I decide what my next step will be. But I can’t ignore her, either. That will only make her worry.
“Hello?” I say, standing straighter.
“Aisling.” Her voice cracks immediately, panic lacing her tone. “Oh, God, Aisling.”
My heart slams violently against my ribs, an instinctual reaction to her distress. “Mum, what’s wrong?”
“They took her.”
The world drops out from under me.
“Took who?” My voice sounds far away, distorted.
“Riley,” she sobs. “They took Riley.”
I grip the stair railing so hard, my fingers go numb, my foot hovering over the bottom step. “Who did?” I demand, my voice suddenly an octave too high.
“The Tanakas. They came for her at her preschool,” Mom says, words tumbling over each other. “Two men. They said they were picking her up early, and when the teachers questioned them, they pulled out guns and took her by force. God, Aisling, I don’t know what to do. I can’t get ahold of your father…”
A roaring fills my ears, drowning out everything but the sound of my own heartbeat.
“Are you sure?” I whisper, like denial might somehow undo reality. “How do you know it was them?”
“They just called—right as I was getting off the phone with the school,” she says. “Tatsuo said it was time to decide where our loyalty truly lies. He’s giving us one chance to fix our mistake. If we ever want to see Riley alive again, we have to prove our alliance to him is still salvageable—to bring him Rafael Chiaroscuro’s head. Today.”
My knees buckle, and I sink onto the stairs, chest heaving, breath coming in sharp, panicked bursts.
This is my fault.
I brought our family into this.
I put Riley at risk the moment I suggested this alliance with the Chiaroscuros.
My vision blurs with tears, and I press my hand to my mouth, fighting the scream clawing its way up my throat.
“She’s just a child,” I choke. “How could they possibly stoop to that level?”
“I don’t know,” Mom says helplessly. “God, Aisling. What do we do?”
The words echo uselessly between us.
“I’m calling Raf,” I say suddenly, conviction flooding my veins as white-hot fury awakens in my belly.How dare they take our daughter from us?I won’t let them. I will burn this entire goddamn city down to get her back. And if there is one person in this world that I can trust will help me do it, it’s Raf.
“Are you sure?” my mother asks, her voice trembling. “If you tell him…”
