Page 31 of Blissful Devotion

A man who traded my father to repay his debts.

I’m not sure exactly what that means, but given my father's adverse reaction to even talking about it, I gather it can’t be good.

“So, this Lorenzo, our uncle, is the one who has Kat?” Des asks, and honestly, I’m glad he’s asking for clarification because I’m also unsure.

“That would make sense,” Kratos says, and while he’s still pretty terrifying to look at, he seems less scary now, with his eyes full of sympathy and maybe even understanding.

Fuck, I hope not, but given what I found about Vengeance, it would make sense.

They go after traffickers, rapists, and pedophiles. A real Robin Hood way of cleaning up the streets, leaving nothing but bodies or ash behind.

Maybe that's why they caught on so fast; this isn’t their first rodeo.

“Can you get her back?” Father asks, his words slurred as he sways even while sitting.

“Absolutely,” Jade says with a confidence that makes me believe her, her jaw set and eyes hard in determination. I’m not a gambling man, but something tells me I’d do best to bet on her.

Besides, it’s not like we have much else of a choice at this point.

“We’ll even take care of Lorenzo for you. On the house.” Zander, the guy who cut Carter’s pinkie off, seems a little more excited about that than he should, but I’m not going to complain.

Whoever Lorenzo is, he’s bad news and deserves whatever they give him for taking Kat.

“It’s late. How about we get some rest, and we can figure out a plan tomorrow?” One of Jade’s guys, whose name I can’t remember, says, looking over at my father, and I get the feeling his suggestion has more to do with him than the late hour.

I like them, even though they seem to enjoy murdering a little more than I think is normal.

Not all heroes wear capes, and as much as we might be willing to get our hands dirty, they live for this.

At least they’re the good guys.

“Sounds good. Why don’t you all just pick some rooms? We have plenty to spare,” Nathan offers as he pushes to stand.

His lack of sleep makes him appear older than usual. As if life has beaten him down, and honestly, after hearing about Lorenzo, it might have.

“Got any with a big bed?” Zander asks, and Jade shoots him a glare.

“No, but you’re welcome to pull in a mattress from another room.”

Zander’s eyes light up like a kid on Christmas at Nathan’s suggestion.

“One night alone won’t kill you,” Jade tells him, making Zander bark a laugh.

“It sure the fuck will,” Kratos says, grabbing her and tossing her over his shoulder.

“You all are ridiculous,” she says, sounding annoyed, but her eyes shine with admiration. “We’ll see you back here no later than seven to start planning how to get her back, so get some sleep now. You all have a woman you need back.”

“And a baby,” Father slurs out, hardly even coherent, but it’s enough to stop them cold.

“What?” Jade is out of his arms and back by the table so quickly that I realize she let him cart her away.

Vince moves around the table toward her, holding out the papers from her doctor’s appointment. The ones that let us know she was pregnant even after she was already gone, the ones he’s been holding onto like his life depends on it.

She takes them, her eyes flying over the words as her face falls and she sees the truth. The paper crumbles in her hands, and her gaze snaps up to Kratos’s, a silent conversation passing between them.

I know what they said in Italy, that Jade is the head, but it’s impossible to deny they are very much a family, a well-oiled machine that needs every piece.

“We’ll get them back, Jade.” Her gaze snaps up to Trent’s before she huffs and hands the paper back to Vince and quickly turns away, but not before I see the pain that shines in her eyes.