Chapter 62: Nate

We’re downstairs in the gym, trying to blow off steam, but it’s not working. Riley left early this morning, and Sofia’s upstairs, probably reviewing her new course schedule. She’s excited to get back to school, and I want her to focus on that. On feeling normal.

But everything feels far from normal.

Danny’s pacing, throwing punches in the air like he’s imagining knocking someone out, while Leo and I are working the weights. I can see it in their eyes—they’re both as pissed as I am. Her father. I can’t believe it.

“Riley’s going to stop by the office on his way out,” Danny says, slamming his fists into the punching bag hanging from the ceiling. “He’s up to speed on everything.”

I grunt in response, focusing on the weight in my hands. We filled Riley in before he left, told him about her father showing up. He handled it calmly, but I could see the anger brewing beneath the surface. He knows how bad this could get.

Her father... the one who should have protected her, is now coming after her. Not to bring her back home, not to make things right, but to punish her for the deal falling through with Moretti.

“Why the hell would her father show up at our office?” Danny mutters, more to himself than to us.

Leo, who’s been quiet this whole time, finally speaks up. “It’s obvious, isn’t it? The deal with Moretti fell apart. Her dad’s desperate to get out of the mess he made.”

That’s the thing that’s been eating at us all morning. Moretti broke the deal with Sofia’s father the second he found out she was missing. Her father lost his last bargaining chip, and now he’s furious. Furious enough to come after her himself.

I hit the punching bag hard, the force of the blow reverberating through my arm. I can’t get the image of her dad out of my head. That scumbag was going to sell his own daughter, and now that Moretti doesn’t want anything to do with him, he’s probably looking to make her pay.

Her father was at our office. He even attacked one of our men, knocked him out cold before running off when backup arrived.

Leo wipes sweat off his forehead, his expression grim. “This is bad. If her father knows she’s with us, he’s not going to stop.”

Danny stops punching the bag and turns toward us. “It’s worse than that. If her dad knows she’s here, Moretti probably does too.”

That’s what’s keeping us all on edge. Sofia’s father never would’ve risked going after her himself unless he was pushed into a corner. He’s desperate, and desperate people do dangerous things. But if Moretti’s in the loop, we’ve got a whole other problem. Moretti might have broken the deal, but he hasn’t given up on finding her. He’ll still want her, either for his own twisted needs or just to settle the score.

“And Sofia has no idea,” I say, shaking my head. “She thinks she’s safe here.”

Leo slams his fist against the bag, his jaw clenched tight. “We can’t tell her. Not yet. She’s been through too much already.”

I nod, though it’s not sitting well with me. Keeping her in the dark might protect her in the short term, but eventually, she’ll figure out something’s wrong.

“Her father’s coming for her, one way or another,” I mutter, feeling the rage simmering just beneath the surface. “And if he’s working with Moretti, they’ll come at us harder.”

“We’ll deal with it,” Danny says, his voice full of determination. “We’re not letting anyone near her.”

But it’s not that simple. Moretti’s powerful, and if he’s working with her father, it’ll be an all-out war to keep Sofia safe. They’ve already found our office, and it’s only a matter of time before they track her down.

I stop pacing and look over at Leo. “You think Moretti’s going to make another move soon?”

Leo shakes his head, wiping sweat from his brow. “I don’t know. But her father will. He’s pissed, and he’s not the type to let things go.”

Danny clenches his fists, pacing back and forth. “We need to figure out what his next move is. If her father’s coming after her, we need to hit first.”

I nod in agreement, but my mind’s racing. How did things spiral out of control this quickly? We brought Sofia here to protect her, to give her a safe space, but now... her own father is hunting her down like she’s a problem he needs to fix.

It’s sick.

Leo punches the bag one last time before grabbing a towel. “We’ve got to be ready. If her father’s involved, this isn’t going to end well.”

“And Moretti?” I ask, knowing full well the answer.

Leo shrugs, but there’s tension in his voice. “If he finds out Sofia’s with us, he’ll come after her too. It’s just a matter of time.”

I exhale, my breath shaky. This is exactly what we’ve been trying to avoid—getting her mixed up in this mess again. And now, we’re caught in the middle of it.

“I’m going to check on her,” I say, suddenly feeling the need to see Sofia.

Leo raises an eyebrow. “You’ve been checking on her a lot, Nate. She’s fine.”

I shrug, ignoring him as I head for the stairs. I need to see her, even if it’s just to remind myself that we’ve still got time to keep her safe.