Chapter 72: Riley

My blood is boiling, hotter than I’ve ever felt it. My hands grip the steering wheel so tight my knuckles turn white. Sofia had barely made it through the front door when her mother got her claws on her. The sound of that woman’s voice—vicious, hissing through the mic like some kind of snake—made my skin crawl. And we saw it too. We saw her mom grab her by the neck and throw her onto the couch. Danny cursed under his breath from the passenger seat, punching the dashboard in frustration, while Nate and Leo were fuming in the back. None of us could believe it.

"That woman is a fucking psycho," Leo growls, his fists clenched. "How could anyone treat their own daughter like that?"

"She’s not a mother," Nate adds, his voice cold and sharp, like the edge of a knife. "She’s a monster."

I nod, barely able to form words, because if I do, I might just lose it completely. We need to stay calm. We need to stick to the plan, no matter how much it’s killing us right now. But I can’t help but feel the rage building inside me. Every fiber of my being wants to storm into that house and rip Sofia’s parents apart for what they’re doing to her.

We’ve been sitting here, parked around the corner, watching every move through the cameras we set up. It’s taking everything I have not to charge in there. I glance at the screen, watching as Sofia’s mother looms over her, her face twisted with anger.

Suddenly, a car screeches to a halt in the driveway. We all turn to look, and my heart sinks.

Her dad.

"Fuck," Danny mutters under his breath, his eyes narrowing at the sight of him stomping towards the front door. "This can’t be good."

The panic rises in my chest as I watch him disappear into the house. The tension in the car is thick, and I can feel the guys getting ready to jump out at any moment. But we can’t. Not yet. We need this to work. We need evidence. But how much longer can we let this go on?

Inside, her dad slams the door, and through Sofia’s mic, we hear his heavy footsteps echoing down the hallway.

"What the hell did you think you were doing?" his voice booms, and I grit my teeth, gripping the wheel even tighter. "Running away with some boys? You were supposed to be back for that meeting. Do you know what you’ve done? You’ve ruined everything!"

Sofia tries to speak, her voice trembling but brave. "I didn’t run away with anyone. I was scared, and I just hid. I didn’t—"

But she doesn’t get to finish.

The sound of a slap echoes through the mic, and everything in me snaps.

"MOTHERFUCKER!" I shout, slamming my fist on the dashboard. Danny is already halfway out of the car, and Leo grabs his arm to stop him.

"Not yet," Leo says through gritted teeth, though I can see the same fury in his eyes. "We have to stick to the plan."

Nate is silent, staring at the screen with clenched fists, his face dark with rage. None of us can stand this. Sofia’s mic crackles, and we hear her trying to hold back a sob.

The bastard closes the curtains right after, cutting off our visual, leaving us blind, as if he knows someone is watching. The only thing we have now is her voice, and every sound we hear feels like a knife to the gut. I hate this. I hate that we can’t just go in there and take her out right now.

The air in the car is suffocating. It’s like we’re trapped in a cage, listening to Sofia endure hell and not being able to break out. Her father’s voice grates through the mic, getting uglier by the second. He’s beyond angry now, he’s enraged—like a caged animal that’s finally found its target.

“You ruined *everything*!” he snarls, his voice a sharp whip through the static. I can hear his footsteps getting closer, his shoes slamming against the hardwood floor as he moves toward her. “Do you even understand what you've done?”

There’s a rustle, maybe Sofia backing up, but her voice is small when she responds. “I— I didn’t mean—”

Her words are cut off with a sickening crack. I know that sound too well. A slap—harder this time. Sofia gasps, and I nearly throw myself out of the car right then.

“Fuck!” Danny curses beside me, gripping the dashboard so hard his knuckles are white. “We’re just gonna let this happen?”

“Stay down,” I hiss, gripping the wheel like it’s the only thing tethering me to reality. “Just… just wait.”

Sofia’s mom joins in, her voice shrill and cutting. “I should’ve known better than to trust you, Sofia. You’ve always been a selfish brat. Running off, ruining the one good thing we had.”

Sofia’s voice shakes, but she’s still trying to hold herself together. “I didn’t run away because I wanted to hurt you. I just—”

Her father’s rage cuts her off again. This time, there’s no warning—just a loud thud, followed by a soft cry from Sofia. It’s like he pushed her, maybe knocked her against the couch or the table. I can hear her trying to stifle her sobs, but it breaks something inside me.

Nate’s been silent for too long, sitting in the back, eyes glued to the feed from the house cameras. But now I hear his low, deadly voice break through. “We’re getting her out soon. I don’t care what the plan is.”

“Agreed,” Leo mutters, his jaw clenched tight.

But I can’t move. Not yet. Sofia needs to hold out for just a little longer. If we rush in too soon, we blow everything. This is our only chance to get enough evidence to take down both her parents and Moretti, and I know Sofia understands that. She’s stronger than any of us ever gave her credit for.

Through the mic, Sofia’s father is pacing again, his shoes scraping loudly across the floor. I can hear the venom in his voice when he speaks. “You think you’re special? Think you can just walk back in here like nothing happened? Like you didn’t fuck everything up?”

There’s another loud crash—something heavy hitting the wall, maybe her dad throwing something. I see the shadows shift on the curtains, and I clench my teeth. Every muscle in my body screams to go to her, to stop this, but I have to trust her. She can do this.

“I—I’m sorry,” Sofia says, her voice trembling, but still standing her ground. “I’ll fix it. I swear.”

“Sorry?” Her father lets out a cruel laugh that echoes through the car speakers. “Sorry isn’t going to fix anything, Sofia. You’re gonna pay for this.”

Another crack—a backhand across her face, followed by a small cry. It’s not loud, but it’s enough to tear through me like a knife. She’s taking hit after hit, and we’re just… sitting here. Waiting.

“I can’t fucking take this anymore,” Danny growls, his hands balling into fists.

“I’m gonna kill him,” Nate says quietly, his voice low and lethal. “I swear to God, I’m gonna kill him.”

Sofia’s mom speaks again, cold and devoid of any compassion. “You embarrassed us. You destroyed our lives. You cost us everything. Now, you’ll make up for it.”

Her father’s voice takes on a sinister tone, low and threatening. “Moretti may not want you anymore, but you’re still useful to me. And don’t think for a second you’re getting out of this.”

There’s a heavy thud, and Sofia lets out another small, pained sound. The sound of her body hitting the floor. My heart is racing, my fists clenched so hard I can feel my nails digging into my palms.

“How… how could you do this?” Sofia’s voice is a whisper now, shaky, broken. “I’m your daughter.”

“You’re nothing to us,” her father spits. “Nothing but a liability.”

And then, there’s a sickening crack—something harder than a slap. Maybe he kicked her. Sofia lets out a sharp cry of pain, and I lose it.

I slam my fist into the dashboard, cracking the plastic. “Fuck this. We’re going in—”

“No!” Leo grabs my arm. “Not yet. She has to give the signal.”

My chest heaves, and I’m shaking with rage, but I know he’s right. We have to wait. If we go in too soon, we ruin everything.

I stare at the house, at those fucking curtains, watching the shadows move inside. Sofia is still holding on. I can hear her breathing through the mic—shaky, uneven, but she’s still there.

But how much longer can she take this?