Eli reeled in his seat, nearly knocking the laptop onto the ground. The television flickered in the background and the other two Capo boys looked his way. 

"You okay?" Noah glanced at his brother from the kitchen island. "Another vision? You've been getting more and more of them recently."

Eli nodded. "It's about Mom."

"Is she okay?" Jacob called from the other room and stepped into the room, leaning against the island. "What did you see?"

"Jacob," Noah warned. "Let it go." He turned to Eli. "You'd do well to do the same."

Eli bit his lip and righted his laptop. "Mom was pregnant when she left."

Both Noah and Jacob stared. "What?"

Eli nodded. "And I know where she is."

&&&

"Who is the girl?"

Dominic glanced up at his father. His father twirled a dagger between his fingers, lounging on his velvet throne. The senior Rossi stopped and leaned forward, staring.

"Who is she?"

"Does it matter?"

Rossi shrugs. "You bonded with someone. When my express command was to bond with Jennifer Lombard. You have cheated me out of a family alliance."

Dominic took a deep breath. "I'll find a way to break it—"

"There is no way. I did not raise an idiot. You know this. The only way to fix this is for me to snap this girl's neck and let you marry the Lombard."

Dominic glared at his father, pulling together every sinew of strength he had. "No."

His father threw the dagger at his son, just barely missing his neck. Dominic glared. "You haven't fed from her in a few days, no?"

Dominic didn't answer.

Rossi smiled. "I appreciate loyalty. But I cannot lose a family alliance because of your attachment to a human. Tell me about her. Maybe we can reach an agreement."

Dominic tensed, grateful that he left Dane with Raelyn. His father was powerful, but Dominic's apartment was an impenetrable fortress.

&&&

"So you just climbed through the ceiling?"

Gabe nodded. "It's really a design flaw. All of his security ignores the vents and ceiling."

Rae smiled. "You two seem very close."

Gabe nodded. "Nic is my best friend. I don't see him a whole lot. If you stay here, though, he'll be around a lot more. I still have school and stuff. Boring stuff."

"Well, I also have boring school stuff, so I understand."

"You're still in school?" Gabe's mouth dropped. "Nic stopped going to school when he was seventeen."

"I'm in college."

Gabe lowered his eyebrows. "What is that?"

Rae tilted her head. "It's optional school after high school."

Gabe pretended to gag. "Why would anyone do that?" He pulled his collar down and fell onto the bed, pretending to be sickened by the thought of school.

Rae felt the need to defend her choice. "Some jobs require it. It helps you earn money later in life." She glanced over to Gabe, who had stopped gagging and lay there on the bed, feigning death. She saw that he had slipped off his tie. His skin was dark underneath. Rae moved closer. Bruises. "Gabe. Do you have a bruise on your neck?"

Gabe shot up and pulled his collar up. "No."

"Gabe—"

"When I'm done with school, I am done forever. I am going to make money in the family business." He slipped his tie back over his head. "Nice to meet you." Gabe beelined toward the door and slipped out, closing it behind him.

Raelyn stared at the door. Then, she glanced down at her watch. "Oh, no." She jumped up and ran to the kitchen. Crockett—Dominic's enormous bodyguard—watched her run past from where he stood at the door, staring out. "Is there a laptop around here?"

"How did Gabe get inside?"

"Ceiling. I have an essay due tonight and I'm only, like, halfway through. Is there a laptop in here? Can we go grab mine?"

Crockett shook his head. "You need to stay here." He looked around. "Dominic has an office."

Raelyn dashed back down the hall. She then turned back and smiled sheepishly. "Gabe fell through the ceiling, just FYI." She whirled back around before finding a small office across from the room she was sleeping in. She dialed Dominic's number.

He picked up.

"Dominic, what's your computer password?"

"This is Dominic's father. Dominic is otherwise occupied."

"Oh. Hello."

"Is this Raelyn?"

Surely caller ID would have already given her away. "Uh, yes."

"My son was just telling me about you. I would love to have dinner with you tonight."

"Uh. Well, I actually have an essay due tonight. Maybe tomorrow night."

He chuckled on the line. "Okay, Raelyn. Tomorrow night. See you then."

Raelyn nodded. "And just to clarify, your son and I aren't, like, together. Kind of just connected through an unexpected event. Temporarily. No need for us to meet; I'm just a little mistake."

Silence. Then, Dominic's father's voice was slow and deliberate. "Tomorrow night."

"Okay. Um, can you put Dominic on the line? I still need that password."