Alexander’s POV

Will rolled his eyes for like a hundredth time.

“Why, Alex?” he asked again. “Give me one good reason except your intuition.”

I tightened my jaw and shook my head.

“I don’t need another reason, Will,” I said angrily. “I don’t fucking trust her and that’s it.”

Will narrowed his eyes and wanted to say something, but he was interrupted when the door opened and Eli and Damien walked inside.

Eli took one look at me and he immediately knew that something was wrong.

“What is going on?” he asked as he looked from me to Will. “Where is Sophia? Did something happen to her?”

“No, Eli,” I said. “She and Luke are still asleep.”

Damien closed the door and leaned against it.

“What happened then?” he asked. “You two look like you are about to punch each other.”

I glanced at Will and saw him rolling his eyes again.

“I want your mother to leave,” I said, trying to remain calm. “I don’t trust her and I don’t want her around Sophia.”

Damien raised an eyebrow at me, but he remained silent. Eli gulped and looked at Will. I knew that Eli didn’t trust her either. He and I had already discussed it.

“You are just being insecure, Alex,” Will said and I could feel the anger boiling in my blood.

I clenched my fists and narrowed my eyes at him.

“I am not fucking insecure, Will,” I said angrily. “I am worried about my sister. I let your mother come here because I thought that maybe it would be good for Sophia. I can already tell that it isn’t and I want her out of here.”

Will shook his head and chuckled.

“She spent one night here,” he said. “How can you tell that it isn’t good for Sophia to have her here?”

I looked at Eli and took a deep breath.

“Because I know my sister,” I said calmly. “I could tell that she wasn’t comfortable. I want your mom out of my house.”

I looked back at Will and saw fury on his face.

“Sophia needs…,” he spoke, but I interrupted him.

“Her brothers,” I said sternly. “She only needs her brothers. She doesn’t need a woman in her life. She needs people who love her and your mother doesn’t.”

Will took a deep breath and released it slowly.

“My mother and I talked yesterday,” Will said and I could tell that he was trying to remain calm. “She likes Sophia so much. She said that she would love to spend more time with her.”

Will shook his head and sighed.

“We are backed into a corner until we find those fuckers,” he continued. “We can leave this place. We can’t take her anywhere. We can’t fucking give her any opportunities other than spending her days with us. She finally has a person she can connect with and who can offer her something that we can’t. Why do you want to take that from her?”

“Why do you think that she needs anything else, Will?” Eli asked, furrowing his eyebrows. “Do you think that she isn’t happy here with us?”

Will looked at him and sighed.

“No, she is happy, of course she is,” Will said, shaking his head. “She is safe. She is loved. She is happy.”

“Then what?” Eli asked. “Why do you think that she needs your mother?”

Will gulped but remained silent.

“Because he feels guilty,” Damien said after a few moments of silence.

The three of us looked at him. Eli and I were confused. Will rolled his eyes again.

“I don’t feel guilty.”

“Guilty about what?”

Will and I spoke at the same time.

Damien looked at Will and raised an eyebrow.

“I know you, Will,” he said. “You feel guilty because we can’t find those bastards so you are trying to compensate by giving Sophia something that she never had.”

Damien stopped talking and took a deep breath.

“A mother,” he added and I could feel the anger boiling inside me.

I tightened my jaw and looked at Will.

“She will never be her mother, Will,” I said angrily. “Sophia’s mother is dead. No one can replace her.”

If I had known that was the reason Will wanted to bring his mother here, I would have never allowed it. Sophia didn’t need a replacement for her mom. She had us. She had her brothers. Why couldn’t that be enough for Will?

Will leaned against my desk and took a deep breath.

“I know that, Alex,” he said. “I didn’t want her to replace Sophia’s mother, I just…”

He stopped talking and ran his fingers through his hair. He furrowed his eyebrows and I could swear that I saw tears in his eyes.

“That little girl has been through so much.” he continued, his voice breaking. “And we can’t fucking find the bastards who did that to her. We can’t find the fucker who is threatening her.”

Will looked and me and shook his head.

“We are two most powerful men in our city and we can’t do shit,” he said angrily. “Why can’t we find them, Alex? Why?”

I took a deep breath and released it slowly.

“We will find them, Will,” I said, trying to remain calm. “We both knew it wouldn’t be easy. It will take us some time, but we will find them and we will make them pay for what they have done.”

Will bent his head and sighed.

“I just wanted to take her mind off everything that happened,” Will mumbled. “I wanted to take her mind off what they have done to her.”

I looked at Eli and saw sadness on his face.

“You had good intentions, Will,” Damien said softly. “But I agree with Alex. Our mom should leave.”

I looked at Damien and my eyes widened. I wasn’t expecting him to side with me.

“Don’t look at me like that, Alex,” Damien sighed. “I could tell that Sophia wasn’t comfortable. She probably only agreed to meet her to please Will.”

Will groaned and ran his fingers through his hair.

“Fine,” he mumbled. “I will talk to my mom and I will arrange a car to pick her up.”

I felt relief wash over me.

I heard a knock on the door and a smile spread across my face. My baby was awake. Damien stepped aside and opened the door.

I was a bit disappointed when I saw Luke.

“What is going on here?” he asked as he walked inside.

I looked behind him, expecting to see Sophia, but she wasn’t there.

“Where is Sophia?” I asked, looking back at Luke.

“She is in the kitchen with my mom,” he said. “They are making pancakes for breakfast.”

An uneasy feeling washed over me. I started walking out of my office immediately. I knew that Sophia wouldn’t be comfortable alone with her.

“What is going on?” Luke asked, but I ignored him.

The others would explain our decision to him.

I rushed downstairs, wanting to see my baby as soon as possible.

“Baby,” I called her as I walked into the kitchen.

My heart almost stopped beating.

They weren’t here. I saw the pancake ingredients laid out on the counter, but my baby wasn’t there.

“Sophia!” I screamed as I rushed toward the living room.

I could hear footsteps rushing downstairs.

“Sophia!” I shouted again and my voice almost broke.

“What happened?” someone asked, panicking.

“Sophia!” I screamed, ignoring them completely.

She wasn’t answering me. Why the fuck wasn’t she answering me?!

“Honey?” I heard Eli’s voice. “Where are you?”

“Mom?” Luke yelled.

My heart was racing a mile a minute. It was going to jump out of my chest.

Where was she? Where was my baby?

“Sophia?!”