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I was shocked by how the boy in the picture looked nothing like Luca His hair was a startling shade of blond…it actually looked white And his eyes were a crisp, pale blue A big, toothy grin spread across his features I looked at Luca in surprise

“I know,” he said “He doesn’t look like me even a little bit… that’s all his mother,” he added as he motioned to the picture

I understood nohy Vaughn, Luca, and their friends believed the leads they’d been given about Gio His unique look would have ht have te hirow back as soon as they’d nized It wouldn’t have surprised me if they’d never even colored it, because that would haveto wait to sell him

“He has your chin,” I finally said “It looks very stubborn”

Luca actually chuckled “I wish I could say that was the first time I’d heard that About ave his hter too He… he…”

Luca’s voice dropped off before he whispered, “He’s a fighter”

My heart broke for hi

Fighters in the world I’d grown up in suffered more I’d seen itto them or escape it had been punished in the worst ways My friend, Reht tooth and nail to escape the life and he’d suffered so much more than me He was also the reason Dante had found me

“My friend is a fighter,” I said quickly “He survived, Luca The things they did to hiood life now And he saved me He’s the only reason et out and just run, but he called Dante and told hi like et hi”

Luca turned away froarette I saw him wipe discreetly at his face and I quickly looked away so he wouldn’t feel as embarrassed about the show of emotion

I thought about Reh I hadn’t actually “met” him – I’d encountered him in a bathroom He’d been badly bruised and I’d learned later he’d been violently assaulted just moments before I’d walked into that bathroonized a birthmark I had on my collarbone, the same one Dante had, and he’d called Dante as soon as he’d been able to

I hadn’t known then that Remy and I had met once before… he and I had actually been kept in the same house when I’d first been taken He’d remembered the birthmark froo to search for me, he’d encountered Remy who’d told him he’d seen me e’d both been little When Remy and I had run into each other in that bathroom years later, he’d reached out to Dante afterwards

He hadn’t had to do that

He’d chosen to help me He’d had no reason in the world to do what he’d done other than it’d been the right thing