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I had to call Silvio Orsini.
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Adriana
Ididn’t know how I was supposed to keep it together when Nick’s lackey grabbed me by the wrist and led me out of the truck into a desolate-looking front yard. The rain made it hard to see, but in the distance, I could vaguely discern the outline of a two-story house. It looked like an old farmhouse, surrounded by thick woodland with no other sign of civilization in sight. I glanced back at the truck, its lights now off and the vague outline of a driver barely visible behind the tinted windshield. A shiver ran down my spine, not entirely due to the cold rain soaking through my clothes.
“Move,” the man grumbled, giving my arm a rough jerk. I stumbled forward, fear adding a sharp edge to the discomfort of my wet clothes sticking to my skin. The shackles chafed against my skin. Nick stayed ahead of him, barely looking back.
The inside of the house was as desolate as its exterior. The wallpaper was peeling off in some areas, while others were stained with dark, indiscernible marks. The floor creaked ominously under our weight as we moved further into the house which was illuminated by the pale glow of a single dim light bulb hanging from the ceiling.
The man pushed me into a room on the right and shut the door behind us. The house was warm and it smelled like old candy. The room was small, barely furnished with a rickety chair and an old wooden table. The wallpaper here was just as worn out, the once bright floral pattern faded into obscurity. There was a single window with the curtain drawn, obscuring the view outside.
Nick turned to me then, his icy blue eyes glinting in the faint light behind his glasses. “Sit,” he ordered, gesturing towards the chair. “Gag her, Gio.”
Gio. Fuck. Of course. Nick’s brother, the one Tristan had called a brute.
“Don’t,” I said. “I’ll talk without being gagged.”
“I need it for the picture,” Nick said, tilting his head. “We’ll be quick.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but Gio was already pulling a piece of cloth from his pocket. My stomach churned. I focused on my breathing, reminding myself that if I could just keep calm, I might be able to think my way out of this.
Nick’s gaze never left mine as Gio tied the cloth around my mouth tightly. His eyes were cold, void of any emotion. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a phone, quickly snapping a picture without breaking eye contact.
“Good girl,” he said, taking a step back. His words made my skin crawl. Gio untied the cloth and dropped it onto the table before stepping back into the shadows.
“Now, if you would be so kind as to sit down,” Nick continued, gesturing to the chair again. “I have a proposal for you.”
I hesitated for a moment before slowly lowering myself into the chair. The nerves in my belly twisted tighter as I waited for him to speak.
“You’re a smart woman, Adriana,” he began, leaning against the table as his gaze roamed over me. “You value your family and would do anything to protect them.” His words were smooth as silk, but the intent behind them was as sharp as a knife. “So here’s my proposition.”
I swallowed hard, feeling the knot in my stomach tighten. My thoughts raced. What twisted game was he playing?
“I want the Callahans to back down,” he said, so nonchalantly that it was almost disarming. “They’ve been breathing down my neck for too long, pushing at the edges of Rossi territory.” He paused, letting his words sink in before continuing. “You can make them stop.”
If he had wanted our families to back down, he had just made a brave mistake.
“I don’t control the Callahans,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “I don’t control the Orsinis. I don’t control anything. I just keep the books.”
Nick chuckled at that, a sinister smile playing on his lips. “You underestimate yourself,” he said. “You’re carrying an heir, aren’t you?”
Ice cold dread washed over me at his words. My hand subconsciously moved to my belly, my fierce protective instinct flaring up at the thought of my unborn child being in danger. “What do you want?” I asked him, trying to keep my voice steady even as my heart pounded with terror.
Nick leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest. “It’s simple,” he said. “The Callahans and the Orsinis need to leave me alone. No more interference in my business. No more attempts to take me down. I want more territory. I want twenty-five percent of all contracts going forward, especially construction. Should be simple enough.”
“Or what?” I found myself asking, my voice stronger than I expected.
“Or…” Nick dragged the word out, his eyes scanning my face with predatory interest, “you and your baby’s lives will become very…unpleasant.” The unspoken threat hung in the air, chilling me to the bone.
I didn’t react. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing me scared, even though I was terrified. My mind raced, trying to think of a way out of this situation. How long before Tristan and Kieran got my location? How long before my dad made a move? Could I stall for time?
“I don’t have nearly as much power as you think I have, Nicolas. There’s no guarantee they’ll listen to me. Even if I tried…”
Nick cut me off with a wave of his hand. “They’ll listen to you because they have something valuable to lose,” he said calmly. His cold eyes bored into mine once again. “And if they won’t, I’ll find ways to make them listen.”
Nick’s words echoed in the room, bouncing off the damp, peeling walls and sinking deep into my bones. The threat was clear—either I complied, or he’d make sure to squeeze me dry until there was nothing left but a shell of a woman.
The harsh reality of it kicked in then. I was caught between a rock and a hard place, wobbling on a thin line between life and death. If I didn’t help Nick, he’d bring down hell onto me and my unborn child. Yet, if I did help him, Tristan would…I didn’t know what he would do. I didn’t think he would ever forgive me.
