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PROLOGUE
THIRTEEN YEARS OLD
“I’m sorry.I’ll get you the money like I promised,” the man sobbed, his bloody cheek smashed into the rug beneath him.
My breath was caught in my chest as I crouched in my hiding spot. The closet keeping me concealed was full of expensive suits and jackets that were brushing the top of my hair. My lungs began to burn, and I forced myself to inhale a small, silent breath. I regretted it instantly when my nose filled with the stench I despised most in this world. The musky aftershave my stepfather loved to douse himself with.
William Whitman. My stepfather since I was two years old. One of the most powerful men in my city. On the outside, he was a successful businessman who was adored and feared by many. To me, he was a chain that strangled my happiness for his own pleasure. I never called himDadorFather. He was just William. The man who’d fooled my mother into marriage before chewing her up and spitting out a version of her I didn’t recognize anymore.
The man pleaded for his life as I stared at him from the small crack between the closet doors. My heart was hammering against my chest as fear of being found outweighed anything else. It was William’s office closet I was tucked away in. I’d expected to have time to do what I needed before anyone else came up here.
“It’s too late to fulfill your promise now, Jack,” William told him, pressing his black leather shoe harder onto the man’s neck. “I’ll be making a visit to your sons tomorrow to make sure they realize it’s their responsibility to repay your debt.”
“No. Please, no,” Jack cried, trying to push himself off the floor. “My family doesn’t know what I’m involved in—”
“They’ll know by tomorrow night,” William said coldly, lifting his foot from Jack’s neck.
Two of William’s men rushed forward and pulled Jack to his knees. A dull ache traveled through my enclosed palm as I squeezed my hands into fists. What I held was the whole reason for sneaking into his office. Sweat covered my body, the closet becoming as suffocating as a coffin.
“Make sure he ends up somewhere untraceable,” William commanded his men before rounding his desk and sitting in his leather chair. He pulled a comb from his pocket and ran it through his thick black hair. At forty-five, he was turning gray, but I’d seen him dye it in an attempt to keep his youth. His upper lip was hidden by his mustache but it was impossible not to see his vile smirk, even from across the room.
A muffled bang refocused my attention on the rug in the middle of the office. Jack was slumped on the floor with blood pooling beneath his lifeless face. My stomach spiraled with nausea, and I covered my mouth with one hand, begging myself to keep it together. I’d never seen death before. As I stared at Jack, I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight. Or ever again.
“Was that necessary?”
My eyes widened at my mom’s voice. I’d had no idea she was in the room. She must have been near the door where I couldn’t see from the closet. Her voice was still in the same drug-induced haze as it always was. Only a few months ago, I’d realized my mom was an addict. Pills were something she couldn’t go more than two hours without. Thanks to her husband.
My leg started to lose feeling from crouching, and I shifted slightly, trying to relieve the pressure. It didn’t work. Panic shot through my chest as my leg fell asleep and it suddenly felt like a thousand needles were under my skin. With my teeth clenched, I stretched my leg out farther and flinched when my foot knocked into something.
“What was that?” William’s head whirled straight toward the closet, and I pressed against the back wall with fear swallowing me. The doors were ripped open, and one of the men gripped my arm, dragging me out of the closet. He tossed me to the ground, and my scream pierced the air when my hand landed in a puddle of Jack’s blood.
Flinging myself back, I scrambled to my feet and bolted to the door. William’s growl of fury shattered any illusion that I was getting out of here without facing him. One of his men grabbed me again and pretty much carried me to the chair in front of William’s desk. My entire body trembled when I met his heartless glare. My mom appeared next to me, concern lacing her dazed eyes. She sat in the chair next to me and pulled my hand into her grasp.
“Katalina, what are you doing in here?” she asked gently. “You know William’s office is off-limits.”
Here I was, covered in a man’s blood at thirteen years old. And her first question wasn’t if I was okay. A lump grew in my throat as I stared at the mother I saw every day but had never known. She was a puppet, and her strings were being pulled by William. Her dirty-blond hair was swept into an elegant bun, and her diamond earrings shone in the light as I pleaded with her silently to get me out of here.
“You’re lucky you didn’t get any blood on your party dress. Your mother bought that specially for tonight,” William said calmly.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered as my mom pulled out a handkerchief and began trying to wipe the blood off my hand.
“I’m sick and tired of having to deal with you,” he thundered, his palms slapping the desk as he stood. Hatred and annoyance covered his features. “You run wild. Without a care of who the fuck your parents are. This family would be better without you in it.”
I cringed. Not because of his words. I’d heard them before. It was because my mom didn’t say a thing in my defense. Not that I could blame her. Words were his way of making me miserable. He never touched me physically. No, he left that for my mom.
“What were you doing in here?” William repeated the question my mom asked as his eyes scanned the room, looking for anything that was disturbed.
My hand tightened around the small item I’d come in here for. William had taken it from me weeks ago because I did something to upset him. And this was the most important thing to me. He never remembered the things he took, and I would always just sneak in and grab them. Not once had he realized I did it. I was that insignificant to him.
“I-I needed to use the restroom and just wasn’t paying attention to the room I entered,” I stammered out, feeling a flush creeping across my cheeks as I lied. “Then I heard you and hid because I didn’t want to get in trouble. I’m really sorry.”
His eyes darkened with anger as he listened, and he glanced at the door behind me. I bit my tongue, knowing what he was thinking. He always kept the door locked. I had a skeleton key. It opened nearly every door in this old house. And so far, I’d been able to keep it a secret. The key suddenly felt heavier in my dress pocket as he focused back on me.
“She said she was sorry.” My mom finally spoke up, surprising me. “She’s just a child, William.”
“She’s not a child anymore,” William murmured. “Did you see what happened to Jack, Katalina?”
I nodded as tears filled my eyes. It wasn’t something I’d ever forget.
