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32
SIERRA
Carlo will come for you.
The words played on repeat in my mind, giving me just enough comfort that I didn’t descend into a full panic attack as I awoke in a basement. Abasement. The terror of the situation drove into me and settled deep in my chest, making me feel unable to do anything but lay on the cold concrete floor and focus on my breathing. I couldn’t help but relate the situation to the one I’d been in before, and every time my mind drifted back to that day, I could hardly convince myself to draw in a breath.
Carlo will come.That was the difference this time. Carlo would know something had happened, and he’d come for me as soon as he learned I was no longer in the house. I didn’t know how long that would take, but it’d be fast enough. How long had it already been? It had been relatively early afternoon when I'd been knocked unconscious. But now the sun had begun descending. I couldn’t tell how far it’d gone, but the block windows of the basement showed it was dim yet not yet night. It couldn’t have been more than a couple hours. By now, Carlo had to know the truth, and he’d be searching for me.
I went to lift my hand and feel my pockets for a phone I knew had been taken. When I looked at them, I found a thin piece of twine winding around both wrists. I tugged and felt them catch on something. When I looked up, I found that the restraints had been tied to one of the support posts within the house, and I tugged my wrists, wincing as the bindings cut into the painful, purpling bruise there.
“Carlo will come,” I whispered to myself, closing my eyes and taking in the surroundings. There was something almost familiar about this place, though not because I’d been here before. It smelled familiar, and the countertops settled against the wall across the room reminded me of some I’d seen recently. Virgil’s old countertops. The ones my assistant had taken out of the kitchen and brought into the basement.
The door opened before I could descend back into the same panic that had consumed me before, and I glanced up the basement steps at who stood in the doorway, looking down at me. Virgil came first, smirking as he looked me up and down. He walked with an air of confidence that made me sick to my stomach. “You’ve gotten yourself into one hell of a predicament, haven’t you?” he asked.
I ground my teeth, refusing to speak to a man like him. I had nothing to say but twisted curse words and harsh insults, and the last thing I needed was to be physically attacked. If I was going to get out of here, I needed to be at my full strength, and the pounding headache from being knocked unconscious already felt crippling. Combined with the panic, I wondered if I’d ever feel decent again.
Behind Virgil marched in another familiar face—one that had me sitting up straighter and backing as far away as possible. His dark hair and hazel eyes still haunted my nightmares, and I shook my head rapidly as he approached. He looked me over as if I were a possession, not a person.
“I recognize that scar,” he said, tilting his head and finally meeting my eyes. A wicked smile pulled onto his face. “To think I planned on killing you. It healed up quite nicely. You’ll fetch a high price from the right client.” He took another step toward me, and I kicked out my leg, catching him in the shin. It should have hurt. I knew it should have, but he didn’t react.
“You two have met?” Virgil asked incredulously.
I bristled. “Your crony took me from a club five years ago.”
“She’s the one you sent search parties out for, boss. We had our men scouring the media and police reports to find her when she escaped, but she dropped off the radar,” he said.
I gasped, shaking my head. I hadn’t gone to the police or the media, and now I wondered what would’ve happened if I had. If they had people looking for me, I’d been in more danger than I’d realized.
Virgil made a dissatisfied noise in the back of his throat. “You realize you’re the only one who’s ever gotten away?” He asked. His tongue darted out and moistened his dry lips, and I cringed away from the gesture. “I knew I took an interest in you for a good reason. You’re going to sell for more than we initially thought.”
“Fuck you,” I finally shouted, forcing myself to my feet. I held onto the beam and steadied myself, trying not to let them see how weak I felt. “Fuck all of you. You’re not selling me.” Virgil raised his brows but didn’t say anything. “If you do something to me, you’ll be the prime suspect after I’ve been renovating your house.”
“I won’t even rank the top ten, and do you want to know why?” Virgil asked, moving forward in a way that had me stepping back, despite my attempts to stay strong and put on a brave show. “You have connections to the Bonanno brothers that run far deeper than our connections, and that’s where the law will look first. That’s assuming you have anyone in your life who gives a shit about you enough to come looking.”
I pursed my lips. I had Carlo and his brothers, but beyond them, I had Hunter. He’d do everything to see me safe. I had Bella, and—
Bella.
She’d been with me outside the house, and until now I hadn’t given her a second thought. I promised I’d do everything in my power to make sure they didn’t get her, but what had I done? I’d tried to run, and I’d been caught. Bella deserved so much better than this situation. I knew how terrifying it’d been the first time, and I’d do anything to make sure she got out of this safely.
“Let us go. Bella is innocent in all of this.” I wondered how much he knew about what I’d been doing in his house. He could’ve taken me out of convenience since he was targeting Bella, but I had a feeling he knew more than he let on. Amusement danced in his eyes, and I raised my voice. “I’ll tell you anything you want to know if you let her go home. Please.”
“Stupid fucking girl,” he said, clicking his tongue. “As tempting as that offer is, I’m going to decline. We know all we need to.”
“If you don’t let us go, you’ll have a lot more problems than finding someone to buy me. Carlo will come for me. Frankie will kill you for touching his wife. None of this will be worth it if you’re dead. Just let us both go, and I swear I won’t say anything.”
“You won’t?” he asked, the same skeptical amusement in his gaze. “Have you not been reporting my movements to them since you’ve been working for me? Or is it just a recent development?”
I clenched my jaw shut, not saying another word as he tucked his hand in his pocket. How much did he know? How much could I get away with lying? I had no idea how Carlo would find me, but I hoped he would check here first. This was Virgil’s main residence, and he’d been ignorant to bring me here. It was likely well-guarded enough that he didn’t have to worry about anything infiltration, but he didn’t know the brothers like I did.
“They’re going to find us here, and they’re going to kill you,” I said, shaking my head. You have no idea who you’re messing with.”
“I’m messing with a bunch of boys who inherited a business they know nothing about. They’re spoiled brats who haven’t been in this business long. But their father was a man to be respected. He built his empire from the ground up, andhedeserved it. I’m taking back what they don’t deserve.” Their father was a horrible man, but I supposed Virgil would have seen it otherwise since he, too, was a monster. “And I have no reason to be concerned. Carlo’s already been taken care of, and the others are next. Make yourself comfortable. You’ll be here a while.”
I didn’t know if the shaking had just started or if it had been happening for a while. But as Virgil strode back up the steps, leaving the man from my nightmares behind, I couldn’t contain the trembling in my limbs. I could only shake my head quickly and force myself to breathe. I had no reason to believe him. Virgil was a lying asshole, and Carlo couldn’t be dead. Carlo knew they were coming, and he was too strong to fall victim to an attack. I had to believe that.
“I have a few questions for you,” the man in front of me said, pacing back and forth as he flipped a page on his clipboard and clicked his pen. “How old are you?”
