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There’s tension amongst them. Clearly, all three of them were worried when I was late, but it isn’t as if they didn’t know where I was.
“Do you understand that if something happens to you, it’s on all of us?” Judah speaks once more, his gaze trained back on me.
“You’re a fucking arsehole,” I bite out. “I was in the library.” He slams the small window shut, and everything goes silent. “Don’t you dare leave me in here!”
I’m convinced that screaming isn’t going to work. These places are built to muffle the sound of torture, so my voice won’t do much against the thick concrete walls that surround me.
I don’t know what to do. Anger overwhelms me. Just when I think I’m taking a step forward, making ground with Judah, he pushes me two steps in the other direction, and I’m once more on the back foot.
Frustration and fear courses through me as I sit down on the mattress that creaks beneath me. I can’t lie down, because I’m too fearful of whoever was in this cell before me. So, I sit and wait. Surely, Kai and Valen will talk him out of this insanity.
Judah can’t keep me in here forever. That’s what I tell myself, over and over again, as time passes. but the longer I sit here, the lonelier and more scared I feel.
Sighing, I stand and pace back and forth. The tears I kept at bay, all this time, finally spring free and trickle down my cheeks.
I’m not sure how long I’ve been imprisoned, when suddenly, the door lurches open and standing on the other side is Valen.
“Come,” he calls, and I rush towards him.
I slam into Valen’s body, and his arms wrap around me. He doesn’t say anything. For a long while, he merely stands there, holding me as if I’m a wounded bird. His hand circles my back as I sob, and I realise just how afraid I was. As much as I like him, Judah still fucking scares me. And I don’t think he’ll evernotscare me.
“It’s…” I choke out. “It’s not right. I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I know,” he says softly as he steps back. “Judah’s angry because we found a few students doing background checks on you. One of them is in the room down the hall.” Valen gestures with his head towards the darker part of the dungeon we’re standing in.
“But I don’t understand,” I say. “Why would he lock me in here. I don’t—”
Then, Valen chuckles, which catches me off guard.
“We’ve all had our time in these cells. It’s part of your initiation—the start of you becoming one of us.”
“What?”
“Step one, spend some time in that shithole.” Valen’s voice lowers as he speaks. “Step two, Judah’s going to want to see what you’re made of, so whatever he demands, just obey him. His orders are law here.”
“I don’t like playing games,” I tell Valen. “If he’s bringing me into the family, into the organisation, he can do it without messing with my head.”
I tug away from him in anger. I don’t want to be pushed around by any of them. I won’t be the pawn in their twisted game.
“Are you ready to get some blood on your hands, princess?” Judah’s voice stops me short. I want nothing more than to slap him, but it will probably land me back in the cell, so all I do is offer him a nod.
I don’t want to talk to him. Or be near him. But for now, I’ll play along with this fucked up game he’s decided is an initiation into this family unit.
I’m led by Judah down the hall and into the darkest depths of the dungeon. He takes me to a room that’s much larger than the cell I was in, and there, sitting bound to a chair, is the guy who tried to attack me at university last week.
“What is going on?” I ask, my gaze flicking to Judah.
Judah stops in front of the man. “This is Marco DiMario,” he announces.
The man looking back at me causes me to shiver. It could all be over now.
“What is he doing here?” I whisper.
“Your little boyfriends think I’m some kind of spy,” Marco spits in anger as he pins me with a glare. It’s the same look he gave me that day on campus. “Did you go squealing to them, about me wanting to talk to you? I don’t appreciate being treated like a criminal when I’m here to learn, just like everyone else.”
“Then explain why we found photos of Brielle Saviatti, from when she was living in the UK, and a copy of her medical file in your possession?”
Shock slams right into my chest when I cast a glance at Judah. If this bastard has my medical file, that means Judah’s seen it. That means they’ve all seen it. They know what happened.
