“Let’s go, Vanessa.” He hisses, pushing me towards the back door.
He shoves me into the passenger seat of a black sedan, slamming the door and speeding down the alleyway. He navigates the streets of Grovewood with ease, as if he’s done it a thousand times. The thought makes me sick to my stomach, because he likely has. There’s no telling how long he’s been here, watching us, waiting for this very moment. We drive in silence towards the coast for an eternity, the feeling of peril building in my chest. I should’ve screamed. I should’ve fought harder. My life has been an endless stream of knowing what I should’ve done only after it’s too late to change a situation.
Now I’m stuck here, not knowing whether I’ll live or die today, not knowing whether Matteo has already given his life for such a stupid cause. Tears fall from my eyes, staining my green satin shirt. This day started so well. Cute outfit, great hair day, wrapped in the arms of a gorgeous man. What a turn it’s taken in such a short amount of time.
“Where are you taking me?” I ask quietly, and the man smirks.
“We’re going to have a little family reunion, Vanessa.” He grips the steering wheel hard, the leather creaking under his hands.
“I don’t understand how my family is involved in any of this. I haven’t even seen them in years. They know nothing about myinvolvement with Sebastian. How are they-” I ask, but he cuts me off.
“See, that’s where you’re wrong. They know all about your boyfriend, sweetheart. You can’t imagine how proud they were when I told them you bagged one of Italy’s most eligible criminals. They were shocked, you can guess, when I told them it was the head of the Arsenio empire. The same man who refused to work with them many years ago when your father approached one of Sebastian’s suppliers in Miami looking to expand his enterprise. It seems my cousin was unimpressed by your father’s more…immoral business practices. Can you imagine being the head of an empire such as this one and possessing something as restrictive and useless as a conscience? Disgusting. Your parents were more than willing to help me find you once I promised them a seat at the table when I rule this family.” He speeds down the back roads, the salty ocean air seeping in through the car vents.
The sound of ship horns, trucks, and seagulls resonate outside as he slows down, driving through city streets again. We must be close to a shipyard. He pulls the car through a dark, gated entry, driving through rows and rows of shipping containers before stopping next to what looks like an empty warehouse next to a long dock.
“Listen to me right now, Vanessa. You do anything to try to escape once we go inside, and I will shoot you. I will not hesitate. I’m not your little boy toy. I don’t give a fuck if you live or die today. You’re nothing but bait to me. Don’t fuck up my plan and make me shoot you in front of mommy and daddy, okay?” he says, and I want to stab him right through his beady little eyes.
After hand cuffing me, he pulls a gun from the small of his back, presses it against my temple, and drags me from the car. I’m done crying. I’ve moved past fear and on to anger. I’m sofucking tired of being a pawn in this war. I will not be taken down by this shrimp-dick motherfucker.
“What makes you think I won’t just make you kill me now? Try to run again and lose every chance of leverage you think you have for getting Sebastian here?” I snap, yanking against his grip. The sting of his hold on my hair is painful, but nothing compares to the rage I feel inside.
“You think I’m an idiot, Vanessa?” He laughs.
“You don’t want me to answer that.” I reply, pulling against my restraints.
“I brought a special kind of incentive. Just for you, baby.” He whispers in my ear, kissing my cheek again. His hot breath against my skin makes my stomach roll as he kicks open the warehouse door.
In the center of the room, my parents are huddled together, looking just as ragged and guilty as they always have. But my heart shatters at the sight next to them. Sitting tied to a chair, her face bloody and bruised, is one of the very few people I would stay in hell for. She doesn’t have to open her eyes for me to know they are the mirror image of mine.
Aria.My sister.
twenty-seven
I wake in a cold sweat,a nightmare clinging to the edges of my mind. My phone blares with alarms. Did I set an alarm? No, the sound is wrong. That’s not the alarm I wake up to. That’s the security system for Vanessa’s house. Jumping out of bed, I grab my phone and pull up the cameras.
Everything is offline.
I open the feed of the shop downstairs.
Offline.
Someone pounds on the door to the apartment, and I tug a pair of slacks up my legs, grabbing my gun from the island as I make my way to the front door.
“Seb!? Ness?! Anybody, please!!” Rory’s voice filters through the door, and I unlock it quickly.
“Aurora? What are you doing here?” I ask, confused.
“Is she here? Tell me she’s here, Seb! Please! Vanessa?!” she shouts, pushing past me into the apartment.
“She’s downstairs opening the shop, Rory. What’s going on?” I ask, following closely behind her.
“No, she isn’t! She’s not down there, Seb! And her house…” she sobs, tears streaming down her face. “Her-her house is…”
She’s crying so hard I can barely understand anything she’s saying. I’ve never seen Aurora so shattered. She’s always the most collected woman, always the most calm in a crisis. Grabbing her shoulders, I stop her frantic search and force her to look at me.
“What about her house, Rory? Where is she?” I demand, and she dissolves again.
“That’s what I’m saying! I don’t know!” She screams, her head falling against my shoulder.