Novels by Pecera Vienne

The bare bulb never turned off. I lay on the thin mattress and watched it until my eyes burned. The plastic ties around my wrists had rubbed the skin raw. Every small movement sent a sharp sting up my arms and into my shoulders. Thirst returned first. Hunger followed, low and constant. The room stayed the same—rough concrete walls, a single locked metal door, and distant city sounds that never came close enough to matter. I tried to keep track of time by counting breaths and the occasional shift in the noise outside. Sometimes I heard the low rumble of a truck. Once I heard footsteps that passed and did not return. The building felt large and empty. Industrial. The air carried the faint smell of dust, oil, and old rain. Ella returned twice during what I judged to be morning. The first time she set another bottle of water on the floor without speaking. She watched me for a moment, as if checking that I was still conscious, then left. The second time she brought a phone and a folde

Rain began falling before dawn.Sofia woke to the sound of it tapping against the bedroom window.For a few seconds, she forgot everything.Then she remembered Isabella.Lucien.The photographs.The lies.She turned toward the empty side of the bed.Alessandro was gone.Her heart skipped.She sat up quickly."Alessandro?"No answer.She threw on a robe and hurried downstairs.She found him in the study.He stood before a wall covered with photographs, documents, and old family records.Dante was there too.Neither man noticed her immediately."What are you doing?"Alessandro turned.His expression softened when he saw her."Trying to find Isabella."Sofia walked closer."You haven't slept.""Neither have you."She looked at the wall.There were photographs of Isabella at different ages.Five years old.Seven.Ten.Fourteen.Then nothing.A gap of several years.Sofia pointed toward it."Where did you get these?""From my father's private archives.""These weren't in the box.""No."Al

The bare bulb never turned off. I lay on the thin mattress and watched it until my eyes burned. The plastic ties around my wrists had rubbed the skin raw. Every small movement sent a sharp sting up my arms and into my shoulders. Thirst returned first. Hunger followed, low and constant. The room stayed the same—rough concrete walls, a single locked metal door, and distant city sounds that never came close enough to matter.I tried to keep track of time by counting breaths and the occasional shift in the noise outside. Sometimes I heard the low rumble of a truck. Once I heard footsteps that passed and did not return. The building felt large and empty. Industrial. The air carried the faint smell of dust, oil, and old rain.Ella returned twice during what I judged to be morning. The first time she set another bottle of water on the floor without speaking. She watched me for a moment, as if checking that I was still conscious, then left. The second time she brought a phone and a folded m

The message from Alexander came just after noon.*Harris has a new lead on the east docks. I am going with the team. Stay in the suite. Do not open the door for anyone except Thomas or me.*I read it twice and typed back that I understood. The suite felt quieter the moment the door closed behind the last security check. Two guards remained in the hallway. The city beyond the windows looked gray and ordinary. I tried to settle on the sofa with a book, but the words refused to hold my attention. Every few minutes I checked my phone for another update that did not come.At three o’clock a knock sounded. Three short taps—the signal Thomas always used.“Miss Vivian,” Thomas’s voice came through the door, calm and familiar. “Mr. Kane asked me to move you to a different floor. The current location may have been compromised. We need to go now.”I stood and walked to the door. Through the peephole I saw Thomas alone in his dark suit, hands visible, expression serious. The two hallway guards we

The rain had not stopped by the time we returned to the hotel. Security teams checked the suite twice before allowing us inside. Alexander spoke briefly with Thomas, then locked the door himself and set his phone on the table within easy reach. I stood near the window watching the wet streets below, knowing Ella was still somewhere in the same darkness.The call came at 2:17 a.m.Alexander’s phone lit up with an unknown number. He glanced at me, then answered and put it on speaker.A familiar voice filled the room—calm, cold, and unmistakably Ella’s.“Hello, Alexander.”He went very still. “Where are you?”“Close enough,” she answered. “Close enough to watch the police run in circles at that empty factory. Close enough to know you brought her with you.”My stomach tightened. Alexander’s eyes met mine across the table.Ella continued without waiting. “I am tired of playing games. You already cost me weeks of planning and two useful people. So I will make this simple. You will sign ov

Night settled over the city while the search for Ella Monroe spread outward in every direction. Roadblocks checked cars on the main highways. Helicopters circled the industrial edges of town. Detective Harris’s updates came in short, frequent calls—each one reporting the same result. No confirmed sighting. No clear trail after the abandoned sedan.Alexander had moved us to a high-floor suite in a secure hotel under heavy private security. Beatrice remained in the hospital’s protected unit with officers at her door. I sat near the window of the suite while Alexander spoke quietly with Thomas and two of his most trusted men. Maps and phone logs covered the table. The city lights beyond the glass looked ordinary, almost peaceful, but I knew better. Ella was out there somewhere in the same darkness.I watched the streets and tried to steady my breathing. She had already proven she could reach through walls, through staff, through prison itself. The short peace we had felt earlier that d

Sofia's scream cut through the darkness.Alessandro turned so quickly that his shoulder struck the car door."Sofia!"The estate had gone completely black.Not a single light remained.He ran toward the car."Sofia!"No answer.He reached the driver's side and yanked the door open.Empty.His heart stopped.The passenger door was open.The seat was still warm."NO!"Dante came running from the house."What happened?""She's gone."Matteo appeared behind him."What?"Alessandro pointed toward the open door."She was right here."Matteo's face drained of color."Sofia!"They searched the grounds.Nothing.No footprints.No blood.No sign of a struggle.Only one thing remained on the ground beside the car.Sofia's silver pendant.The olive branch.Alessandro picked it up.His fingers trembled."No..."He closed his fist around it.Someone had taken her.Again.But this time, they hadn't left a ransom demand.They had left a message.Written in white paint across the stone wall:THE DAUGH

"Bring us the Moretti daughter."The words hung over the estate.Sofia's fingers tightened around Alessandro's.For one brief second, neither of them moved.Then Alessandro stepped forward."You have five seconds to tell me who sent you."The man standing at the gate laughed."You don't give orders here."Alessandro's eyes hardened."Four."The man lifted his gun."Three."Sofia pulled gently at Alessandro's sleeve."Don't."He looked at her.There was fear in her eyes, but she wasn't afraid for herself.She was afraid of what he might become if the shooting started.That was enough to make him pause.The stranger smiled."Smart girl."Alessandro's expression changed."Don't call her that."The man raised his weapon higher."Then hand her over.""No."The answer came from Sofia.Everyone looked at her.She stepped forward.Alessandro immediately caught her wrist."Sofia."She looked at him."If they came for me, I need to know why.""You don't owe them anything.""I know."She turned

The men at the gates didn't move.Neither did Alessandro.His hand remained close to his weapon while Sofia stood beside him, refusing to step behind him."Bring us Sofia Moretti," the man shouted again.Alessandro's eyes narrowed."Who sent you?"The man smiled."You don't need to know.""Then you don't need to leave."Sofia touched Alessandro's arm."Wait."He glanced at her.She was staring at the men."I recognize that symbol."Alessandro followed her gaze.A small silver emblem had been stitched onto the collar of the man standing in front.An old-fashioned serpent wrapped around a dagger.Sofia's face went pale."My father used to have that symbol."Alessandro looked at her."Are you sure?"She nodded slowly."Not on his clothes."She swallowed."On his old documents."The men began advancing toward the gates.Alessandro's expression hardened."Dante."His earpiece crackled."I'm here.""Lock down the estate.""Already doing it."More Romano guards appeared along the walls.Sofi

The photograph arrived before breakfast.Alessandro was standing in his study, reading the report Dante had left on his desk, when a black envelope slid beneath the door.He looked down.No footsteps.No voice.Nothing.Just the envelope.His instincts immediately sharpened.He crouched and picked it up.There was no name on it.Only one sentence written across the front:You promised to find the truth. Start with her.Alessandro's jaw tightened.He opened it.A photograph fell onto the desk.For several seconds, he simply stared.Sofia.Standing beside a man he had never seen before.The photograph had clearly been taken outside the Moretti estate.The man's hand rested against Sofia's shoulder.She was looking directly at him.Smiling.Alessandro's stomach tightened."No."He picked up the photograph again.There was something wrong with it.He knew that.He had seen enough manipulated evidence in his life to recognize when something was designed to provoke a reaction.But the photo

The gunman lifted his weapon.Inside the study, Sofia didn't know what her mother had seen.But she knew fear when she saw it."Mother?"Elena grabbed her hand."Don't move."The first shot shattered the window.Sofia screamed as Elena pulled her down.Glass exploded across the room."Get down!"Another bullet struck the bookshelf.Sofia covered her head."Who are they?""I don't know.""You just said—""I know what I said."Elena dragged her toward the door."There's a passage behind the cabinet."Sofia stared at her."A passage?""Your father built it years ago.""Why?"Elena's eyes met hers."Because he knew one day someone would come for us."Another shot rang through the estate.Footsteps erupted in the hallway.Guards shouted.Doors slammed.The house descended into chaos.Elena pushed the cabinet aside.A narrow opening appeared behind it.Sofia stared."You knew this was here.""Yes.""Why didn't you ever tell me?""Because I wanted you to have a normal life."Sofia almost lau

The first thing Sofia heard when her phone came back on was Alessandro's voice."Don't trust anyone."She froze.The screen flickered once before the recording disappeared.Sofia stared at the phone.Her heart pounded."Alessandro?"She pressed the screen again.Nothing.She called him.One ring.Two.Three.Then the call ended.She tried again.This time, the phone went straight to voicemail."No..."She sat on the edge of her bed, gripping the phone tightly.Only a few hours ago, she had been smiling because of him.Now fear was crawling slowly beneath her skin.She opened the unknown message again.Don't trust the man you love.Her thumb hovered over the screen.She hated the words.Hated the doubt they created.Most of all, she hated that a tiny part of her was beginning to wonder whether there was something Alessandro hadn't told her.A knock sounded at the door.Sofia quickly locked her phone."Who is it?""Me."Matteo.She took a breath."Come in."The door opened.Her brother