2

"Ow, my head. I can't believe they knocked me out! What did he say about hitting a lady? Hypocrite!" I groaned, rubbing my temples as I looked around the fancy room I had just woken up in.

I was in deep sh*t. No ordinary gang could afford a house that had such luxury. Who were these people?

'I need to find Clara and get out of here before things worsen.' I jumped out of the bed and ran to the door. Locked! Obviously! I ran to the window; my plan B.

'Locked too? What the hell?' I scowled, slamming my hand against the glass. ‘Ugh, Plan C then. What can I use? What can I use?'

The bedside lamp caught my eyes, and I smirked. I grabbed it, testing the weight in my hands as I walked back to the window. Not too heavy, but it had to do.

I slammed the heavy end of the lamp against the glass and grinned at the small cracks from my impact.

My arm muscles burnt as I continued to hit the window and I scowled. Why was it so hard to break? After a few hits, the glass completely shattered, leaving a gaping hole.

I looked through it, careful not to cut myself with the shards. The distance to the ground wasn't too bad, nothing I hadn't done before.

I grabbed one of the broken glasses and headed to the bed. It wasn't easy to cut and rip the bedsheet and thick duvet with it, but it did the trick. My makeshift rope was ready, I tied it to the window frame and threw it out.

‘Thank heavens it managed to reach the ground. Falling on broken glass wasn't going to help my plan. I’m coming Clara. I swear if anything have happened to her, I'm going to burn this house and everyone in it.' I thought as I climbed out. The glass crunched under my shoes as my feet touched the ground.

'How has nobody noticed what I was doing? Just as I thought. All bark and no bite. Getting out of here wou—'

"Did you think it would be that easy?" A rich baritone voice chuckled behind me, and I cringed. I spoke too soon.

"Honestly, I thought you guys were just all barks and no bite," I replied, turning around to see Lorenzo. How had I not noticed him? Did he suddenly appear out of nowhere, or was he hiding since?

"How did you know what I was doing?"

"Security cameras. I have to give you credit, though; you're quite resourceful. It seems this isn't your first time breaking out of a house."

"You were watching me through cameras! Creep! Did you intend to watch me change too?" I crinkled my nose at him.

"Oh, please, trust me, I don't have to be a peeping Tom to see women's bodies. They beg me for the opportunity." He scoffed, but his eyes roamed up and down my body. "But I won't mind seeing yours if you're interested."

His sultry smile and half-lidded gaze sent heat rushing through my veins and I shooed the unholy thoughts rising in my head.

"Thanks for the offer, but I'm not interested. Where's Clara? We have classes in a few hours, and I don't want to miss it." I frowned and crossed my arms over my chest.

"How can you be thinking of classes when your life is in danger?" He furrowed his brows.

"Because I took a student loan, and I want to get my money's worth. Do you know how much it hurts to waste money you borrowed? It hurts more than having a gun pointed at my head. And I have a perfect attendance record. I don't want to ruin it because of one bad day. So where is Clara?" I huffed, tapping my foot on the ground.

"I swear you're not just crazy; you're mad, and it's quite fascinating." He muttered, staring at me like I had grown horns.

"Crazy, mad, whatever. I just have my priorities right. I don't want to pay for something I didn't use. Just take me to Clara."

"Well, try to keep up then," he said and walked away.

~•~•~•~•

'Ugh, why did he have to move so fast? Was he going to war or something? I swear he did that on purpose to make me run.' I panted, glaring at him as he held open a door for me.

"Why are you glaring at me? I thought you wanted to see Clara as soon as possible because you had classes. You want to get your money's worth, right?" Lorenzo taunted, and I scowled but didn’t say anything.

I walked through the door and my eyes scanned the large study, searching for my friend.

"Where is Clara?" I asked, turning around to Lorenzo. My frown deepened as he locked the door and slid the key into his pocket.

"Oh, you wanted to meet her now? You should have been more specific." He shrugged and I balled my fist. What part of 'Take Me to Clara' wasn't specific?

"I'm not interested in whatever silly games you're playing. I want to see Clara now, and want to take her home." I insisted as he walked past me.

He grabbed a bottle of whiskey off the table and poured a dash into the glass.

"Do you know who I am?" He asked as he took a small sip.

"No? Am I supposed to?" I raised my brows. "Clara never told me she had an uncle or any family member alive."

"Really?" He chuckled and leaned against his table. "But does the name, Diavolo, ring any bell?"

"Diavolo... Diavolo... Diavolo..." I mumbled under my breath. The name sounded familiar but I couldn't place— oh sh*t!

'Diavolo!' I gasped, and my stomach dropped. 'Devil of Sinclair City! Don of Tenebre!'

'No... It couldn't be...' I took a step back, my wide eyes staring at the man standing before me. It had to be a lie. I couldn't be face-to-face with one of the deadliest men in the entire country! The Lord of Sinclair's underworld!

"It seems it does ring a bell." Lorenzo grinned and gulped the entire glass of whiskey.

Oh sh*t! I was in the devil's den!