The Warning

LILA POV

"Oh my God."

I rocked back and forth, clutching my knees against my chest, my face buried in my arms. I didn't want to look up. I couldn't. What the fuck was happening? Who were these people? And why the fuck was there a severed finger in that motherfucking box?

Better yet, whose finger was that?

No, I didn't want to know. I just wanted to wake up and realize this was a nightmare. But the longer I sat there, the more I realized it was real. I'd been kidnapped. Nikolai was dead. And his twin brother had just left me a human finger in a box. How could the Nikolai I knew be part of this family?

The Nikolai I knew... Did I really know him? Was he pretending to be someone he wasn't? Judging by what Nico had told me, it seemed so. I didn't even know his real surname, let alone his family.

Tears streamed down my face as my mind spun in a thousand directions. What did they plan to do to me? Kill me? Torture me? Hurt me? Did my family even know I was missing yet?

Thinking of my mom, dad, and brother had me shaking. For the first time since leaving home for Manhattan, I regretted it. If I had stayed home like my dad wanted, they would have known I'd been kidnapped. But because I tried to survive on my own, I might never see my family again. I might be dead by the time they realized I was missing.

My body ached, my lungs pleading for air while my tears choked every breath. I hated crying. I cried for weeks after thinking Nikolai had left me. I couldn't believe I was heartbroken over a guy I didn't even know for two months. We only had sex a few times. But I was in love. He didn't care who my family was, which was rare. Guys swarmed me for my surname, for our wealth and yachts. But Nikolai... he didn't give a fuck. And that's why I gave him my heart.

Nikolai was gone one day, whispering sweet words, then gone the next. I thought he had moved on. I never understood what happened. Now I did. Nico made it clear: Nikolai was dead... and he thought I had something to do with it. Absurd.

The pain stabbed through my chest, causing more tears and sobs. Fuck! I didn't even know if Nico was telling the truth. But he looked like he believed I was responsible. Nikolai... dead.

The thought cracked my chest open from the inside. My body slid down the wall. I landed on my side, crying into my arms. Shaking and cold, I couldn't stop the grief.

I had no idea how long I lay there, thinking about the horrors ahead. Nico and his family held me responsible for Nikolai's death why, I didn't know but fear pulsed through me. I shivered like it was minus twenty degrees.

I wasn't naïve. I read the news, knew the world was cruel. Girls got kidnapped, sold, raped, murdered... I just never thought I'd be one of them.

For the first time, I felt thankful for my father's wealth and power. It meant a better chance they could find me. But how long before they realized I was gone?

An image flashed in my mind. I lifted my head, staring at the bed. The box was still there, but the finger had rolled off. There was something on it something familiar.

I pushed myself up, wiped the tears, and stared at the bed. Dear Lord, please don't let it be what I think it is.

"Get a grip, Lila," I muttered, pulling my tangled, dirty hair. I bent my knees, steadying my feet, palms flush against the wall. My heart pounded. My blood rushed. Even my ears rang.

I lifted my feet, inching closer to see. I couldn't bear a full view yet. A few steps more, hands on the mattress, neck stretched... I saw it. A finger.

A fucking finger!

My stomach twisted. Not because it was severed, but because of the object on it a ring. Platinum with a gold F in a black square. Every man in the Falcone family wore one.

"No." I shook my head, pinching my eyes shut. "No. Please God, no," I cried, pressing my face into the sheets.

"Recognize the ring?"

I jerked up, looking at the wall where the voice came from. "Does it look familiar?" I recognized the voice.

"What the hell is going on?" I asked, my voice shaky. "I bet that tiny little mind of yours is spinning trying to figure out whose finger is laying on the floor."

I stepped backward toward the wall, scanning the room.

"You recognize the ring, don't you?".I glanced up. "What kind of twisted game are you playing?" "It's a game called cat and mouse." "And you think I'm the mouse?"

"By the way your body is shivering against that wall, your fear vibrating through every bone...yes, you are."

I closed my eyes, cursing my weakness. "So tell me, little mouse, do you recognize the ring?"

Gathering courage, I pushed off the wall. "Yes. I recognize the ring, you fucking psycho!" "Good." A hiss of air from the wall made me lurch back. I regretted insulting him.

The door opened. It was the same man I met earlier. My heart ached, my body trembled. He looked so much like him Nikolai...

Nico stepped in, bold and debonair in a black suit. Midnight hair perfectly styled, chiseled jaw with a short beard. Sophistication, power...hate in his dark eyes.

He straightened his shirt sleeves. "Did you like my gift, Miss Falcone?" I stared into the black depths, noticing the scar above his right eye.

"You already seem pissed off to me," I whispered. He smirked wickedly. "Believe me, Miss Falcone, you haven't seen me pissed off...yet."

He stepped back, letting me breathe.

"Why did you put that finger in a box for me?" I asked. "It's a warning."

"A warning for what?" "The better question: a warning to whom." I studied his face. I wouldn't fall for his coaxing.

"That ring, Miss Falcone, belonged to the man your father hired to kill my brother."

I gasped softly. "You seem surprised." "My father didn't hire anyone."

"Are you sure? How much do you know about your father's business? How he runs his empire?"

I didn't answer. I knew nothing. All I wanted was art, drawing, and my imagination.

He smiled. "As I suspected. You don't know a thing. Let me enlighten you." He paced, rubbing his chin. "Your father has a legion of men. He sits on his throne while others do his dirty work. In this case, killing my brother. The hired murderer got a paycheck...and a ring."

I shook my head. "Why would my father want Nikolai dead?"

"That, little mouse, is for you to answer." "There's just no motive," I muttered. His gaze moved over me. "I see plenty of motive right here in front of me."

"My dad never met Nikolai. So why would he want him dead?"

"You really don't know why, do you?" "I swear, Nico. I have no idea. You have it all wrong. My father didn't have Nikolai killed. There's no motive."

"That you know of." Silence enveloped us. My heart pounded.

"You said the finger was a warning for someone. I take it that someone is me?" I asked softly.

"Oh no, Miss Falcone. Having you trapped here is warning enough for now."

"For now?" He only smiled, darkness in his eyes.

"The warning is for your father, Lila." "Then why give it to me?"

He stepped closer, scent overwhelming. "Who do you think will receive the rest of that hand?"

"My father," I whispered. Nico laughed, maniacally.

"You think he's coming now? That he knows I have you?" He traced my jaw. "I wanted time with you. That hand won't be sent for seventy-two hours." My heart stopped. My lungs froze. "What do you think I'm capable of in seventy-two hours, Lila?"

It wasn't a question. It was a threat.

Abruptly, he stepped back. "Now, let's start with a few rules. This" he waved "is your new home. Live it, breathe it, get used to it. The sooner, the better."

I crossed my arms. "How long do you plan on keeping me here?"

A wicked grin. "Oh, Miss Falcone, until they carry you out...in a body bag."