Chapter 4

Looking at the tools in the Matron's hands, all I could think about was Nina's words: "underground lockup."

No one who went into the Commission's underground lockup came out alive.

Julian wants the Vieri family completely wiped out.

I closed my eyes and swallowed the blood in my throat.

"I was wrong," I said, my voice shaking. I had no other choice. "I'll apologize to Chloe."

The Matron's lips curled into a smile.

"If you'd realized that sooner, you could have saved yourself some pain."

She lifted her chin. Guards hauled in crates of vodka. Smashed the bottles right on the concrete.

A thirty-foot-long hallway was now covered in sharp, broken glass.

"The Boss said you have to walk this path to prove you're truly sorry," the Matron said with a gesture. "On your knees. Crawl."

The straps came off. I slid from the chair.

The second my feet hit the ground, the pain was blinding.

I bit my lip and dropped to my knees.

Glass shards instantly pierced the cloth of my pants, digging into my flesh.

With every inch I moved, the glass ground between bone and skin.

I left two shocking trails of blood behind me.

Thirty feet. The pain eventually went numb. All that was left was the instinct to crawl forward.

By the time I left the basement, my legs were shredded.

I dragged my broken body, limping toward the guest wing.

The wind howled, and the rain came down in sheets.

I reached the glass doors of the outdoor patio by the heated pool, but two assault rifles crossed in front of me, blocking my path.

"The Donna must turn back," a guard said, his face blank. "The Boss just spent three hours calming Miss Chloe down. His orders: anyone who disturbs them gets thrown to the sharks."

My body gave out. My knees buckled and I fell hard onto the cold tile.

Inside the glass doors was the master suite.

The blinds were halfway open. A gap Chloe left on purpose. Julian thought I was safely locked in the basement, that I could never get out, never be here.

It wasn't quiet inside. I could hear Chloe's breathy moans.

"Julian... touch me here," Chloe guided his hand. "The doctor said the baby is fine. We can be a little rougher."

I heard a man's low chuckle. He must have been drinking. His voice was husky, unrestrained.

"These hands of yours... always holding a gun. The calluses are tickling me..."

The rhythmic thud of the headboard echoed through the bulletproof glass, mixing with the storm, pounding against my eardrums.

Rain washed over my thin gown.

I pressed myself against the glass door, hammering it with my fists.

"Julian! Let me see you!" I screamed, my voice raw. "Let my father go!"

The soundproof glass blocked everything. The people inside didn't hear a thing.

The sounds from the bedroom grew louder.

Later that night, the glass door stayed shut, but the Matron appeared from a side door, holding a black umbrella.

CRACK!

A whip cut through the air and struck my cheek. The skin split open.

"My father never betrayed the organization!" I clutched my face, screaming. "Those ledgers are fake!"

CRACK!

Another lash hit the corner of my mouth.

"You've been the Donna for years and couldn't even produce an heir, and now you dare question the Boss's decisions?" The Matron spat. "Omertà. The family code. You break it, you bleed. The Boss could make you disappear anytime."

She stepped on my leg, grinding the glass deeper. "The entire Vieri family's fate is in the Boss's hands now. You'd be wise to learn your place."

The Matron turned and left.

I ignored the pain in my face and slammed my forehead against the glass door.

"Just tell him I'm here! Please!"

My mouth was full of blood. Still, no one moved.

In the bedroom, things were finally quiet.

A naked Chloe was draped over Julian's chest, tracing circles with her finger.

"Don't you think this is too harsh a punishment for her?"

Julian's eyes were dark as he played with her hair.

"Old man Vieri spoiled her rotten," his voice drifted out from the side window the Matron had deliberately left ajar. "The only way to break that pride of hers is with an iron fist. Then she'll learn to behave and stop causing you trouble."

He lit a cigar.

"She's not a bad person, just impulsive. In a few days, I'll step in and save the Vieri family. She'll thank me for it in the end."

Thank him.

So that's what this was. Sending my father to his death was just leverage. A tool to tame me.

Rain and blood streamed into my eyes, blurring my vision.

My heart, in my chest... with every slam of the headboard, with every arrogant word of his "mercy," it turned to ash.

He was just playing with me.

Enjoying the process of breaking me.

I should never have hoped for anything from him.

If I didn't find a way out before the Commission issued its final order, my father would die in that prison.

The Vieri family's loyal men and businesses would be purged.

I pushed myself up from the ground with my bloody hands.

Avoiding the patrol guards, I gritted my teeth and climbed the electric fence at the edge of the estate.

A jolt of current seared my skin as I fell over into the mud outside.

The highway was slick with a thin layer of ice.

I ran barefoot on the asphalt, leaving a trail of bloody footprints with every step.

The rain was trying to swallow the world.

My consciousness began to fade. My vision went black.

Just as I was about to collapse, two blinding headlights tore through the night.

A black, armored Maybach screeched to a halt on the side of the road.

The door opened. A pair of polished leather shoes stepped into a puddle.

I lunged forward. My last ounce of strength. My bloody fingers gripped his pant leg.

"Cassian," I choked out. "Help me..."