by Penelope Sky
Unless he used nuclear weapons.
That would just defeat the purpose.
Their fortress was new on the outside, but ancient below. It went deep under the surface, making them impenetrable by invasion. Once they got me under the hatch and deep underground, I knew I would stay there until I became a corpse.
I wasn’t scared of death.
I was scared of what would happen to my girls.
Bates would take care of them, I believed that.
But I wanted to be the one to take care of them.
I was taken underground and into a cell made entirely of concrete. There was a small bed in the corner, a chair, and a toilet, so they obviously expected me to last through their interrogation for a few days.
Fuck, how did this happen?
They’d had to wire the cars somehow. That couldn’t have been easy. It was genius—and that pissed me off.
“Sit.” Damien nodded to the metal chair in the corner.
I took off my jacket and placed it over the chair, retaining as much power as I could. Showing fear would only make it worse. Regardless of what they did to me, I wouldn’t cave. I wouldn’t give them any satisfaction. “I should have some time.”
“Yeah?” Damien asked. “How thoughtful of you.”
“I won’t give you what you want. You’ll torture me until I crack, but I won’t crack. You’ll contact Bates next and offer my freedom in exchange for his cooperation. He won’t give you what you want either. So I suggest you kill me.”
“Or maybe I need to crank up my torturing methods right from the beginning.” He stood in front of me, his arms crossed over his chest. “When a man hasn’t felt a needle in his eye or a hot iron in his ass, he thinks he can handle anything. But once it really gets rough, he breaks. Trust me, they all break. You’ll be no different.”
12
Siena
Every time I called, it went straight to voice mail.
Something wasn’t right.
He should have been home an hour ago.
My heart was beating so hard.
Giovanni came into my room without knocking. “Bates is outside. He’s gathering all the men. Something’s wrong.”
I almost ran out of the room, but then I remembered I had a daughter I couldn’t leave unattended. “Giovanni—”
“I’ll take care of her. Go.”
I ran down the stairs then made my way outside. The last car left the roundabout as every single man under Cato’s payroll took off—and left the house unprotected. “What’s going on?” I found Bates standing there on the phone, talking to someone about his mom. He hung up and turned to me. “Damien has Cato. He called me when it happened. They ambushed him, and there’s nothing he could have done about it.”
“Oh my god…” I covered my mouth with my hands as the tears emerged. “No. No. No.”
“I sent the rest of the men to intercept him, but I have a feeling they’ve already made it to their headquarters by now.”
I paced in a circle, my hands digging into my hair. “So what? Break down the front door and get in there.”
“It’s not that simple—”
“I don’t care if it’s simple! Get in there and get him out.”
“Listen to me.” He grabbed both of my shoulders and shook me. “I want my brother back as much as you do, but their headquarters is underneath the building, deep underground. I can crash the building down, but that would only trap Cato underneath it. We could storm inside, but the hatch can’t be broken.”
“So we do nothing?” I shrieked.
“No…I just have to figure something out.”
“What do they want from Cato?”
“Everything.”
“What does that mean?” she hissed.
“They want access to all his bank accounts, all of his assets, all of his billions.”
“Then give it to them.”
Bates gave me a disappointed look. “We agreed we would never give any of that up.”
“So you’d rather die for money?” I asked incredulously. “Is it really more important than your life? Your brother’s life?”
“It’s not just about money. It’s about power. It’s about not handing over everything we worked for to some assholes. We don’t negotiate with assholes. Cato and I both agreed that if either one of us were captured, we wouldn’t negotiate.”
“He must feel differently now. He didn’t have us when he said that.”
Bates shook his head. “Trust me, he won’t change his mind. He would rather die than let them win.”
“No!”
“It’s not about money—”
“Money has done nothing but ruin your lives. Don’t you see that?” Tears streamed down my face. “Just give them what they want. Get Cato back… I need him. His daughter needs him.”
Bates gripped my shoulders and tried to calm me. “I will do everything I can to get him back, okay? Look, I’m on your side. I just need a second to think.”
“We don’t have a second.” I pushed his arms down. “They’re going to torture him. They’re going to torture and kill him the way they tortured and killed my father. I’m not letting that happen to him.”
“Well, do you have any ideas? You’ve been there before. How do we infiltrate their building? Get underground?”
I’d been there before, but never under the hatch. “I’ve only been on the bottom floor. I didn’t even know they had an underground. I don’t see why we can’t storm the building, kill all the men, and smoke them out.”
“I’m sure they’re prepared for that eventuality.”
“Then negotiating is our only option.”
“I can’t, Siena—”
“Then offer them something. Offer them a billion or something.”
He shook his head. “Then all our enemies will think they can do that to us.”
“How about we just focus on getting Cato back before we think about the future?” I hissed. “Give them the business and get out of the game for good. Money isn’t worth this nightmare.”
Bates sighed. “Siena, you’re oversimplifying it.”
“This is your brother. He’ll be tortured and—”
“I may not be in tears, but that doesn’t mean I’m not falling apart,” he growled. “I love my brother more than anything in this damn world. I want him back more than you do. But it’s not that simple. If we get out of the game, people might hunt us down and slaughter us anyway. This is beyond your understanding at the moment.”
Bates was just talking in circles, and we weren’t finding a solution. Damien was taking pleasure in this because he knew Cato was sleeping with me. So this was personal to him. He would make it hurt for that reason alone.
The thought of Damien gave me an idea. It made me sick to my stomach, terrified, and so scared that my hands actually shook…but it was the only solution that might actually work. I didn’t care what the consequences would be to me. All I cared about was getting Cato out of there…because he didn’t deserve that fate. “I have an idea…and I know it’ll work.”
“What?” Bates asked, stepping closer to me in enthusiasm. “What is it?”
“Damien wants me…”
He raised an eyebrow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I could walk in there and offer a trade. Cato for me. He’ll take it.”
Bates looked furious, like I’d just suggested we forget about Cato entirely. “Cato would rather die than let that happen.”
“I know…but I don’t care.”
“I can’t let that happen, Siena. I prefer him over you, but he would kill me if I didn’t stop you. Cato would rather be tortured a million times than let you take his place.”
“I wouldn’t be taking his place, necessarily.”
He cocked his head. “You’re gonna let a guy rape you until he kills you. That’s worse than death, if you ask me.”
“But it’s not worse than Cato dying. This is the only option we have. I walk in ther
e, make the trade, and then…I’ll find a way out.”
“You don’t understand how complicated that is. I don’t have a schematic for you. I can’t give you a blueprint.”
“I’ll memorize the way out on the way in.”
He dragged his hands down his face. “How are you going to get away from Damien in the first place?”
“He’ll take me somewhere private to fuck me. That’s when I’ll pull out a knife hidden in my hair and kill him with it.”
His nostrils flared as he sighed. “What if you offer the trade, and they keep you without letting Cato go?”
“I’ll offer my compliance—and that will make it worth his while.”
“But he can get billions out of Cato. You’re just pussy…sorry.”
With Cato captured, I didn’t have time to be offended. “You’ve seen how distracted men can become over pussy.” Cato changed his whole life when he met me, and Damien had wanted me for years. “Trust me, Damien wants me. He’ll make the trade.”
“Fuck, I don’t know…”
“You’ll wait for me outside in a shitty car. I’ll run out and hop in…and we’ll drive like hell.”
He stared at me for a long time, his blue eyes shifting back and forth as he looked into mine. His jaw was clenched tight as he considered my offer. “What about Martina?”
“Giovanni will take care of her…and give her to Landon if Cato and I don’t survive.” I didn’t want to think about not seeing my baby again. That terrified me even more than losing Cato. But one day she would understand why I had to do this…because I had to save the man I loved.
He closed his eyes and sighed. “Are you sure about this?”
“Yes,” I said without hesitation.
“There’s a very strong possibility you might not get out.”
“And if that happens, Cato won’t stop until he figures out a way to get me back.”
“But you would have to live with…you know.”
Being raped. Every day. For who knows how long. “I would much rather suffer that than let Cato be tortured—a million times over. Sex is just sex. I’ll close my eyes and think about my daughter. I’ll trick Damien into becoming infatuated with me so he’ll treat me well. And then maybe I can find my own escape. All I know is…doing nothing isn’t an option. I can’t leave Cato there.”
He still grappled with this heavy burden. If he let me go and I didn’t escape, Cato would never forgive him. His phone rang at that moment, and he answered without looking at the screen. “You didn’t make it?” he asked. “Alright. Head back.” He hung up.
I already knew what security had told him.
He lifted his gaze and looked at me again. “I’m sorry I ever doubted you, Siena.”
Saying goodbye to my daughter was the hardest thing I’d ever had to do.
I held her close to my chest and rocked her back and forth, feeling her warmth in my arms. She smelled like baby shampoo and laundry detergent. I ran my fingers over her small hands, and I kissed each one, wanting to treasure how she felt before I left—possibly for good. “Martina, I love you so much.” I kissed her forehead. “But I love your father too…and I have to save him. He’ll be home soon, and he’ll take care of you.” Tears fell down my cheeks as I gripped her tightly, unable to say goodbye to the most important thing in my life.
Giovanni cried too, knowing how hard this was for me. “I’ll take care of her, Miss Siena. Don’t worry.”
I handed her back to Giovanni and cried harder. “Tell Cato I love him.”
“Of course, Miss Siena.” He wrapped his arm around me and hugged me. “You’re a smart and strong woman. If anyone can make it out of there, it’s you.”
“Thank you. I’ll remember that…” I looked at my daughter one last time before I turned away and walked out of the house. Tears kept falling down my cheeks as I got into the passenger’s seat of the car.
Bates looked at me from behind the steering wheel. “You’re absolutely sure you want to do this?”
I couldn’t live with myself if I left Cato to suffer. It would haunt me every single day. I knew he was suffering that very moment, and the longer I waited, the weaker he became. Even if they didn’t kill him right away, the injuries themselves might. “Yes.”
Bates hit the gas, and we left the estate.
The drive to Florence seemed to last a lifetime.
We didn’t speak the entire way.
There was nothing to say, not when we were both thinking about Cato at the exact same time.
We entered the city and drove through the streets until we approached their building. Like always, it was dark and seemed abandoned. They hid in plain sight, which made them more difficult to target.
Bates pulled up to the curb. “I have a few men who will pick up Cato when he steps outside. I’ll wait for you here since this car isn’t conspicuous. This is your last chance, Siena. I strongly discourage you from doing this.”
“No matter how small the odds are, I have to try.” I looked into his eyes, seeing the genuine concern on his face. “I love him so much. I can’t even describe it. I would give up my life for his in a heartbeat. There’s no fear. There’s no hesitation. Regardless of what Damien does to me, I’ll be relieved Cato is free.”
He sighed. “If this doesn’t work, Cato and I will figure out a way to get you back. And if that means Cato has to give up everything…I’m sure he’ll do it.”
“I know he will.”
He continued to look at me, the emotion written all over his face. “I’m sorry for what I did. I’m sorry for not believing you. I’m sorry…for everything. You’re the greatest thing that’s ever happened to my brother.”
“You were just trying to protect him.”
“But there was nothing to protect him from.” He rested his hand on mine. “Good luck.” He gave me a gentle squeeze before he pulled his hand away.
I opened the door and prepared to step out. “I forgive you, Bates.” I shut the door behind me and walked around the corner to the secret entrance. I’d passed through it before, and I did the same procedure now.
The camera examined my features, recognized me, and allowed me to step inside.
Two men armed with rifles studied me. The one on the left spoke. “Siena Russo, why are you here?”
“To have a word with Damien.” Now that I was in the lair of the demons, there was no time to be scared or emotional. I had to be hard and cold if I was going to survive down here. “He’s not expecting me, but he’ll be happy to see me.” I stepped forward and allowed the men to move their metal detectors across my body. As I expected, they didn’t check my bun.
That was a good sign.
One of them stepped off to the side to radio down into the hatch.
I waited patiently, seeing the guard look me up and down like I was a piece of meat.
I glanced at him, my gaze hostile. “Do you mind?”
He grinned and looked away.
The other guard returned. “He’ll see you. Come with me.” He took me by the arm.
I yanked my elbow out of his grasp. “I’m not a blind dog. I can see where I’m going.”
He didn’t try to push me again. He took me farther into the room and down a few hallways until we entered a room with an enormous hatch in the floor. He went to a keypad and typed in a code.
I managed to catch a glimpse.
34892
Easy enough to remember.
The large door slid open, revealing a spiral stairwell that went deep underground. There were lights along the walls for illumination.
Jesus, this place was nuclear-proof.
The guard guided me to the stairs and followed behind me. At the top of the stairs, I noticed a similar pad where the code could be entered to exit. I remembered what it was before I made the descent. It seemed to take fifteen minutes before we reached the bottom and stepped inside a large room. It didn’t seem like we were hundreds of feet underground, but in another building just like the one
s on the surface.
The guard escorted me again, taking me down a few hallways until we entered a row of cells.
I memorized all the turns.
My heart started to beat harder the closer we came. All the cells looked like prison cells, and I suspected I was about to see Cato. I just hoped I could keep my emotions together, to not burst into tears at the sight of him. Whether he was injured or unharmed, it would be difficult for me to seem indifferent. The fact that I was making this gesture at all was proof that I loved him, but I didn’t want to wear my heart on my sleeve to Damien.
The guard knocked on the door before he stepped inside. “Here she is.” He gave me a push.
I stepped inside, and the sight I saw nearly made me burst into tears. Cato was on the ground, naked with the exception of his boxers, and he was so bloody that his features were barely distinguishable. He was breathing, but he seemed so weak…like he couldn’t even stand.
I fought the tears as hard as I could.
Damien smiled at me like this was the happiest day of his life. “Wow, you don’t look like you just had a baby.” He looked me up and down with approval.
I tried not to stare at Cato, who seemed to be unconscious. “I hit the gym pretty hard.”
“It shows.” On the table beside him was a bloody hammer. I hated to think what he’d done with that.
I was so glad I’d come. Whatever Damien did to me would be worth it to get Cato out of there.
“So, what brings you here?” Damien asked. “You missed the best part of the show.” He looked down at Cato. “He lasted longer than I thought he would. But unfortunately…we’re just getting started.”
Cato shifted from his spot on the floor. He moved slightly, like he was coming back around.
I had to get him out of here. “I’ll make this quick. I’m looking for a trade—him for me.”
He grinned. “No offense, honey. But he’s worth billions. You’re worth nothing.”