“And what’s this ‘party’ thing?” Sam questions, her eyes wide open with fear but there is a glimmer of hope there. Hope that maybe we can make it out of this place alive. That hope isn’t in me though because as the large men around us scrutinize us with their looks of contempt, vicious tattoos of some type of snake that I noticed on most of them—I just know hope has no place here.
“Whatever it means, it’s probably bad news to us.” I whisper back as we stop in front of an open door. The double doors stand wide open and as soon as Sam and I step in, we stop abruptly as if we have been frozen in place.
I almost do a double take as I take in the room.
“At this point, I don’t know if I should be surprised by these people.” Sam says because inside the room is a bevy of woman ranging from naked, to half naked. All of them in various stages of preparation. Some of them are applying make-up on their faces, some are wearing pieces of lingerie while others are doing only God knows what.
We stand there and just stare. None of the girls—because yes, some of them are really young—pay us no mind. They just keep doing what they are doing. It’s almost as if they are perfectly unbothered and not shocked at all at seeing two women—one with bruises marring her face—their skin red and marked with the evidence of being tied up. It doesn’t bother them at all and I wonder how I should feel about that.
“It’s almost like they can’t see that we are here against our will.” Sam says.
“You two, come. You are the center piece, remember?” The petite woman says and as soon as her words are uttered, the room freezes. Everyone stills and all eyes in the room fall on Sam and I. Their eyes are now filled with horror, dismay and even sympathy graces the eyes of some in the room.
Centerpiece?
“What does she mean by that?” Sam whispers into my ears and we both watch as the woman seated closer to where we stand move her chair away from us, as if we have something contagious on us.
“The fuck is. . .” Sam starts.
“A centerpiece?” I finish.
The question is directed to no one in particular but every single person in the room hears it. But none of the women in the room answer the question. None of them dare to do so as the petite woman strides over to us.
“You will soon find out.” She answers the question, turning to look at the women around that suddenly look away at her glance. “But for now, you might want to shut up. You wouldn’t want to make this harder on yourselves, now do you?” Her voice is deceptively soft. Is it me or do the women around here hold an air of nasty vixen about them? As if they actually aspire to be the big bitch in town.
Sam and I mutely shake our heads and with a satisfied smirk on her face she begins walking again and this time, we both know to follow. As we keep walking, I see ahead of us another woman standing there. She looks tall, with a graceful poise and very, very familiar. As our eyes meet, I swallow another gasp because at this point, why am I even surprised at seeing her here? After all, her husband is obviously part of all of this twisted shenanigans
“You will be prepared in here and as soon as you are done, you are to present yourselves.” The bossy, petite woman says and then turns to leave the way we just came and we are left with the goons behind us and Sofia Demetri right in front of us.
“Well, I didn’t think I would ever see you in a place like this.” She says as she waves us forward.
Chapter 22
Chloe
SOFIA’S GAZE IS HARD, unyielding and hard and I know it’s that firm mask of hers that she has. I wonder what she is thinking at seeing me here—underneath all of that.
“I can’t say the same.” I say but keep my voice controlled.
“Please, quickly disrobe and take quick showers in there.” Sofia says, ignoring my snarky attitude as she leads us to a closed door.
“Shower?” It’s Sam who has the common decency of asking a much-needed question while I am busy staring daggers as the woman in front of me. As much as I know, Sofia hates all this and wants to get away from Demetri. And with that thought, I look at her anew. If she is here then. . .
“Yes, he is here.” She confirms my unspoken question. Well then.
“And you are?” Sam questions but I know for sure that she knows who exactly this is.
“Sofia, the wife of. . .”
“Stefan Demetri.” The subject cuts me off, and she says the last words with a slightly disgusted lilt in her tone. For some reason, it eases some of the tension in me.
“You both don’t have much time and they will drag you out of here any state that they find you. I highly suggest that you do as you are told and refrain from questioning any further.” She says, her voice monotone and hard.
Who is this woman? She isn’t she same woman that vowed to change and be better than the scumbag of a husband that makes her life hell.
“Go on now.” She prompts us and then turns back to the larger room.
“Come on Chloe, I don’t think these people are joking material.” Sam says as she opens the door to the large, luxurious bathroom and once again, I’m shocked into silence.
“Holy shit.”
“You would think we are in a hotel or something.” I say.
“Not everything that glitters is gold.” Sam says, quoting her mother’s wise words.
The bathroom is large and has two shower stalls directly opposite each other. There are two sinks in the room, with a large mirror across the wall. There are freshly pressed towels hanging on a rail, soft and fluffy bathrobes still encased in plastic packaging—indicating their new status—are hanging over each door.
“Well, they were prepared for us.” Sam says, then she looks up at me with unshed tears in her eyes now that we are alone with no prying eyes watching. I can see that she is deeply shaken by all of this. So am I.
“How are we going to escape all this, Chloe?” She questions. “I’m too young to die and I haven’t done half the stuff I want to do with this life I was given.” Her voice is a pained whisper.
I know what she means. I have never lived a day in my life. All of these years what has kept me going was the need to get my revenge on the man that murdered my parents. I never had a thought of living, actually enjoying life.
The only enjoyment I have ever found in my life since I was nine years old has been in the arms of a man who I’m not so sure I’ll ever see again.
“We are going to get out of here, and you know why?”
“Why?”
“Because we are smart.” I say to her but my voice doesn’t carry the conviction that I need.
“You think they are coming for us?” She questions as we walk to our separate shower stalls but at her question, I pause and really think about it.
I think about the scorching way Gideon looks at me at times when he thinks I’m not watching. I think of the first day I met him. I think of all the conversations we have had. I think of all the explosives fights we have had and I just know, without a doubt.
“Yes.” I say and this time, my voice is filled with a renewed hope that I can’t fake no matter what. Nothing about Gideon Black inspires me to fake my reactions. Not anymore.
“GENTLEMEN, IF YOU WOULD please.” Sofia says gesturing towards the door open door while staring down at the large men in the room with us. At her words, they don’t even hesitate, they leave.
I guess Sofia has some kind of pull here as well. Huh?
Sam and I are freshly showered, standing in the large awkwardly. Both of us wondering what all this ‘preparation’ is for.
“We only have a few minutes and your face is a nightmare, Chloe.” Sofia says softly as she directs me towards a vanity chair, the table of which is littered with make-up and all sorts of beauty products.
“What is all of this?” I question.
“And why are we being told to do this?” Sam adds as she takes the chair to my left. This is a large room with only one entrance in and out. There isn’t a single window, and I look around some
more, maybe there is a secret doorway. . .
“There is no way to escape this place. Once you are here, you can’t leave, unless he says so.” Sofia explains as she watches me look around the room.
“And you think this is okay? All of these inhumane activities happening within these walls are okay?” Sam spits out, getting angrier the longer we are here.
“I thought you were smarter than to fall in the clutches of the MIAMI Syndicate.” Sofia says as she brings a wash cloth and an ice pack to my face and presses it to my face. I wince and glare at her.
“What is the syndicate?” I question.
“Yeah, what is all of this? And who are we to present ourselves to?” Sam questions, folding her arms together.
Silence falls over the room as Sam and I look up at Sofia who seems uncertain at answering any of our questions. She looks towards the door and then back to us again. I watch as the mask that she usually wears so well crumbles and the fear in her eyes shines so brightly, making me gasp.
Sofia wipes at my face, lightly patting over the tender bruises over my face.
“Heavy make-up will do it but I doubt it will cover a lot of this.” She says and I think she is trying to find somewhere to start.
“Sofia.” I start, my voice a soft whisper. Any ally we might get in this place will be much appreciated. “Please help us.” I’m really not above begging at this point.
“I can’t say much. They are monitoring me. I was actually dragged out here.” She hurriedly whispers as she starts applying make-up on my face.
“Dear, can you apply your own make-up?” Sofia questions Sam who nods a puzzled yes but complies anyhow.
“What is this place, Sofia?” I question, certain that she is ready to talk now.
“This is the house that belongs to the head of the syndicate.”
“Caleb Lorenzo’s father.” I say stating the obvious.
“The call him the Snake Lord.” Sofia says, a visible shudder going through her body and I can see the fear in her eyes. It chills my bones to the core.
“I think I met him.” I say, thinking back to the man I just saw in that room. The way he looked at me. . .
“Yeah well, he couldn’t wait to meet you. And that’s the worst thing to ever happen.”
“Why is he called that?” Sam questions in a low voice.
“Because he is a venomous, spiteful and grudge-holding sonofabitch, which is why I really hate seeing you here Chloe!” Sofia says as she looks down at me and I can tell that she is really terrified. “You weren’t supposed to be found. You were supposed to stay safe with Gideon Black.”
My body freezes and I lock eyes with her. “What do you mean by that?” I dread the question but how can I not ask? How did she know about Gideon?
“Oh sweetheart, I can’t explain it all but all I can tell you is not to trust anyone. In these walls anyone can do anything. All of them are spiteful snakes that will destroy you.” She says hurriedly as she thrusts a red lipstick in my hand, directing me to apply it to my lips.
She quickly brushes my long hair back, and leaves it to flow over my back without tying it. Sam is done applying her make-up, I mean of course, she is a part-time model for top tier fashion companies. While, I need all the help I can get.
“That doesn’t answer my question though.” I say, completely ignoring the lipstick.
“And I’m sorry but I can’t answer you.” She says as she quickly walks over to a clothes rack where two garment holders are waiting.
“Please dress quickly, they are coming.” Sofia instructs, thrusting the garments to Sam and I.
“Sofia. . .”
“Chloe, all will be answered soon. I can’t say with absolute certainty that where you are going now, you will make it out alive—but I can tell you that you need to mentally prepare yourself.” She whispers to me as she passes me a set of new, rather flimsy lingerie. A lacy bra and a panties, that are eerily my size.
“They know everything.” Sofia says, watching my puzzled look.
“I feel violated.” Sam complains but she starts dressing, prompting me to follow along, all thoughts of modesty and privacy long forgotten in the face of a hurried execution that Sam and I face.
A knock sounds from the door and Sam and I both look panicked.
“Just a moment.” Sofia calls out, waving her hands for us to hurry up. I unzip the garment holder and in there I find a dress. It’s the most beautiful black dress I have ever seen in my life, with red spots dotting the flowing, lace skirt of it.
It’s a not a ballroom dress, no this one is elegant and drops down to my ankles, and has a slit. It almost looks like the dress I wore at the gala but this one is way pricier that what I wore before.
“Who picked these dresses?” I question.
“I did. Those are rose petals.” Sofia says softly, looking at me like can’t decide whether to cry or hug me and still cry but she does neither.
“If I wasn’t certain that we are dying tonight, I would have enjoyed all of this action but. . .” Sam says as I look at her, now adorned in the most classic honey gold dress with a halter neck, I have ever seen. It perfectly falls over all her curves, bringing her eyes to life.
It’s almost like, these dresses were made for us. As if they were created with the exact image of us in mind.
“I know, the circumstances are shit but you are both a sight for sore eyes.” Sofia compliments us, proud of her handiwork.
“Are there any shoes?” Sam questions.
“No shoes allowed. You won’t need them.”
The petite woman is back and she isn’t happy with us. “Time to go now.” She instructs in a stern voice. Sam and I look at each other but neither of us say anything. Sofia only steps back and avoids my gaze when I look at her. I guess our bonding session is over.
Turning to leave again, I hear the petite woman’s last words, “This ought to be so much fun.”
And the smile in her voice? Yeah, like that makes me scarred anymore than I already am.
We start walking in silence, one after the other as we follow the still unknown bitch of a woman, but I don’t care to know her name. I’m much too aware of the silence around us, the women that we saw earlier are all gone, leaving the room they were all gathered in looking like a tornado just swept through it.
“Huh, I wonder what kind of party this is.” Sam whispers.
“Silence!” The woman ahead of us hisses as she shoots Sam and I a glare. We fall into silence now, walking down another hallway that we hadn’t seen before.
The journey is long, we go down some stairs, then through a den of some sort, a library is next and it obviously has faux books on the mahogany shelves. What a waste. Next, we pass through another seating area and then we go up another set of stairs. And while we make our journey, I notice that every room has at least two guards in it.
What is this place.
As we draw nearer to a set of huge, grandiose double doors ahead, I can hear muted sounds coming from it. I know for a fact that this is the lion’s den or rather, the snake pit. A shiver works its way down my back but I slip on a firm, impenetrable mask over my face, holding my chin up high, I’m ready.
The doors are pulled open, and as the woman leads us through the room, I notice a lot of men in the room clustered in groups, enjoying and laughing at some inane conversation. What is appalling about it all is the way they are manhandling, groping and roughly touching the women around them.
The same women we saw earlier. The same women who are now in desperate and awkward positions that I know some are embarrassed by. I catch the gaze of one and the emptiness in her eyes, it does something to me.
As we walk further into the room, more and more people notice us causing a harsh to fall over the large ballroom of some sort. All eyes track towards us but and I try to make it a point not to connect my gaze with anyone’s but I’m unsuccessful as I see awe in some of the men’s eyes, some have lust and greed in them while others simply look like t
hey have been grazed with a humorous t.v show.
I feel a hand slip into mine and it holds on to mine with a death grip. I look over my shoulder just in time to see Sam shoot me an intensely worried look. I’m nervous as hell but I can’t show it. I will be strong until the last moment.
Ignoring all the eyes on me, I face forward and keep moving like I’m above all of them with Sam following my lead. I soon realize that we are in the middle of the room where another guarded set of double doors stand. The doors are carved in some kind of markings and the closer we get to the doors, I see what they are.
Snakes. Some type of snakes wrapped around the letter ‘L’.
“He is called the Snake Lord.”
As I stare up at the doors, repulsed and feeling almost sick to my stomach, I don’t notice the said doors opening. We walk through and in here, there are more men, all of whom are seated in high-backed seats, looking towards the door. These men look like they are the higher ranking officials of this syndicate. Their gazes hone in on Sam and I as we are led to the middle of the large, courtyard-like room.
And there, right in the middle of it all is the man from earlier who sits in the middle of all the others. His seat looks like one of those from that vampire movie, Twilight, where the Volturi sat. And just like the Volturi, this man looks like he has all the evil in his very pores and is itching to reign over anyone and everyone.
“Welcome! Welcome dear friends! This is the best feast of all.” He says, and for some reason, his gaze on me makes me feel like I am the feast.
Chapter 23
Gideon
My grandfather and I stare at each other for a beat, neither one wanting to concede or back up. The tension is high and I’m only a hair’s breath away from snapping and having to snap at my grandfather is not something I have done but I don’t think there is anything he can say now that will hold me back.
“What are you talking about?” He questions but he doesn’t look at all interested in the answer.
Billion Dollar Hearts (Inconguity Series Book 3) Page 14