23. Victoria
23
VICTORIA
I force myself to remain calm when I leave Moira’s home. I smile. Tell her that I’m heading back to the Wraith to get a massage and speak to a stylist in the salon. She kisses my cheek, tells me to make the most of Caleb’s absence and pamper myself to my heart’s content. Abigail is playing video games with Emily in the den, and I don’t disturb her. If anyone would be able to see through the smiley facade, it’s Abigail.
I’m trembling when I climb into the back seat of Caleb’s car.
“Where to?” Martin asks.
Since my little adventure with Abigail after we lost him in Macy’s, I feel his eyes on me wherever I go. Even if he isn’t with me, it still feels as if his eyes are everywhere; it wouldn’t surprise me if he keeps a spreadsheet of my movements and emails a copy to Caleb every hour.
“The Dragon’s Den.”
I could lie. I could ask him to take me back to the Wraith and try losing him inside, but it’s too close to Caleb, who will be following my movements around the building too. Olivia won’t like it, but at least this way I’ll have back-up, and Caleb will know who’s responsible if anything happens to me.
Martin’s cell is already out of his pocket.
I lean forward and rest my arms on the partition separating me from Martin and the driver, Kev. “Please don’t tell Caleb.”
They’re both silent, but Martin is prepared to hear me out.
“Olivia Dragonetti has asked me to meet her.” True so far. “I think … with her father in the hospital, she wants to apologize.”
“You know I’ll have to tell Mr. Murray about this.”
I know. I’m just frantically trying to find a way around it that doesn’t involve me running around the city like an escaped fugitive.
“I think she would rather speak to me alone first. Woman to woman. With the history between her and Caleb, it would just make things awkward.”
Martin’s left eye twitches. “I’ll let him know that’s where we’re going. He’ll have my head on a platter if I don’t keep him informed.”
Shit. “I’ll take responsibility. I’ll tell him that this was all my idea, and I bullied you into taking me.” Nothing. “Things are so precarious with Olivia I don’t want to rock the boat. We might not get another opportunity to put things right between the families.”
“Look…” Martin rubs his jaw with his free hand. “I hear you, but it’s more than my job’s worth.” He doesn’t add after he lost me inside Macy’s; we both know that’s what he meant. “I’ll square it with Mr. Murray, and then I’ll accompany you to the Dragon’s Den.”
My heart is thumping. We’re still in Staten Island, and the car might not be speeding, but I’m not brave enough to try jumping out of a moving car, dodging the traffic, and Martin , and make my way back to Manhattan without incurring the wrath of my husband.
Martin faces the passenger window, phone pressed to his ear.
I wait for Caleb to pick up. He’ll be angry. He’ll be raging that I even considered meeting Olivia alone after our conversation last night. He made his feelings on the matter quite clear, and here I am going against him at the first opportunity without so much as an explanation.
But Sienna’s life is at stake here. Who knows what the crazy woman will do if I don’t show up today. I’m not prepared to risk it; I’ll simply have to find another way to get there.
So, I almost cry out with relief when Martin lowers the phone without speaking to Caleb. “No answer. I’ll fire a message through.”
“He’s busy,” I say too quickly. “Family meetings. He might not respond immediately.” Who am I kidding? No matter how important the meeting, Caleb will see the message straight away, and then he’ll intercept us before we even arrive at the Dragon’s Den.
“We’ll see.” Martin’s thumbs tap away on his cell phone.
I sit back in my seat as the car heads closer to Manhattan and stare out of the rear passenger window. The Dragon’s Den, an appropriate name for whatever Olivia is cooking up. But rather than feeling like the wanderer who stumbled upon the den by chance, I feel like the knight on a quest to rescue the princess. Empowered by the knowledge that Caleb tried to find Sienna after the accident, and Kyle didn’t leave her to die.
Caleb will be angry when he finds out where I’m going, but he will protect me. No matter what. He gave me his word, and I’m not letting go of it.
I wait for Martin’s phone to ring, for the driver to take me directly back to the Wraith, for Caleb to be waiting for me in his private parking lot. But when the car stops outside the Dragon’s Den, and Martin climbs out first to open the rear door for me, it takes me a couple of beats to realize that I’m here.
My heart performs somersaults as I climb out of the car. Why didn’t Caleb stop me? Didn’t he receive Martin’s message, or have the Murrays planned yet another twisted scheme to catch Olivia out? I don’t know how they live with all the plotting and manipulating, but I guess it’s so rooted in what they do that they no longer notice it.
“I’m staying right with you.” Martin scans the street left and right, Kev taking up his position on my left.
I nod. My mouth is dry, and I don’t trust myself to speak as we enter the Dragon’s Den.
Outside, the building is imposing. Not as tall or as sleek as the Wraith, nor as glamorous as the Titan, but the subtle dragons clambering up the facade are impressive, the kind of building inhabited by emperors in fantasy novels.
Inside, however, the décor is dated. The lights in the foyer are dimmed to detract from the shabbiness of the crimson carpet and the emerald-and-gold-flecked wall coverings. The concierge is dressed in a black suit, his waistcoat in peacock colors, the front desk polished mahogany. More dragons cling to huge columns in the grand entrance, and the floral display in the center is magnificent, filled with peacock feathers, arching golden branches, and tiny twinkling lights.
But there is still an air of a hotel that is hankering after bygone days, and I feel a twinge of sadness for Don Dragonetti. Instead of focusing her passions on a man who doesn’t want her, Olivia could’ve been dragging the family business kicking and screaming into the twenty-first century. With some love and attention, the Dragon’s Den would rival its competitors, and I don’t understand her lack of interest in the legacy that funds her privileged lifestyle.
The bellboy leads us through to the casino and the private room where Olivia is waiting for me in a booth.
Her eyes glitter when she spots my bodyguards. Her mouth turns down at the corners. “They go or this doesn’t happen.”
“Caleb would tear this place apart if he knew that I was here alone.” I shrug and stand my ground.
Olivia relies on fear of her crazy reputation to intimidate everyone she deals with, so I can’t let her see that this is all bravado, and that underneath, I’m battling to stop my legs from trembling. Mason might be the most unreliable person I know, but he did teach me to stand up to school bullies by pretending to be confident even if I’m quaking inside. He taught me that all bullies are cowards who belittle other people to make themselves feel bigger.
Maybe it’s fear of rejection with Olivia. Maybe she sees other people in happy relationships and is scared that it will never happen to her, so rather than looking at herself, she tries to bring everyone else down.
I look at her properly for the first time. She’s beautiful with her long white-blonde hair, large eyes, and perfect heart-shaped mouth, but it’s true what people say: this kind of beauty is only skin-deep. Underneath the designer clothes and the expensive makeup and the professionally maintained hairstyle, I think that Olivia Dragonetti is a spoiled, unhappy child.
“Fine. But they wait at the bar.”
Martin inches closer to me, his arm brushing mine.
“It’s okay.” I murmur, keeping my eyes on Olivia. “I’m not going anywhere.”
The two men take up their positions at the corner of the bar where they have an unobstructed view of the booth, and I slide onto the bench seat opposite Olivia.
“I didn’t think you’d come.” She smirks and gestures for the bartender to bring her another drink. She doesn’t ask me if I want one. “Honestly, I thought Caleb would keep a much closer eye on you.”
“He doesn’t need to. He trusts me not to do anything rash.”
“Ha! He obviously doesn’t know you at all.” The bartender serves her drink, over ice, with a slice of lemon and a gold straw. With a glance my way, he leaves us alone.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” My voice sounds unexpectedly strong and steady, and for that I’m grateful.
She sips her clear drink, leaving an imprint of her lipstick on the end of the straw. “I know about you and Caleb.”
My stomach churns. She’s bluffing, I tell myself. She’s trying to scare me into walking away from Caleb and leaving the path clear for her to step in.
“My dad told me what he overheard, so don’t bother trying to deny it.”
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck . When he didn’t mention it at Moira’s house, I convinced myself that he didn’t hear anything. Why did he tell her? He knows that Caleb is never going to marry her, even if I’m taken out of the equation, so why? What was he thinking?
“What do you want, Olivia?”
“I thought it was obvious. But in case you haven’t quite figured it out, I want Caleb. He’s kidding himself if he thinks that marrying you will achieve anything, whereas a marriage between the Dragonettis and the Murrays…” She smiles, but it doesn’t travel as far as her eyes. “It will make everyone happy.”
“What about Caleb?”
“What, you think you can make him happier than he will be with me?” She furrows her brow. “Oh my God, you do, don’t you?” She sits back in her seat with a twisted smile. “His little plan backfired because you already think that this might be forever.”
Don’t bite. Don’t bite. Don’t bite . If I react, she’s already won.
“What about you?” I try to project more confidence than I feel into my voice. “Will it make you happy?”
“Duh. Caleb Murray and Olivia Dragonetti. What’s not to be happy about? The press will be all over us. We’ll be the most photographed couple in New York City.”
“You didn’t answer the question.”
Her eyes narrow. She leans closer and hisses, “Fuck off, Victoria. What do you care whether I’m happy or not?”
“I don’t.” I shrug. “But I do care about Caleb, and if you’re unhappy, he will be too.”
She opens her mouth to speak and closes it again. Her expression hardens. “Here’s the deal. Your brother and your friend in exchange for Caleb.”
I sit back in my seat and glance at the two men watching me closely from the bar. What choice do I have? Olivia and I both know that I’m going to accept her deal, but the real problem is getting her to keep her word.
“Forgive me if I don’t believe you. How do I even know that you have Mason and Sienna?”
“You don’t.” She shrugs. “Off you go then, if you don’t believe me. Makes no difference to me if they’re alive or dead.” She gestures to the doorway.
“What’s in it for me?”
“I deliver them back to you alive. I would say they’ll be in one piece, but I can’t guarantee they will be. Sorry.”
Sorry, not sorry .
“You’ll need to do better than that.”
She rolls her eyes, her bottom lip rolling out. “Who told you it was your turn to call the shots?”
“Caleb has offered to set me up for life. Why would I walk away from that just because it’s what you want?”
She tips her head back and laughs, flicking her fine hair over her shoulders. I can’t imagine her and Caleb together. Thinking of them in Caleb’s bed or in the rooftop pool, drinking champagne from each other’s mouths, feels like being punched in the gut, and I force myself to breathe, in through my nose, out through my mouth.
“I knew you could be bought,” she says. “Everyone can.”
“Do we have a deal?”
“Fifty grand.”
I don’t waste a beat. I stand up and go to walk away, the two bodyguards instantly alert.
“Wait,” she snaps, and I turn back around. “A hundred grand.”
I shake my head. “I’ll take my chances with Caleb. He’ll find my brother and Sienna, and then everyone will be happy.” I smile, repeating her words.
“He’ll be too late. They’re safe right now, but I can change that in a moment.” She snaps her fingers to prove the point.
I sit back down. “Why would you do that? What have they ever done to you?”
“They know you.” Her face is so close to mine I can smell the alcohol on her breath.
“Half a million.” My palms are sweaty. Even if she agrees to the sum, I don’t trust her to keep Mason and Sienna alive. It isn’t even about the money. I’m just trying to buy Caleb enough time to find them before Olivia gives the order to have them killed.
“Done. I’ll transfer the money into your bank account today, and then you’ll disappear from New York City by midnight tonight.”
“I don’t think so. I’ll disappear once I know that Mason and Sienna are alive and well. Until then, well, I’ll just go back to Caleb’s apartment. There are still a few rooms we haven’t fucked in.”
Her mouth drops open, and her eyes grow small and dark. “I’ll take you to them now.”
I hold her gaze, drop my voice. “Caleb’s men will never let me go.”
“Restroom. There’s another way out. By the time they realize you’re not coming back, we’ll be out of the city.” Her mouth twists into an ugly grimace. “If you dare.”
I stand, catch Martin’s eye, and gesture in the direction of the restroom. He responds with a barely discernible nod.
Heart thumping, I enter the restroom and stand in front of the basins. What am I doing? This must be a trap. Olivia probably has someone waiting outside to shoot me in the head, and that way, she gets to keep her money and Caleb, and no one will ever find out what happened to Mason and Sienna.
I turn on the faucet and splash my face with cold water while I wait for Olivia to join me. Before I can straighten, strong arms grab me from behind, forcing my face down against the marble surrounding the basins. My hands are dragged behind my back and my wrists are bound. Someone—a man—shoves a hood over my head and growls at me to move.
The hood smells like stale cigarettes. It’s itchy, and I can already feel hives rising on my forehead and neck. I stumble forward and splutter when the guy’s hands start patting me down, checking for hidden weapons in my pockets and under my clothes.
I feel sick. Images pop into my head of Caleb shooting him for touching me, and I think that he’ll live to regret this.
Something hard is pressed against the back of my skull, and an iron fist grips my upper arm. A different door opens. We walk, and I can feel carpet underfoot. Into an elevator. Outside. Where is Martin? Has he realized yet that I’m taking too long? I try to concentrate on my footsteps, to keep my bearings, but it’s hard when I’m so hyper-conscious of my thudding heart and the blood gushing in my ears.
Voices. Hushed urgent whispers. My skin prickles.
“What the fuck, O!” A man’s voice, a slight accent.
The hard object pressed against the back of my skull forces my head down.
“Don’t get fucking soft on me now.” Olivia Dragonetti. “We need her to see it though.”
My mind is racing. See what through? Is there more to it than getting Caleb back?
Before I can try talking to her, I’m shoved forward, my face hitting something hard, and someone lifts my legs off the ground, forces me into the fetal position, and closes a lid. I try lashing out with my feet, but the space is so confined, I can’t stretch my legs. I slide around, using my knees and elbows to measure the space, then I feel something rumble beneath me.
An engine.
I’m in a car trunk. I only hope Olivia keeps her side of the bargain and takes me to Mason and Sienna.