Chapter 24
twenty-three
Lily
The evening air is cool as a breeze wraps around me.
I hadn’t heard from Damon in hours. I had been wanting to go back to Shadow and possibly do some role-playing, but I hadn’t been able to reach him.
I knew that with his lifestyle, silence meant he was busy. It still pained me not to see him, but I just had to be patient.
My car was parked just behind the office, and I was only a few steps away when I heard footsteps behind me. I worked late tonight, finalizing paperwork for the home of the couple expecting their first child. I was the last person in the office, so hearing someone behind me made me a little anxious.
Walking faster, I hustled toward my car. I reached to grab my keys when a voice stopped me dead in my tracks.
“Does Damon know you are out here all alone?”
Turning, I came face-to-face with a man in his late thirties. He had a bruise on his cheek and a few cuts along his jaw. He looked as if he had been in a fight and lost.
“I’m sorry, do I know you?” My voice shook, and I hated the smug grin that grew over his face when he heard the fear in my tone.
He steps closer to me, and I glance around. We are all alone, and there’s no one close by to help me.
“Oh, you don’t know me yet.” He chuckles, and it makes my skin crawl.
“I think you need to leave. Damon should be here any minute,” I warn.
This time, he lets out a full belly laugh. “I don’t think so. He’s tied up with another matter right now. I think you and I need to talk,” he states, rushing toward me.
I scream and go to run when I’m hit with something in the back of the head, and then everything fades to black…
I wake to a world muted by shadows, my shoulder screaming in pain, the crude bandage rough against my skin like a warning whispering in the dark.
The room is suffocating, the damp, cold concrete surrounding me feels like a prison crafted from nightmares.
Dread sinks in the pit of my stomach as reality washes over me like ice water; I’m not home, and I have no idea how I ended up here.
My pulse quickens, instinct urging me to fight, to survive.
Panic floods through me as I try to sit up, only to feel a sharp twinge ripple through my shoulder.
I wince and fall back against the cold, hard ground, eyes darting around the cramped basement.
My breath catches, each inhale mixing with the thick, musty scent that chokes the air.
The single flickering bulb swings above me, casting eerie shadows that dance across the walls, twisting and turning in a grotesque play of light and dark.
I swallow hard, struggling to piece together my memories.
I was leaving work. A man approached me. Then darkness.
My heart races as fragments rush back, piercing through the fog of confusion. I recall hands seizing me, pulling me into a void where no one could hear me scream. The panic clenches my throat.
“Help!” I cry out.
I have no clue where I am, but I’m not going down without a fight. Someone, somewhere, has to hear me. Right?
I go to scream again, but I hear the unmistakable sound of footsteps echoing from somewhere beyond these four concrete walls.
I freeze, instincts flaring to life as a wave of anxiety crashes over me.
Fear coils in my chest as I contemplate my options.
Should I try to escape, to claw my way back to freedom, or wait to see who approaches?
Before I can decide, the heavy door swings open, light pouring in and illuminating the darkness where I huddle. Squinting against the harsh glare. A tall man in a tan suit walks into the space.
“Ah, look who’s awake,” he says, a sardonic smile twisting on his lips.
“Who are you? Where’s Damon?” I shout.
He looks at me like I’m nothing more than a bug under his shoe. “I’m Vincent Calabrese. I’m sure you’ve heard my name before.”
My mind reels, grappling with the reality of who stands before me. I try to gather my thoughts, but they scatter like leaves in a storm, consumed by the anxiety mounting within. “I have no idea who you are,” I admit.
“I don’t believe that you are sleeping with Damon, and he hasn’t mentioned me before.” His arrogance is sickening.
“I really don’t know who you are. Damon doesn’t talk about…" Business,” I reply.
He cocks his head to the side. He’s trying to decide whether he believes me or not. I wonder if this conversation could lead to my death or freedom.
“Tell me this, did he take off his mask when he fucked you?” He steps further into the room and leans down to face me.
“Fuck you,” I cry out, trying to swat at him, but my hands are tethered to the wall.
“Well, you certainly have the mouth of a whore. Regardless, I don’t really care about you. You’re merely collateral in a business dispute between families.” His voice drips with condescension, and I feel a sickening knot form in my stomach.
Collateral. The word resonates, echoing within the confines of my mind like a death knell, each syllable heavy with implication. “What do you mean?” I stammer, my voice wavering despite my resolve to sound strong.
He laughs, a low, mocking sound that sends a shiver racing through me.
“Your fuck-toy has put himself at risk for you. Quite noble, I must say, but misplaced,” he replies, leaning back against the wall, hands folded casually over his chest. “You’ll remain here, safe and sound, until he learns the price of defiance. ”
“Damon will come for me,” I shoot back, though the words sound weak even to my own ears, more of a desperate hope than a guarantee.
Vincent’s expression shifts, a flicker of amusement dancing in his dark eyes.
“Oh, I have no doubt he cares for you,” he muses, pausing to let the implication sink in.
“But make no mistake, your survival depends entirely on his willingness to negotiate. You’re a pawn in our game, and I suggest you remain useful if you want to see him again. ”
“What is it that you want?” I ask.
“I want everything he has. Damon and his brothers thought they were going to build a new empire, where I was already searching. I refuse to let them lay claim to what I want. I demand Shadow and all of its properties. They’ve gone after my men and killed others.
Taken over the most lucrative businesses in Sunnyvale.
Now, they will either give it up to me, or I will kill you.
But first, I need you to tell me where to find Damon. He keeps his residence secret.”
His words twist like a knife, puncturing the fragile bubble of hope I cling to.
As he turns to leave, I muster the courage to call out, “I won’t be your pawn. I won’t tell you anything about Damon.”
He pauses, glancing over his shoulder with a smirk, the flicker of a challenge in his gaze. “Brave words. Just remember, bravery doesn’t keep you safe.”
And with that, he disappears, the door slamming shut behind him with a finality that reverberates in the hollow space. I sit in the darkness, pulse pounding in my ears, the bleakness closing in around me like a thick fog.