Chapter Forty-One
I stink. Between the smoke and the dried blood from carrying Vivian, the idea of a shower feels like a dream.
I do what I usually do when Ryker and Lincoln leave me with one of his men; I ignore him. They aren’t allowed to talk to me for whatever reason, and as far as Ryker knows, any of them could be the mole.
I wander upstairs, deciding to use Ryker’s shower. From our sleepovers these last few months, my stuff has slowly been moving into his room.
I grab one of his clean t-shirts, a pair of black laced panties, and a towel from the closet before slipping into the bathroom and turning the shower on. It takes me a solid minute to get out of the dress, and I have to bend at an awkward angle to reach the zipper. Once it’s off, I grab a clean loofah from under the sink before getting in the shower. I hiss as the water burns my skin.
I’ve spent the past two hours trying to avoid thinking about what happened to Maggie. If I’m being honest, I haven’t let myself get close to her again. Other than the few movies and shopping sprees I’ve had with her and Vivian, I refused to let that bond rebuild. A part of me knew this war wasn’t over. Just because Manzo had decided he was done playing with his food didn’t mean he wouldn’t come and collect his meal.
I run my hand over my leg, wincing at the pain. I have a couple of new bruises forming on not only my lower leg but my forearm, too. I didn’t realize just how hard the blast had thrown me .
Thankfully, the ringing in my ears stopped after a few minutes in the car with Ryker, but the pain in my legs hasn’t subsided. I don’t think it’s broken, but there will be one hell of a bruise.
I hate that I have no update on Vivian. What if Manzo got to her? What if he has her chained in one of his dungeons? What would that mean for me if he had her?
I shake off the pressing thoughts as I tilt my head back, letting the water rain down my face. Everything goes black before I can finish washing the suds out of my hair.
I turn the water off, furrowing my brows. I try to use my other senses, but since it’s the dead of night, there is no light to help guide me.
I slowly open the glass door to the shower, stepping onto the cool tile. I quickly run my hair through the towel. I feel around for the shirt before slipping it on with my underwear.
As I exit the bathroom, I listen for any noise from downstairs. It isn’t until I reach the first step that I hear it. I creep down to the third step, and their voices become clearer, but I can barely make out the figure standing at the base of the stairs.
“Find her.”
My eyes grow wide when I recognize the voice. Is Allister here to help? Doubtful. I internally roll my eyes at myself for the stupid question. Of course, a man who spent ten years helping torture me would come to finish the job. I wouldn’t be surprised if he sold out his own daughter. Apparently, it's a common thing in the mob world.
“I’ll check down here. That sorry excuse of a bodyguard has already been taken care of. ”
I gasp at the second voice. It couldn’t be. It can’t be. Conner?
Conner is the mole?
The stairs creak under my weight, causing the men to turn in my direction. As fast as I can, I sprint towards my bedroom, knowing my phone is plugged into the wall.
I silently close the door, locking it before lunging for the bedside table. I knock over the lamp in the process but ignore it. I flip through the contacts, stopping on Ace’s name since he’s the first contact in my phone. My hand instinctively reaches for the knife Ryker gave me, but I took it off for my shower.
Fuck .
I run to the closet, squeezing behind the racks of clothes that have started to pile up. The phone keeps ringing and ringing. When it goes to voicemail, I try the next name, Hawkins. Again, voicemail. A sob escapes me after I get Jeremy’s voicemail, too.
“Bianca,” Allister sings as he gets closer to my room, the sound of his heavy footsteps echoing through the house. “Come on out, darling; we know you’re here.”
I frantically hit call, dialing Lincoln’s number, trying to muffle the sound of my breathing.
“You know, it’s interesting how you’ve wrapped my sons in your little game.” He tsks, the sound coming from what feels like inches away. It is almost like I can feel him in this small space with me. “Who knew one woman would cause so many problems?” I hear my door’s handle rattle as someone messes with the lock. When it slowly creeks open, the sound of muddy boots squashing on the carpet makes the hairs on my arms stand on end.
With one last hope, I dial Ryker’s number. Listening to it ring and ring makes my stomach drop. When I get the automated voicemail, the lump in my throat starts to burn .
“Ryker,” I whisper into the phone, needing to say one more thing to him before his father kills me. “I wanted you to know that I will keep my promise no matter what. I won’t break…”
The closet door flings open, the moon illuminating Allister's face. “No matter what they do to me, I will not break. They can try, but I won’t, no matter what because I know I have you. I love you, Ryker.”
I lower the phone, not bothering to hang up because Ryker will hear whatever his father has to say to me.
“Let me guess, there's the easy way and the hard way?” Allister smirks, “I know you, Bianca; there is only one way.”
I laugh, nothing humorous about it. “You may have convinced Conner to turn on Ryker, but I will never do that to him.”
“Even if that means Vivian will die?”
“She’s your daughter.” I hiss.
He nods, “She is, but she needs training.”
“She isn’t a dog!” I yell, taking a step forward. “We are people! Just because we weren't born with a dick doesn’t mean you have the right to treat us this way. We are human beings!”
He shrugs, fucking shrugs. “I’ll give you a three-second head start. One,”
Before he can get to two, I’m already out of the room and flying down the stairs. When I reach the bottom, I round the banister and sprint for the front door. When I open it, Conner is standing there, arms crossed and glaring down at me.
“I’ve been waiting for this for a long time. ”
My grip on the phone tightens as I take a step back. Without thinking, I run to the patio doors, fling them open, and sprint into the garden. I make it to the fountain before I hear the first gunshot. I cry out, quickly covering my mouth and ducking down.
The sound of feet moving against gravel forces me to pay closer attention. I can’t let the fear consume me, or I will lose. I run towards the rose bushes, hiding between the two, not caring that the thorns are cutting me. I pull my knees close to my chest as I watch the men enter the clearing.
“Oh, you want to play?” Conner chuckles, “I do love a good game of hide and seek.”
I place my hand over my mouth, stopping the heavy breaths from giving me away.
“You know, I thought my sons had more common sense than to start a war over a girl.” Allister sighs, stopping right in front of me, and crossing his hands over his chest. “Come on out.”
I don’t move, I can’t. He will have to drag me out…
Before I finish the thought, Conner's thick hands grab my arm and yank me free of the roses. I scream out in pain; the thorns scratch me from head to foot. I manage to drop the phone out of sight before Conner throws me on the ground.
I skid along the gravel, causing my skin to tear, and I wince. I brace myself on my elbows, looking up at the two monsters. “So,” I lick my bottom lip, tasting blood. “You betrayed Ryker… for this?”
“I betrayed Ryker because of you . Before you came along, I was on track to becoming a top recruit from Lincoln's team.”
“You’re a LEAD!” I yell back, trying to stand. I raise my hands in surrender as I do .
“But becoming a Capo.” He clicks his tongue, “Now that is power.”
“Ryker doesn’t know what’s good for him. Apparently, he’s gotten… attached. He’s making rash decisions because he loves you. How pathetic is that? I didn’t raise him to be a weak man.”
“He’s not weak. He’s a stronger leader than you ever were! A true leader protects those who follow, puts his life on the line for those he cares about, and leads by example, not fear. That isn't a weakness. What's weak is men like you trying to use their power to control what they can’t.”
“Don’t worry about him anymore, darling. Look at your situation. I will show Ryker the proper way. I will get him and Lincoln on board.”
“They will never be on your side.”
He chuckles, “Eventually, they won’t have a choice. After all, they’ll be working for Manzo.”
“You want Manzo to rule New York?”
“Of course, he’s my son and the stronger one of the two by the look of it.”
I step back, eyes widening as my heart skips a beat. “W-what?” “Why do you think I’m the only person who was allowed to have
a taste of you? Think about it, darling.”
“Oh my god.” I cry, tears beginning to fall. “You’re lying! Ryker and Manzo look nothing alike. Manzo’s father was killed! My father killed him.” I rattle off, trying to find one reason why he could be lying.
“Manzo got his mother’s genes.” Allister takes a step towards me. “And your father was nothing more than a pawn.” I furrow my brows, taking a step back as Allister takes yet another step forward .
“My mother was killed because my father’s men took down Manzo’s father. I was enslaved because of it…” I trail off, realization finally hitting. “You killed him.”
“Bingo.”
I shake my head, taking another step back.
“I was sleeping with Manzo’s mother years before he was born. When she wound up pregnant, nobody asked questions, but the thing nobody knows is that Manzo’s “father” was impotent. He just couldn’t get it up.” Allister’s smirk grows evil as he backs me into the rose bush. “I got a DNA test.” He moves my wet, cold hair off my shoulder, inhaling a deep breath. Another tear falls, but I can’t force myself to care. He will have to look me in the eye if he wants to kill me. “Since I was able to blame the killing of his father on yours, we had the perfect excuse to grab you. Your father sold you over in a heartbeat.” He leans in, whispering the last part in my ear. “The moment you marry Manzo, the moment you break, I will have full control over all of New York.”
I shove past him, trying to get back into the house. Now that they are both here, I can run towards the guard’s gate. Maybe they will let me out.
I don’t even make it three steps before large hands are wrapped around me. I flail and kick, screaming at the top of my lungs.
I do the one thing I never do. I beg. “Ryker! Lincoln! Help me! Please! Somebody Please!” I sob as a cloth is pinned against my mouth. I try not to breathe, trying to get a good angle to kick him, but my eyes become heavy regardless. Memories flash before me: the movie theater, Ryker giving me my beautiful knife, Maggie laughing on the dance floor… and it doesn’t take long before this new world I’ve built becomes a distant memory.