Chapter 15
Rosie
Holding onto the bars, my eyes dart to the right when I hear heavy footsteps on the metal walkway.
As Kirill appears in my line of sight, I let go of the bars and take a step back. Like every other time he’s come to me, I glare at the bastard.
Then I notice the shackles, and a frown deepens on my forehead.
That’s new.
He opens the top slot, which they use to push the food through, and says, “Hands.”
“Why?” My tone is filled with a mixture of caution, anger, and a little insanity.
After a month in this cell, every minute has become a battle to stay sane.
“Would you rather stay in the cell?” he answers with a question.
Hell no.
I push my hands through the slot and watch as he puts on the shackles before crouching to do the same with my ankles through the bottom opening.
My heart beats faster when he unlocks the gate, and I feel a weird sense of freedom as I step out of the cell.
Freedom, my left butt cheek.
“Walk,” he orders while waving a hand in the direction of the stairs.
Jesus, I hope they don’t kill another hacker just to make the point I already understand really well.
The total number of deaths now stands at thirteen, and they brought in four new people. Three women and one man. The women have cried every night and still look shell-shocked, even though it’s been six days since they arrived.
Questions burn on the tip of my tongue, but I press my lips together, and when we reach the lower level, I glance over all the hackers.
Twenty-three heads remain bowed while the air vibrates with tension.
Kirill takes hold of my arm and patiently walks beside me as he leads me to the other side of what I call the hall of death.
He pushes a door open, and when we step into another open space, I see ten monitors, a desk, and a chair in the middle of the room.
Seeing the equipment makes my heart beat faster.
Danil waits for us with a grin on his face. “Afternoon, Miss La Rosa. Have you enjoyed your stay thus far?”
“Sure. If you let me use a computer, I’ll give you a five-star rating for service, food, and the amazing ambiance that just leaves you feeling refreshed every day,” I mutter sarcastically.
He lets out an amused chuckle, then indicates at the chair. “Take a seat. We’ve prepared a show for you.”
Show?
Apprehension wells in my chest as I shuffle closer and sit down at the desk.
Kirill types on the keyboards, and all ten monitors form one large picture.
“Not many people get to see their own funerals. We went to great trouble to get the footage, so I hope you’re grateful.”
My funeral!
The outside of the cathedral appears on the screen, and when I recognize all the people arriving, my heart lurches in my chest before setting off at a crazy pace.
Mom! Dad!
Seeing how distraught they look, Mom constantly wiping away tears, is a devastating blow to my soul.
I rise to my feet again, my eyes devouring every inch of the screens.
Grandpa and Grandma follow my parents into the cathedral, then I see Aunt Gabriella with her arm around Gianna, and a breath quivers over my lips.
Everyone looks absolutely heartbroken, but when Enzo gets out of a G-Wagon, I’m hit a step backward, and my hands press against my stomach that shrivels into a tiny ball.
Enzo.
He looks exhausted, broken, and so very angry, I feel it coming through the screen.
When he stops walking and shakes his head, Uncle Damiano grabs hold of his bicep and says something to him that makes the frown lines cut deeper into Enzo’s face.
I lean even closer, and not thinking, I press my hands to the screen as I stare into Enzo’s eyes. Seeing the unbearable pain he’s in makes silent tears roll down my cheeks.
I’m here, Enzo. Feel me.
He walks toward the door with Uncle Damiano right beside him, and only when he disappears from my sight do I look at the other people.
Augusto and Yuki. The heads of the other mafias. Georgi, Nina, and Simi.
I can’t take in everything fast enough.
Christiano looks haggard, and Sienna and Raya hold each other’s hands as they follow him inside.
Uncle Renzo, Uncle Franco, and Uncle Angelo linger outside, shaking their heads every few seconds.
They’re the last to go inside, then all of a sudden, people start coming out again.
“We couldn’t get inside to record the service,” Danil says.
“Quiet!” I snap, unable to tear my eyes away from the screen.
This might be the last time I see my family.
Everyone, except my parents, Gianna, and Enzo, stands in groups at the front of the cathedral, and I know it’s because they’re done listening to the message I had for them.
Suddenly, Gianna darts out through the doors and practically flies into Riccardo’s arms while sobbing so hard her shoulders jerk.
Mom and Dad follow, looking like they’ve just been put through hell.
Shit. I should’ve never made that goodbye recording.
God, I wish I could reach through the screens. Instead, I have to settle for brushing my fingertips over their haggard faces.
I’m so sorry.
Some of the family get into their cars and begin to leave. Aunt Gabriella helps my parents into their sedan while Uncle Damiano stands near the doors, looking into the cathedral.
He’s waiting for Enzo, who’s probably listening to my message for him.
Suddenly, Uncle Damiano runs inside, and my hands fly up to cover my mouth, the chains rattling.
Some of the remaining family glance at the doorway, and when Enzo comes running out and I see the tears on his face, my legs go numb, and I sink down on the chair.
Uncle Damiano grabs hold of him, but Enzo slips out of his suit jacket and gets away, his features cut into hard, agony-filled lines.
He shouts something, and it has Christiano and Adriano move in on him.
“That’s the man you love, right?” Danil asks. “My men say he lost his mind. Made a big scene.”
“Shut up!” I scream, my gaze still glued to Enzo as he fights against his brother and Adriano. Uncle Damiano locks his arms around Enzo, and when they all wrestle him onto the grass, a sob bursts from me, and I cry, “I’m here!”
Enzo lies on his back and presses his palms to his eyes. That’s when I see his hands, and something deep in my soul breaks.
The skin over his knuckles is split and uneven, swollen around the joints, with dark scabs covering cuts. Faded bruises are on the backs of his hands, and thin pink scars cut through the rough skin.
Oh. My. God!
The cuffs of his dress shirt have ridden up, exposing his wrists, and my eyes lock on the burn marks. Tight patches of pink and light brown skin stretch from the backs of his hands to his wrists. Scratches disappear beneath his sleeves, some deep enough to have left red lines behind.
Enzo. What happened to you?
My stomach twists as I stare at how badly injured his hands and wrists are, then suddenly the screens go black.
“No!” My head snaps to Danil. “Put it back on.”
“That’s all you get,” he says, grinning at me.
“No!” Desperation floods me because I wasn’t ready for it to end. “Put it on again.”
He shakes his head. “It’s time for you to get to work, Miss La Rosa. I just wanted you to see that your family isn’t looking for you and has said their final goodbyes.” He gestures at the chair. “Sit down.”
My eyes dart between the screens and Danil, and even though I want to lose my everloving mind and attack him, knowing I’m being given access to the system has me shakily taking a seat.
“Listen carefully because I’ll only explain it once.”
Kirill types something, and information pours over the monitors, some showing blurred images.
“You will search through the dark web for hidden forums and invitation-only circles,” Danil orders, his tone calm enough to make my stomach churn.
“We are not interested in petty criminals, Miss La Rosa. We are looking for monsters with money, influence, families, and reputations they cannot afford to lose.”
My fingers curl into my palms.
Shit.
He leans closer, his voice dropping. “You will find people who pay to watch children suffer, who arrange parties where the humans are hunted, tortured, and broken. I want you to find the most depraved who think their wealth makes them untouchable.”
An icy wave of horror moves through me so fast I almost sway in the chair.
Jesus.
The blurred images on the screen make my skin crawl.
Shit, I’m going to have to dig through videos and photos of innocents being hurt and killed.
Now I understand why some of the hackers have been vomiting.
“You will find them,” Danil continues. “And you will confirm who they are. Real names. Businesses. Wives. Children. Political ties. Bank accounts. Every filthy secret they’ve hidden in the dark.
” He pauses, letting the weight of his order settle like lead in my mind.
“Then you will give them a choice. Pay what we demand, or watch you destroy their lives.”
My lips part, but no sound comes out.
God help me, the Bratva is feeding off the most evil people out there, and I’m going to have to wade through the horror and trauma to find the wealthy ones.
It will break me. Mentally and emotionally.
Danil places a hand on the back of my chair, and I jerk. “You will demand thirty percent of everything they own, and if they don’t pay, you will leak their filthy secrets to the press and hack into their accounts to take the money anyway.”
“Why not just do that right from the start?” At least there will be justice.
“Because a ruined man can’t pay again, Miss La Rosa. We have to keep the money train going.”
My stomach rolls, and I force myself to breathe slowly.
Then my gaze flicks across the system, and I see all the access points, internal logs, and messaging windows.
Code buried beneath more code.
This is my weapon, the one thing I know inside out.
Danil’s hand tightens on the chair. “If you don’t make one hundred million by midnight, one of the other hackers will die, and don’t think about getting clever.
While you take over bringing in the money, they will all watch every single line of code you enter into the system.
If you try to send your father a message, or anyone else for that matter, you will all die. ”
Suddenly, Kirill places a metal trashcan beside the desk, and a bottle of water and a toilet roll on the desk.
“Get to work, Miss La Rosa. It’s time you pay me back for the hundreds of thousands it cost to get you.”
I turn my head and scowl at Danil. “I’m not going to get shit done with you talking my ear off.”
He jerks his chin at Kirill. “You’ll be watched every second. Don’t fuck up. I’d hate to lose your kind of talent.”
“Annnddd… you’re still talking. Jesus, you love the sound of your own voice a little too much.”
Danil lets out a chuckle as he finally walks away, but a moment later I hear a guy cry, “No! Please! I have a family.”
When a gunshot rings through the air, I jolt in the chair and quickly glance over my shoulder. Danil blows the barrel of his gun, then smiles. “You were saying, Miss La Rosa?”
Fucking asshole!
The dead hacker is dragged away while tensions run high in the air.
Looking at the screens, I place my hand on the keyboard.
Just bring in enough money to make the bastards relax a little, then you can send out a few subtle signals that won’t attract attention and put the other hackers at risk.