Chapter 34 Sera
SERA
It only takes one ring before Renzo answers. “Well, well. Principessa. This is a surprise.”
“You, too.” My level of feigned nonchalance is impressive. “Guess you’re not dead.”
“No thanks to you.” He sounds pained. Good. The asshole deserves to be in agony. “What do you want?”
“Answers. I want to know exactly what happened to the Russian woman you were telling me about, exactly how she died. And where she’s buried.”
Renzo’s pause is long enough that I have to assume he has the information I want, but won’t give it to me for free. “And what will you give me in return?”
“What do you want?”
“Easy. I want you.”
His answer makes me nervous as hell but doesn’t surprise me. I knew what was coming; knew there was no way of ending this without coming face-to-face with the monster again. I glance back at the bedroom, hating what I have to do but knowing I have no choice. “I’ll come to you. Where and when?”
Renzo doesn’t miss a beat. “Tonight. Thirty minutes. You get to the lake. My men will take you from there.”
The lake. Of course. That’s how he got onto the property. I’m already shivering at the idea of being out on that ice-cold water with Renzo’s goons. “I’ll be there.”
“See that you are, or your guard and boyfriend won’t be so lucky the next time.”
“Uh-uh. You don’t get to threaten them.”
On the other end of the phone, Renzo makes a sound I’ve never heard before. It takes me a second to realize what it is: he’s laughing at me.
“You know that’s not how this works, Principessa.
You called me. You’re forfeiting to me. You renege on this little deal, I get to retaliate any way I see fit.
Killing your boyfriend and bodyguard seem like a good place to start.
” The weird rumbling sound he’s making gets louder.
“Though, if I’m being completely honest, I was planning to do that anyway. ”
Vaffanculo! I’ve set the wheels in motion; there’s no stopping them now. My war with Renzo di Salvo is coming to an end tonight. I just have to work like hell to survive.
“Fuck you,” I mutter under my breath, before saying into the phone, “Fine. I’ll be at the lake in thirty minutes.”
“Wise decision, Princess. The only one you’ve ever made.” With that Renzo kills the line.
For a moment, I stand in the dark living room and wonder what the hell I’ve just done, my heart pounding like I’ve sprinted toward a precipice and screeched to a halt only inches from the edge.
Behind me, the bedroom is silent. Alik is still asleep.
I don’t dare go back in. If I do, I won’t be able to stop myself from touching him, kissing him.
From saying goodbye. Then Alik will wake up, he won’t let me leave, Renzo will follow through on his promise and come after us all, and everything will get a million times worse.
It’s the only way, I tell myself. I shove my phone down the back of my underwear before grabbing my gun and concealing it beneath the waistband of my jeans.
With any luck, Renzo’s guard will be so focused on stripping me of the gun he won’t realize the phone is hidden beneath it.
If everything goes wrong and all else fails, at least Alik will be able to track it to find my body.
I tiptoe to the suite door, grabbing my only footwear—those stupid slippers—and winter coat along the way.
Hand on the knob, I hesitate. It would be so easy to climb back into bed and fall asleep in Alik’s arms. To just hide under the covers and pretend that everything will be less dire in the morning. But as much as I want to stay, I can’t.
What I said to Alik earlier is true. He is a good man.
Maybe not in a clear-cut way that society at large understands, but in all the ways that matter to me.
He’s loyal, protective, thoughtful. Passionate.
Maddeningly highhanded and so committed to doing what’s right by Rina, and me, and all the other girls trafficked by my family that I can’t hate him for being such an autocrat.
I love him for it. And that is why I can’t stay.
I can’t endure Alik getting hurt because of me.
It’s horrible enough that Dimitri got shot protecting me, I can’t be the reason Alik or anyone else gets hurt or killed.
Renzo has been terrorizing me my whole life.
It’s time I return the favor and permanently delete him from mine.
I need to move on, to live, to find my place in the world, free from my family’s tyranny.
Once I deal with Renzo, I’ll be ready to do that, and give Alik the gift of closure at the same time.
Resolved, I steel my spine and slip out of the suite. The hall is empty. Maybe because Alik was inside and therefore all the protection I needed. Maybe because the guards are still down with Dimitri. Either way, I take advantage of the unexpected good luck and hustle down the nearby rear staircase.
Things are less straightforward once I reach the ground floor.
There’s a group of guards clustered near the patio doors.
They’re deep in conversation but one of them spots me out of the corner of his eye and goes silent.
The rest turn in unison. I don’t know any of them, but they definitely know me.
The closest one speaks first, “Can we help you with something, Miss Sera?” He’s respectful but suspicious.
Between my standoff with Alik about going to the club and the attack at the mansion, I’m sure Alik’s guards view me as little more than a necessary evil.
There’s no reason to change their minds now.
I level them with my haughtiest mafia princess glare. “I need to see Dimitri. Take me to him.”
The guards share a look between them before the first one steps forward. “I’m sorry, Miss Sera, but the boss said—”
“Your boss isn’t here,” I say, cutting him off. I put on my coat, pretending there’s nothing odd about wearing it inside, and shove my hands into my pockets. Better to hide the nervous twitch. “Dimitri was shot while protecting me. I want to see him, so you’re going to take me to him. Andiamo.”
The main guard scrunches up his nose at the Italian, but nods and gestures for me to follow.
Our path to the medical wing takes me through a part of the house I’ve never seen before. Long dark hallways that seem endless, and closed doors hiding God knows what. It’s a true labyrinth and it makes me wonder if there’s an exit hidden down here.
A rhythmic beeping interrupts my thoughts. The guard stops in front of an open door and gives me an impatient look. I hustle to join him. He wants to get back to what he’s doing and that suits me perfectly.
“Dimitri’s in here. There’s a house phone inside. Someone will be on the other end when you pick up. One of us will escort you back to your room when you’re done.”
I raise an eyebrow, hope it gives off a pissed-off, snooty vibe. “I don’t need an escort.”
“Boss says otherwise.” The man gives me a hard look and waves me inside. “No wondering, Miss Sera. That’s an order.”
“An order my ass,” I mutter, but the man has already shut the door behind me. My heart sinks when I hear the lock click into place. He’s trapped me in. I guess everyone knows how bad I am at following orders.
Fuck.
I’m losing time I don’t have, but I now I’m here, I can’t not check on Dimitri.
I step deeper into the sterile-feeling room and shuffle to the bed.
The giant man is asleep, his breathing slow and even.
His heart rate is a steady beat on the monitor.
I place a tentative hand on his forehead; he’s cool to the touch.
Despite all the signs that he’s out of danger, the sight of him confined to a bed and connected to a bunch of wires makes tears burn my eyes.
“Whatever Dr. Ruiz did to fix you, she did it well. I’m so sorry for running into the club like that. I’m so sorry for getting you shot,” I whisper past the lump in my throat. “Thank you so much for saving me.”
Dimitri lays there motionless. No sign he’s heard me.
Which, given what I’m about to do, is a good thing.
I drop a light kiss to his bald head and force myself to face my next problem—getting out of here.
I’m just about to test my lock-picking skills when the handle rattles.
I jump back as a woman I’ve never seen comes in.
She’s wearing what look like medical scrubs. Not Dr. Ruiz. Perhaps a nurse?
Her eyes sharpen when she sees me. “Excuse me, can I help you?” Her tone is clipped and direct. No nonsense. Definitely a nurse.
I let my shoulders drop and a few tears slip down my face. “I-I, uh…sorry. I just needed to see him.”
She looks pointedly between me and Dimitri. “You shouldn’t be here. The patient is resting. We told Mr. Valentin no disturbances.”
“Sorry, sorry. Yes. You’re exactly right. I was just so worried.”
“He’s going to make a full recovery. Clean entry and exit wounds, no major internal damage. What he needs now is rest.”
The woman gestures me out of the room and I fall in line. “That’s such a relief. Thank you so much,” I gush, my relief genuine. “I was so worried.”
We reach the hall and I pause, looking around cluelessly. “Do you know if there’s a way to get outside from down here? I’ve been so anxious about Dimitri, and now that I know he’s going to be okay, I feel like everything is hitting me all at once and I really just need some fresh air, you know?”
The woman blows out an exasperated breath and points to the end of the hall, in the opposite direction from where the guard and I came.
“Down there, to the left. There’s a door that leads out to the service entrance.
Where all us staff have to park every time one of you all get yourselves hurt.
” The last bit comes with an eyeroll, and I’d be impressed by her sass if I wasn’t in a rush to escape.
“Down the hall, then left.” I’m already moving in that direction. “Got it, thanks!”
If she responds, I don’t hear her. I’m moving as fast as my slippers allow.
I hurry past three nondescript doors before a brightly lit bay opens off to my left.
There are two doors: one a garage door that’s large enough to allow an SUV to back into it, the other a heavy metal door for the medical staff to come through.
A quick look around confirms I’m alone. I don’t stop to think or check if there are cameras or alarms. I walk through that second door like it was put there just for me and tumble outside so fast I’m not prepared for the wall of icy air that hits me square in the chest.
It’s snowing. Fuck. I fumble to zip up my coat as I scan the area in front of me.
The clouds have blocked out the moon and the night is black and blustery.
I can’t waste time standing here. Alik could wake up at any moment, realize I’m not in bed, and mobilize the troops. If that happens, there’s no escaping.
The snow is coming down thick and fast.
I move onto the driveway in front of me and turn to see the marks I’ve made in the snow already starting to vanish. The storm will make it harder to navigate the hill down to the lake but will also conceal my tracks.
A few more steps and I hit grass, pausing to get my bearings. I’m at the back of the mansion, not far from the rear lawn. If I keep the house behind me and follow the slope away from the building, I should walk straight into the lake.
Easier said than done.
The further I get from the house, the more oppressively dark the night becomes.
I’m definitely moving in a downward direction, but the snow is slick and I don’t know the terrain here at all.
Every once and while I crash into a bush or trip over the snowcapped edge of a path.
My slippers are the worst footwear for a snowy escape, and they’re soaked through before I’m even halfway to the lake.
By the time I hear the lap of the water, I can’t feel my feet.
It makes me even clumsier as I stumble the last few yards, arms flailing as I careen to the water’s edge.
The air is colder here, harsher. I’m panting, every breath throwing steam in front of my face, which I can feel more than see. I shiver, not sure what to do next.
I’m not getting into that water. I can’t run back to the house.
I’m stuck in limbo when I’m blinded by a light. It flashes across my face before pooling at my feet. “Arms up,” the person holding the flashlight barks.
I suck in a startled breath and do as I’m told, no hesitation. The longer I’m on Alik’s property, the more likely he finds me and my entire plan implodes. Fatally.
Arms lifted in the air, I try to stop my teeth chattering as Renzo’s goon unzips my coat and gives me a thorough pat down with his free hand.
He keeps the flashlight’s bright beam in my face, forcing my eyes shut. He lingers too long on my chest and thighs, but when he gets to my ass he grunts, “What the fuck is this?” He yanks the gun from my waistband and taps it against my head, just in case I have any doubts what he’s talking about.
“It was worth a shot,” I chatter back.
“La puttana.” He stashes it somewhere on his body before yanking me forward.
I barely have time to silently celebrate that he didn’t find my phone before freezing water soaks my jeans and sends my chattering jaw into overdrive. “What the—?!”
“Boat.” He gives a tug and it’s only by luck I don’t pitch headfirst into the lake.
The goon shines the flashlight on the water.
Sure enough, a dinghy is bobbing violently a few yards ahead of us.
Lake Michigan is massive, larger than some seas.
We’ll die in that pathetic contraption, especially in a storm.
I don’t move, the insanity of what I’m doing threatening to drown me. But no matter how reckless, how dangerous, I can’t go back now.
I move to the floating death trap, my lower body numb, and choke with relief when the thug’s flashlight stretches out in front of us, catching the silhouette of a sleek yacht anchored farther offshore. Who knows how it handles during a storm, but at least we won’t drown at the first big wave.
A few more steps and we’re into the dingy. We both drip onto the planks as the man grunts, throwing the flashlight down and manhandling the oars until we start to shift in the yacht’s direction.
A swell of water hits us almost instantly, rocking the toy boat from side to side. No matter how cold I am, I can’t stifle the scream.
“Hold on tight. You go over, that’s where you stay.”
Snow engulfs us as the waves buckle harder beneath us. I grip the sides of the dingy as best I can with my frozen fingers. I don’t dare let go to reach for the flashlight. The spool of light is focused on our feet. Beyond is nothing but darkness, the mansion and the men inside it lost to the night.