22. Siena
Siena
O nce I’m out of the room, I take off, keeping low and moving quickly against the wall, ready to sprint at a moment’s notice.
Too late, it dawns on me: there could be cameras here, tracking my every move. I freeze for a second, my heart hammering in my chest. Should I keep crouching, or is that more suspicious?
I stand up, forcing myself to walk casually. If I’m caught, I’ll just play dumb, say I got lost and can’t find my way back to my room.
But getting caught isn’t part of my plan.
I have no intention of going back to that room.
An image of Franco, chained up and locked away like Olivia described, flashes across my mind.
It’s quickly replaced by the memory of him standing frozen in Alexandra’s office, not lifting a damn finger to help me.
Fuck. I’m torn.
He’s my brother, and I can’t leave him here to rot, or worse. Who knows what these sick bastards have planned for him?
But I’m furious that he didn’t help me when I needed him most. And I have no idea where to even start looking for him in this labyrinth. Maybe the best thing I can do for both of us is to get out of here and come back with reinforcements.
My plan solidifies: find the nearest exit and get the hell out as fast as possible.
Of course, it’s easier said than done. This place is a maze, with endless doors on both sides of the hallways and sharp turns at every corner. The more I walk, the more disoriented I become.
The hallways all look the same. Bare walls, no windows, and the occasional flickering light overhead. After just ten minutes, I couldn’t find my way back to my room if my life depended on it.
Panic clutches my chest, tightening my throat and making it hard to breathe. My palms are slick with sweat. This was a terrible idea. My plan is no plan at all, I have no sense of direction, and now I’ve put myself in danger.
Worse, I might have jeopardized Olivia’s safety, too. She’s the one who let me out. If anyone finds out, she’ll pay the price for trusting me. Despite her bad judgment in aligning herself with Matti, she’s a sweet girl. I don’t want her to get hurt because of me.
Just as I’m spiraling into panic, I hear a familiar voice.
Olivia. I press myself against the wall, holding my breath.
Her voice is coming from a room up ahead, the door slightly ajar.
Dim light spills into the hallway, and just outside, there’s a cart stacked high with laundry, towels, and a dry sandwich on a plate.
I creep closer, my pulse pounding in my ears. As I near the doorway, another voice joins hers. My stomach lurches. Franco .
Anxiety spikes through me like an electric current. I remind myself that I don’t know whose side Olivia is really on. Is she torturing him? Or is she helping him like she helped me?
If she catches me out here, will she try to hurt me or turn me in? I’m thicker than she is and likely stronger, but if she has a weapon or calls for guards, I’m screwed.
Taking a deep breath, I edge closer, straining to hear their conversation. It doesn’t take long for me to realize that what I thought was Franco in pain was actually him… flirting. Painful for everyone else, sure, but not for him.
I shake my head, my fear giving way to embarrassment as my anger at him melts away. For all his faults, for all his douche bag behaviors, and despite his inaction at the law office, Franco is still my brother, and I’ve found him. Now I have to figure out how to get him out of here.
But first, I have a few choice words for him.
Plus, I like Olivia, and it sucks that she has to be subjected to Franco. Though it would serve Matti right if she did hook up with Franco, given what Matti did with me behind her back.
My skin flushes with heat, and I force myself to stay present rather than drift off into the memory of the shower that has haunted me every minute of every day since.
“…You come in here every day and bring me food, but you’re still not taking care of my needs,” Franco says, his voice dripping with sleaze.
I groan inwardly. So gross. I’m close enough now to peek into the room. Franco is sitting on a stained mattress, one hand cuffed to the steel bed frame of the bed. The bed is bolted to the floor, and there’s a stainless steel toilet nearby, but his chain doesn’t reach far beyond that.
Olivia’s back is to me as she arranges something on a metal table. Franco, naturally, is staring at her ass.
Before either of them can notice me, I dart across the open doorway and crouch behind the cart outside. My heart is racing as I try to steady my breathing.
There’s a clank of metal and what sounds like a zipper.
“Put that pathetic excuse for a dick away this fucking second,” Olivia snaps, her voice sharp and unyielding. “And I’ll do you the favor of saving your life by not telling my boyfriend about this.”
Oh, fuck no, Franco. What is wrong with you?
I hang my head, shame and anger warring inside me. He’s so disgusting, but at least he’s chained up.
Olivia, for her part, doesn’t sound remotely intimidated. If anything, her voice has an edge I’ve never heard before. She’s a badass bitch, and I love that about her. In another circumstance, we could have really been friends.
I refuse to allow myself to think about the fact that she said the word ‘boyfriend.’ My thoughts flash to Matti in the shower, the way his hands felt on my skin, the intensity in his eyes, the way he pressed his forehead to mine then ordered me to look at him while I came.
Fuck. He’s such an asshole. They all are, apparently.
Franco laughs. “Bullshit. You don’t have a boyfriend. But I can be your boyfriend for the next ten minutes if you come over here and put your mouth on this dick.”
I want to vomit. And punch him. And walk away.
But I can’t leave him here. Not like this. Even if he was somehow working with Matti’s guys at the law office, the script has flipped since then or he wouldn’t be chained up here in Matti’s warehouse dungeon if he was one of them.
Plus, if nothing else, I owe it to Olivia to get him away from her.
“You don’t remember Matti?” Olivia’s voice cuts through my thoughts.
My stomach plummets.
Franco grunts, and she continues, “So you do remember. You’re only just now recovering from what he did to you the last time. Are you sure you want to see what happens when he finds out you pulled out your dick and showed it to his girlfriend?”
Franco scoffs. “Matti. Whatever. You guys got an open relationship? Because you know he’s fucking my sister, right?”
Oh, Jesus.
Olivia is quiet for a moment, and when she speaks, her voice is softer but edged with warning. “Mind your business, Franco.”
I really feel like I’m going to throw up. I bang my head softly against the edge of the cart, feeling like the asshole that I am for fucking around with Olivia and Matti’s relationship, for hurting Olivia.
A sudden clang jolts me back to reality, the sound echoing down the hallway. I’ve accidentally knocked over a metal ring holding a dozen keys. Shit. They had to have heard that.
Without thinking, I grab the keys and bolt toward a doorway across the hall. The knob turns easily, and I stumble inside, shutting the door carefully behind me.
It’s pitch black except for the faint line of light under the door. I shove the keys into my pocket and press my cheek to the cold floor, straining to see out.
The shadow of the cart moves slowly down the hall, accompanied by the faint squeak of its wheels. Then, silence.
I wait for what feels like forever, heart pounding, until I’m sure the coast is clear.
Carefully, I open the door, looking up and down the empty hallway before crossing to the room where Franco is being held. I pull the keys out of my pocket quickly, and something flies out, hitting the concrete floor.
There is little light, but I easily follow the sound of skidding across the hallway: the flash drive. I forgot all about that thing. My leverage. I stick it in my jacket pocket and begin trying keys on Franco’s door.
Finally, one of them works, sliding into place with a satisfying click. I push the door open slowly.
Franco’s smug smirk vanishes the moment he sees me, instantly replaced by wide-eyed shock. I press a finger to my lips, signaling him to stay quiet, and step inside, closing the door behind me.