Chapter 10
ALEX
Aiden was missing. One month after his introduction to The Serpents, he left the house, promising to return by morning—and then vanished.
My calls went straight to voicemail. All of my text messages went unanswered. Even Luca was avoiding me, which only made me more suspicious.
According to the security cameras on Founders Way, Aiden was last seen at the Salvatore Estate. My grandfather said he had called the police.
Aiden was a bit of a wild card. He often floated from one thing to the next, letting life and his moods guide the way.
But he would never leave me.
So, I drove to Luca’s home and pulled up at the gate. Dozens of armed guards dressed in black suits surrounded the fortress on the sea.
“Alexandrea Wellington here to see Luca Salvatore,” I said to the man approaching my open window.
He hit a button on his collar and turned his head, speaking to someone in hushed tones. Then, he bent down and said, “Mr. Salvatore is not accepting visitors.”
“No, you tell him to open this gate and let me inside, or I will…”
What would I do?
I had no power over Luca.
“I’m sorry, Miss Wellington,” the man replied, his tone devoid of emotion. “Turn around and go home.”
I knew Luca issued the order over the comm in his ear. That bastard had denied me access because he’d done something to my brother. Aiden had been staying out all night for weeks. He also looked like he was using drugs. He was a shell of the person he was before we’d moved to Devil’s Creek.
This town was a black hole.
The longer we were apart, the more I felt my mental health slipping. He was the glue holding me together, the one person who made me whole.
Determined to get answers, I parked at the bottom of the hill leading out of Devil’s Creek, hiding my BMW between other luxury cars. Playing detective was my last resort. Luca hadn’t given me another option.
After waiting thirty minutes in the dark, Luca’s Aston Martin Vantage flew past me and headed toward Beacon Bay. He was so predictable. I knew my sudden arrival at his house would jolt him into action.
Keeping a safe distance, I tailed Luca through the sleepy seaside town. He drove past the waterside mansions closest to Devil’s Creek and went south. The houses were smaller and dilapidated, interspersed between warehouses and crumbling storefronts—a vast difference from the north side.
Luca eventually stopped at The River Styx. Several drunk men staggered out the door, beer bottles in hand. They lit cigarettes and drank, leaning against the spray-painted brick wall.
A sudden unease filled my stomach. I hesitated for a second, fear shaking through my limbs. I’d had the same horrible feeling the night Luca introduced Aiden to The Serpents.
Luca bypassed the front door and turned right into the alley. I wasn’t a fan of dark, cramped spaces. After years of my mother locking me in the closet, I hated feeling trapped.
What choice did I have?
This was my opportunity to expose Luca’s lies.
“Hey, baby,” one of the drunk guys yelled as I crossed the street. “Come chill with us.”
“Yeah,” his blond friend said, “we’ll take good care of you.”
Nerves slithered down my spine, heightening my already intensified senses. My heart raced so fast that each breath hurt my chest.
Please don’t follow me .
I wiped my sweaty palms down the front of my jeans and ignored the leering men, doing my best to calm down. But it was too late. My mind and body were out of sync, no longer working in unison.
Not the best time for a panic attack.
Thankfully, the men forgot all about me as I entered the alleyway. The backs of storefronts lined both sides. My nose tipped up at the smelly dumpsters overflowing with trash. More bags and discarded cartons were scattered across the ground.
Between the dank smell, the heat flushing my skin, and the ringing in my ears, the brick walls were closing around me.
It was too dark.
Too hot.
Too quiet.
Suddenly, I was transported to my childhood.
Locked doors.
Dark closets.
No way out.
Regretting my decision to pursue this stupid plan, I bolted and crashed into a hard chest. Thrown backward by the force of the hit, I fell on my side and scraped my right leg. Wincing in pain, I clutched my knee and breathed deeply through my nose.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” Luca shook his head. “Was I not clear when I told you to go home?”
“You didn’t tell me anything,” I shot back, my vision blurring as my heart hammered. “Your guard dog did.”
“Go. Home.” He pronounced each syllable, his deep voice a rumble in the silent space. “You. Are. Not. Welcome. Here.”
“Aiden,” I choked out. “I know you did something to him. You…”
I struggled to catch my breath.
Dismissing my concerns, Luca lifted me from the ground and set me on my feet. Then, he shoved me toward the street.
“Forget about your brother.” He gripped my ass and pushed me once more. “Go home before you get hurt.”
Anger furled inside me, and my vision flashed in violent red waves.
I spun around, hands balled into fists at my sides.
Luca walked away, but I advanced on him, yanking his dress shirt from behind.
Using all my strength, I slammed his back to the brick wall and pounced, banging my fists on his chest.
“Tell me what you did to Aiden.”
“Crazy ass bitch,” he bit out and peeled my fingers from his shirt collar.
“Fuck you,” I hissed.
I felt the darkness leeching into my skin, clawing at my insides. My medications helped dull this part of my brain. I so desperately wanted to turn it off right now.
But I was too far gone.
When provoked, I lost control.
As Luca turned on his heels, I grabbed something cold and hard from his waistband. I blinked a few times to clear my vision, but I couldn’t focus on the thing weighing down my hand.
“Don’t,” Luca warned when I pressed the cold metal to his stomach. “Drea, stop it. You’re not thinking clearly.”
He attempted to wrestle the object from my hand, but I swatted him away, screaming at the top of my lungs. The metal plunged into something hard and dense. A warm liquid coated my hand and slid down my fingers. In the darkness, I couldn’t see anything.
“Give him back,” I chanted. “Give him back.”
Luca made a guttural sound but didn’t speak.
A door opened to our right.
Four sets of eyes flicked to me. Tall men dressed in jeans and T-shirts approached, and as they drew closer, I got a good look at their snake-like skin.
The Serpents.
It was all part of the act. They painted their faces like different snakes and only used code names.
A man with golden snake scales on one half of his face muttered, “What the?—”
“Call my uncle,” a man with yellow scales said to his friend.
The dark-haired man with greenish-yellow skin gripped my shoulders and shook me. “What did you do?”
The alleyway spun around me, the scent of metal and garbage clinging to the air. As I lost consciousness, I glanced at the man, his face painted like a black mamba. He had something red on his hands and shirt.
“What’s wrong with her?”
Another man held out his palms and shouted words I couldn’t make out. A dark, wet liquid shone on his skin. That was the last thing I remembered before losing consciousness.
I was falling.
Down.
Down.
Down
Until my feet hit the pavement, my soles burning from pushing myself too hard. I ran across the deserted street, forced to dodge the men blocking my path. They had paint on their faces, one half resembling a snake, the other half human.
I blinked a few times.
“Not real,” I whispered. “Not real.”
An inky mist formed around me, swirling high above my head, and I was in a new place, lying on a soft surface. I reached out and felt the plush covers beneath me. A golden glow hovered above me, lighting up the room.
“She almost killed my son,” a man boomed. “I will not forget this, Carl.”
I recognized the voice.
It was Arlo Salvatore.
I rolled onto my side, unable to see more than two blurry figures. My head ached, the pounding so intense I couldn’t concentrate.
“We had a deal,” another man said, though his voice sounded too far away. “Alex will marry Luca to settle the debt.”
Pops .
Arlo snickered. “She is not going anywhere near my son.”
I opened my mouth to speak, but my throat hurt, and no words came out. “Pops,” I tried to say, wiggling my fingers, hoping to gain his attention.
Why can’t I go near Luca?
“She’s unwell,” my grandfather said, his tone somber. “Alex will go away for a little while, and when she returns, she will marry Luca.”
“No,” Arlo snapped. “My son wants nothing to do with her. Can’t say I blame him.”
“How is he?” Pops asked.
“Lucky to be alive.”
“Arlo, I’m sorry. I tried to warn you and Luca?—”
“Stop,” Arlo fired back. “Aiden made his choice.”
A door slammed, and the voices ceased.
My arm felt like it weighed a hundred pounds when I lifted it off the bed. “Pops,” I croaked, my head and vision still foggy.
What had they given me?
Where was I?
The bed dipped beside me, and a wrinkled hand cupped my arm. “This will all be over soon.”
He rose from the mattress. I heard a creaking sound as he opened a door. “Nurse,” Pops called out.
A second set of footsteps entered the room, slowly approaching my bed.
“Give her more,” Pops said in an authoritative tone. “Alexandrea needs her rest.”
“Yes, Dr. Wellington,” a woman said.
She shuffled around in the drawer beside me. Seconds later, a sense of calm washed over me, drowning out the rapid beating of my heart.
Once again, I was falling.
“Go to sleep, my dear,” Pops said, stroking my hand.
A moment later, everything went black.