Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
Elena
I woke to a dull throb at the back of my skull.
My vision blurred. Slowly, things came into focus—a rundown warehouse. The smell of damp concrete mixed with rust crawled into my nose.
I was tied to a chair. Wrists bound behind me, ankles strapped together. Rough rope cut into my skin, burning.
The warehouse was massive. Holes gaped in the roof overhead. Gray-white light slanted down from above, hitting broken glass and debris scattered across the floor. Rusted shelves and machine carcasses littered the far end.
Dust hung in the air. My nose itched. I couldn't help coughing.
A man walked in.
When he saw me, a sneer twisted his face. He dropped onto a busted couch across from me, one leg propped on a metal frame beside him. A long scar ran from his left brow down to his jaw, like a wound stitched with a crude needle.
"Bitch. Finally got you." His voice was rough. He spun a knife between his fingers, the blade catching the light and flashing into my eyes.
I struggled against the ropes. "Who the hell are you? You have no right to kidnap me!"
"Who am I?"
He laughed like I'd told a joke. The next second, he hurled the knife at me. I didn't even have time to scream—it grazed my ear and buried itself in the wall behind me.
"Ah!!"
My ear was sliced. Searing pain shot through my whole body. I shook uncontrollably.
"Your man killed so many of my people. Won't let go of that damn shipping route." He got up and walked toward me, pressing his boot down on my thigh and grinding it into my leg. "And you've got the balls to ask me who I am?"
My thigh felt like it would snap. Pain whited out my vision. I bit down hard on my lip to keep from screaming.
What he was saying matched what Dante had told me at the end.
I finally knew who he was. I lifted my head, eyes burning red as I stared at him. "You're Javier."
Javier paused, looking satisfied. He moved his foot and yanked the knife from the wall behind me. "So you do know."
He circled me twice. "That bastard really cares about you, huh? Spent half a month with you, wouldn't come back to New York. I pulled a few strings and drew him away. Those idiots don't know what really matters."
Javier stopped in front of me, a sly grin spreading across his face. "You. And what's in your belly. He'd trade his life for that."
He knew I was pregnant.
Cold sweat broke out all over me. I fought desperately against the ropes. "You touch him and I'll—"
Javier's face twisted, his smile turning vicious. He was about to say something when the warehouse door suddenly swung open from outside.
A man walked in. Fifties, maybe. Different from Javier's reckless violence—this man radiated controlled, cold danger. His smile was gentle, but if you looked closely, you could tell it was fake.
He glanced at Javier, then at me tied to the chair, and frowned slightly.
"Don't treat women like that."
Javier naturally moved behind the man, glaring at me. "I can't be nice to her. Every time I think about how many of my men Dante killed, I want to tear her apart."
"Mrs. Moretti, hello. I'm Hector Cruz." Hector walked behind me and untied the ropes like a gentleman. I pulled my hands back immediately, clutching my stomach, glaring at them with all the ferocity I could muster.
"Ma'am, we brought you here to discuss a partnership." Hector's gaze swept over me from head to toe, then he smiled. "We've been trying to work with Dante, share a shipping route. If you can convince him, we'll let you go."
I knew I couldn't provoke them, so I played along. "Dante mentioned this to me. Using these methods to negotiate won't make him agree easily. But if you need it, I can help. Give me my phone. I'll text Dante."
Hector laughed. "Little girl, that trick won't work on me."
He leaned down, his mouth close to my injured ear. "The only way you can help is by staying put and watching me make that little punk sign the contract."
My heart sank.
"Tie her back up. Throw her on the ground." With that, Hector left the warehouse.
Javier retied my hands and feet. I leaned against the wall. He spat at me and stormed off.
I listened to the footsteps fade until they disappeared completely before I dared move.
I tested the rope around my wrists, but they'd tied it too tight. I couldn't get free.
I forced myself to breathe. Don't panic.
I lowered my head, chin to chest, and recalled conversations I'd overheard between the bodyguards at the manor. The mob used a special kind of knot, which had a special way to undo it. I studied the knot on my wrists and recognized the technique.
But the rope was too thick. I couldn't undo it.
My lips trembled. The longer I stayed here, the higher my chances of dying. I didn't know if Dante had noticed I was missing. He'd gone back to New York. By the time he got here, my body would be cold.
"Calm down, Elena," I told myself.
At the critical moment, I thought of something. The knot was complex to untie, but I could use my teeth. I started trying different approaches. The dry, rough rope scraped against my lips and the skin around my mouth. Within moments, I tasted blood.
I changed angles, taking the knot into my mouth and biting with my molars. The rope soaked with my saliva, coarse hemp fibers digging into my gums. I bit down hard, teeth sinking into the rope's texture, then twisted.
I didn't dare stop. I had to save myself.
I don't know how long passed. The light through the holes in the roof slowly changed from white to yellow, yellow to gray. My shoulders ached into numbness. My lips cracked. My empty stomach cramped.
But I felt no pain. My movements were mechanical, tearing at the knot on my wrists with my teeth.
Finally, I caught the last thread of rope between my teeth, tilted my head back, and yanked hard—
It loosened.
In that instant, I didn't celebrate. Without pausing, I unwound the remaining rope from my wrists, then quickly untied my ankles. The rope fell at my feet. I pushed myself up against the wall. My knees were practically soft.
Standing in the middle of that abandoned warehouse, my hands shook, fingertips numb. But I didn't waste time processing any emotions. I quickly scanned my surroundings. Rusted frames piled in the corner. A crowbar near the wall. I grabbed it.
I moved to the door and pressed my ear against the crack, listening.
Outside, Javier was on the phone. I heard him cursing. Through the gap, I even saw him pacing back and forth nearby.
If I ran now, he'd spot me.
So—I had to knock him out.
I waited until Javier finished his call. He walked toward me. My heart jumped into my throat. I took the quietest step backward. When Javier unlocked the door and came in, he saw the empty corner where I'd been and froze for a split second.
That one second of hesitation was my only chance.
I threw my body against the metal frame beside me. As Javier got hit by the falling debris, I swung the crowbar down hard on the back of his head.
Javier let out a muffled groan. I seized the moment, bolted for the door, yanked it open, and ran like hell in one direction. Cold air scraped my throat, but I couldn't stop. I had to keep running.
But I hadn't gone far when a car came up behind me. Javier jumped out, grabbed my hair, and yanked me backward hard.
"Fucking bitch!"
"Ah!"
His force was so brutal I fell backward, my whole body tilting. My scalp felt like it was being ripped out. I slammed into the ground, my back hitting the pavement. I couldn't catch my breath.
Javier pinned me down, one hand in my hair, the other raised high.
When that slap landed, my vision exploded in white light.
Ringing drowned out everything.
I thought I'd cry, but I didn't. Tears slid uncontrollably from the corners of my eyes, but I didn't make a sound. My tongue tasted blood—my upper lip had split against my teeth.
Javier panted, dragging me up off the ground and back into the warehouse.
This time, he bound me tight to the chair, wrapping rope around my entire body. Loop after loop, so tight the rope bit into my flesh. Even my bones started to hurt.
I glared at him viciously. "Javier, if you hurt me, Dante will kill you!"
Hearing that, Javier slapped me again. My vision blurred. Then he tore off a strip of tape and slapped it across my mouth, sealing it shut.
I was strapped to the chair like a packaged parcel.
Javier stood in front of me, bent down, and got close to my face. Moonlight streamed through the window, lighting up the scar on his face and his bloodshot eyes.
"He won't have to kill me. You're both going to die."
The iron door slammed shut. The warehouse fell silent again.
My face was swollen, my lip split, my hands numb behind me. White moonlight poured through the large window onto the floor in front of me like a silver road. I stared at that window, then dropped my gaze to my belly.
I opened my eyes and looked toward the window. The moonlight was cold, pooling like water in front of me.
I waited for Dante. I believed he would come for me.