Chapter Forty Amethyst
The room is concrete. Bare. Cold. A single metal chair.
Bolted to the floor. I’m in it. Hands zip-tied behind my back.
Ankles bound to the legs. Standard. Expected.
Designed for this. The door is steel. No windows.
One light. Fluorescent. Flickering. Casting shadows that move.
Shift. Dance. My ribs. Screaming. Every breath is fire. Sharp. Cutting.
The impact from earlier when Enzo tackled me. When he drove his fist into the healing fractures. It was deliberate. Calculated. Effective.
It did damage. I can feel it. The way they shift.
Grind. Protest. But I breathe through it.
Slow. Controlled. In. Out. In. Out. Pain is information.
Nothing more. The door opens. Enzo. He walks in.
Slow. Deliberate. The door closes behind him.
Locks. Heavy. Final. He’s changed clothes.
Clean. Professional. Like he didn’t just kidnap me.
Didn’t just set fire to the cabin. Didn’t just— He stops in front of me.
Stares down. His jaw is tight. Eyes hard. Angry.
“Three people," he says.
His voice is low. Controlled. Dangerous.
“Rafe.”
Pause.
“Lucia.”
Another pause.
“Mateo.”
He pauses again. Waiting for something. Maybe a word. Or a look. Or trying to get me to explain.
I don’t respond. Just stare at him. Blank. Empty. Giving nothing.
“You killed them."
Not a question. A statement. I still don’t speak. He moves. Circles the chair. Slow. Predatory.
“Six years," he continues. “Six years I built this organization. Recruited. Trained. Invested."
His footsteps echo. Concrete on concrete.
“And you—"
He stops behind me. I can’t see him. Can only hear. Feel.
“You destroyed it in less than a month."
Silence. Brief. Heavy. Then—
His hand. On my shoulder. Gripping. Hard. The pressure sends pain through my ribs. I don’t react. Don’t flinch. Don’t give him the satisfaction.
“Who trained you?"
His voice is closer now. Right by my ear.
“Who taught you to infiltrate? To kill? To disappear?"
I breathe. Slow. Steady. Count.
One.
Two.
Three.
He moves again. Comes around to face me. Crouches. Eye level.
“The Raven.”
His eyes search mine. Hunting for something. Anything.
“That’s who you work for.”
Pause.
“That’s who you’ve always worked for.”
I hold his gaze. Steady. Unflinching.
“Where is she?"
Nothing.
“What’s her real name?"
Nothing.
“How many operatives does she have?"
Nothing. His jaw tightens. Frustration. Building.
“You think she cares about you?"
He stands. Starts pacing.
“You think you’re special? Important?"
He pauses.
“You’re not a person to her."
He laughs. Cold and bitter. “Youre’ an asset.”
Pause.
“A disposable one.”
I let him talk. Let him try. This is textbook. Isolation. Manipulation. Drive wedges. Create doubt. Make the target question everything. Everyone. I’ve been trained for this. Prepared. He doesn’t know that. Doesn’t understand.
“She sent you in there," he continues. “Into my facility. Alone. Unarmed. Vulnerable."
He stops. Looks at me.
“She used you as bait. As a distraction."
Pause.
“And when you got caught—when I had you—where was she?"
He leans forward. Hands on his knees.
“She wasn’t there. Wasn’t coming. Wasn’t saving you."
His eyes bore into mine.
“It was him. That psychopath. That—that thing you’re fucking."
The mention of Kade. Deliberate. Calculated. Trying to provoke. To get reaction. I don’t give it. Just breathe. Count.
Four.
Five.
Six.
“He’s the one who came for you.”His eyes narrow. Watching. Waiting.
“Not the Raven.”
He straightens. Crosses his arms.
“So tell me—who do you really work for?"
Silence. He waits. Ten seconds. Twenty. Thirty. Nothing. I don’t speak. Don’t move. Just stare. His frustration cracks. Shows.
“ANSWER ME!"
The shout echoes. Bounces off concrete. Fills the small space. I blink. Slow. Deliberate. That’s all. He moves fast. Grabs my face. Hard. Fingers digging into my jaw. Forces me to look at him.
“You killed three of my people," he says.
His voice is low now. Dangerous.
“Systematically. Methodically. Like it was nothing."
His grip tightens.
“Who gave you the intel? Who told you where to find them?"
My ribs shift. Pain flares. Sharp. Cutting. I breathe through it. Don’t react. Don’t show. He releases my face. Shoves. My head snaps back. The chair rocks. Settles.
“You’re protecting her," he says.
Realization. Understanding.
“Even now. Even here. You won’t give her up."
He starts pacing again. Faster. Agitated.
“Why? What has she done to earn that kind of loyalty?"
He stops. Turns.
“She left you."
He stops pacing. Turns.
“She watched you walk into my organization.”
Pause.
“Watched you get exposed.”
Anothe pause.
“And you’re sitting here bleeding for her.”
I count my breaths.
Seven.
Eight.
Nine.
The tracker. In my jacket pocket. Still there. Still transmitting.
Kade knows where I am. He’s coming. I just have to wait. Survive. Hold on. Enzo moves closer. Crouches again.
“Let me tell you what’s going to happen," he says.
His voice is calm now. Too calm.
“I’m going to ask you questions. And you’re going to answer them."
He tilts his head.
“If you don’t—"
His hand moves. To my ribs. Presses. Gentle at first. Then harder.
The pain explodes. White-hot. Blinding. I gasp. Can’t help it. Can’t stop it. He sees it. Smiles.
“There it is," he says. Satisfied.
“Finally. Something that hurts.”
He presses harder. I bite down. Hard. Taste blood. My own. From biting my tongue. Don’t scream. Don’t give him that. He releases. The pain recedes. Slowly. Gradually. Leaving echoes.
“Where is The Raven?"
His voice. Calm. Patient. I breathe. Ragged. Uneven. But I don’t speak.
“What’s her location?"
Nothing.
“How do I find her?"
Nothing. His hand moves again. To my ribs. Hovering. Threatening.
“Last chance."
I look at him. Really look at him. And I finally see it. Not anger. Not confidence. Fear. Buried deep. Hidden behind threats. The violence. The interrogation.
Fear.
He knows someone is coming. Knows time is running out. Knows this room is turning to a grave. He just doesn’t know whose.
I almost smile. Almost. But I don’t. Just hold his gaze. Silent. Defiant. Absolute. His jaw tightens.
“Fine."
He walks to the door. Knocks once. It opens and someone hands him something. A knife.
Small. Sharp. Tactical.
He closes the door and turns back to me.
“We’ll do this the hard way.”
He moves behind me. I can’t see him. Only hear. Feel. The zip tie around my wrist snaps. Blood rushes back to my hands. Numb. Tingling.
He grabs my right hand. Yanks it forward and slams it on to the armrest.
Palm up.
The knife presses against my pinky finger.
“Where is The Raven?”
I breathe. Slow. Controlled.
Pain is information. Nothing more. I’ve survived worse. The foster father.
The facility.
The torture.
This?This is nothing..
“Answer me."
The knife bites deeper. Skin parts. Warm and wet. I don’t move. Don’t speak. Just breathe.
Ten.
Eleven.
Twelve.
He lets go and steps back Frusterated. Angry. Desperate.
“You’re going to break," he says. “Everyone breaks eventually."
He circles the chair.
“It’s just a matter of time."
I look at him and I think—
No. Not everyone. Not me. I’ve already been broken. And I survived it. Rebuilt myself. Became stronger. This is just another test. Another trail. And I’ll survive this too.
Because Kade is coming. Raven is moving. The network is closing in. And Enzo—
Enzo is already dead. He just doesn’t know it yet.
“Nothing?”
Still silence.
“Still nothing?”
He shakes his head. Disbelief. Frustration. Then something else. Realization.
“You’re more loyal to her than I thought.”
He sets the knife down. Metal against metal.
“Or maybe…”
He studies me.
“Maybe she’s not who you’re protecting.”
His eyes narrow.
“It’s him, isn’t it?”
He pauses.
“Kade.”
The name hangs between us. A weapon. A test.
“You’re not afraid of what I’ll do to you,” Enzo says.
“You’re afraid of what he’ll do if you talk.”
He steps closer.
“There it is.”His voice is quieter now. More certain.
“That’s the leverage.”
He crouches in front of me. Eye level.
“You think he’ll come for you.”
Pause.
“You think he’ll save you.”
Another pause.
“But what if he doesn’t?”
I breath. Steady and calm. The tracker is still transmitting. Still hidden. He doesn’t know.
“What if I kill you before he gets here?"
His voice softens. Almost gentle. More dangerous than the threats.
“What if all this loyalty...”
He gestures between us.
“All this silence…”
His eyes lock on mine.
“Is for nothing?”
I meet his gaze and I know the answer. It won’t be for nothing. Even if I die here. Even if Kade doesn’t make it in time.
I didn’t break. I didn’t betray anyone. That matters.
Enzo sees it.The certainty. The resolve. His expressions harden.
“You’re insane.”
He lets out a humorless laugh.
“Both of you.”
He stands and walks to the door. Stops and looks back.
“I’ll give you time to think.”
The handle turns.
“To reconsider.”
The door opens.
“But when I come back—"
He pauses.
“You will talk.”
The door slams shut. Locks. And then there is blissful silence.
Finally.
I let my head fall forward. Just for a second. The pain in my ribs throbs.
The cut on my finger still bleeds.
I breathe and count.
Thirteen.
Fourteen.
Fifteen.
The tracker is still in my pocket. Still working. Kade knows where I am.
He’s coming.
I just have to hold on. A little longer. I close my eyes and think of him. His hands. His voice. The way he looks at me. Like I’m worth dying for. And living for. So I’ll survive. I’ll endure. I’ll wait. And when kade finds me—
Enzo won’t have time to understand what went wrong.
Because my predator is coming, And this time—
There is no escape.
I open my eyes and stare at the door. I wait. Patiently. Silent. Unbroken. Come find me, Kade. I’m ready. I’m waiting. And I’m not going anywhere.
I flex my fingers. Testing them.
Worse—
He left the knife on the small metal table. The blade still resting there. Forgotten. Abandoned.
A mistake.
A fatal one.
I move carefully. Slow. My ribs protesting with every movement.
Sharp cutting pain that I ignore. I reach for the knife. My fingers close around the handle. I slide the knife beneath my thigh. Hidden. Concealed.
My right hand aches. My pinky finger still bleeding. I inspect the cut.
Its deep. Clean but deep. He wanted to cause pain.. He wanted fear and compliance. He got none of that. The bleeding needs to stop. I grab the hem of my shirt and try to tear it.
The fabric resists and I pull harder.
Pain detonates through my ribs. I stop trying to tear my shirt. I grab the knife and slice through the hem of my shirt. Much easier with the knife. A strip of fabric falls free. Long enough to wrap my finger.
I pull the fabric tight, the bleeding slows. It’ll have to be good enough for now.
I hide the knife under my thigh again and I wait.
Because Enzo made another mistake.Several of them actually. He thinks desperation makes him dangerous. It doesn’t.
It made him careless. He left me untied. He left me armed. And he left me alone. He thinks I’m broken. Thinks I’m weak.Thinks he’s in control.
He’s wrong.
The moment he walks back through that door—
Everything changes.
I count again as I take deep breaths.
Sixteen.
Seventeen.
Eighteen.
The thing inside me stirs. The part I’ve spent years controlling. Training. Directing. Sharpening. Not fear. Not panic.
Instinct. Violence. Survival. Predator.
Enzo wanted answers. Wanted information. Wanted me to break.
Instead—
He gave me exactly what I needed.
A chance.
I stare at the door and I wait. Not as prey. Not as a victim. Not as someone waiting to be rescued.
But as a hunter. As a predator. As death. Come back, Enzo.
Please. Come back. I’m ready for you.