Chapter 38: Chapter 38

I was shocked awake by a bucket of ice-cold water dumped over my head. My heart leapt into my throat as I gasped for breath, blinking against the water dripping down my face.

I shivered.

I sat on a metal chair in a cold, cement room, my hands bound behind my back.

In front of me were two men.

I trembled as I stared into piercing pools of honey brown.

Anton.

Stefano’s best friend.

The man he trusted more than anyone else in the world.

I mumbled into the fabric binding my mouth, glaring at the betrayer as I struggled against the rope securely tying me to the chair.

Anton took a drag from the cigar at his lips. Its rich cedar scent permeated the air as he watched my futile attempt to wiggle free.

My head throbbed; my mind was in disarray. Yet one thing was clear.

Rob had betrayed us.

I was in danger.

I had been complacent. I’d placed too much trust in Rob because he worked for Stefano, and this was what it got me. I’d seen the signs—the strange duffle bag, the industrial mask, the sudden change in location for my training. And, most telling of all, Sam’s disappearance.

Why hadn’t I questioned him more? Why had I just gone along with what he’d said?

“Remove the gag,” Anton told the other man as he gazed down at me indifferently. It was a stark contrast to his attitude toward me when we’d first met.

The other man dropped the empty bucket and roughly tugged the cloth from my mouth.

“Hello, Catalina,” Anton greeted me.

“Fuck you,” was all I said. I knew pleading was useless in a situation like this. I needed to show him that I wasn’t to be messed with. I needed to remain strong.

Eventually, Stefano would notice I was missing, and he’d look for me. I had to hold out until then. No matter what.

Anton chuckled. “Feisty, but your trembling gives you away.”

He was right. My arms shook, and I was unable to stop the adrenaline and fear coursing through them.

“What do you want?” I asked. If he wanted me dead, he would’ve killed me already. If he wanted to torture me, he’d have done it by now. I had to assume I was worth something to him, either money or information.

The question was, was I worth enough for him to want to keep me alive?

He bent down until we were at eye level and flicked his cigar aside so it rolled on the floor beneath my feet. There was a wicked gleam in his eyes, and it terrified me. What did he want?

“I want you to join my side.”

I froze, not sure that I’d heard him right.

“What?”

“I want you to become the eyes of the Petrov family. Report everything that you see and hear back to me.”

“What the fuck?” I instinctively tried to pull as far away from him as possible. Was he crazy? There was no way I would betray Stefano like that.

“This isn’t a bad deal for you.” The other man crossed his arms, a condescending look on his face. “You’re lucky the boss is reaching out to you directly.”

“Evan.” Anton raised his hand to halt the man’s speech.

Evan straightened up. “Sir.”

Anton stood and kicked the leg of my chair, jostling me and forcing me to contract my ab muscles so I wouldn’t tip over.

“I know it sounds crazy, but I’ve already heard from Stefano. You’re searching for your aunt, are you not? I can help you find her. Betray the Roscottos. My family isn’t any weaker than his.”

I couldn’t wrap my head around the situation. Anton wanted me to become a spy for the Petrovs? But they were allies of the Roscottos.

I feigned hesitance, making it seem like I was considering their offer.

If I agreed to be their spy and they released me, I could go back to Stefano and tell him everything. Then he could deal with Anton’s betrayal. It was that simple.

But if I declined…

“What happens if I decline?” I asked, wetting my lips to make it seem like I was interested in their offer.

He chuckled. “You won’t decline. If you think Stefano will come to your rescue, I’d advise you to kill that dream. There are only three people who know the existence of this place.”

I blew out a breath and racked my brain.

If only three people knew about this location, and I was in the room with two of them, then there was only one other person out there that I had to worry about.

If I could cut myself loose, I might be able to take them down and escape.

I twisted my arm and winced as the thick, rough rope dug into my skin. I didn’t have to see my hands to know that they were purple from my constantly tugging.

The pain barely registered above the sound of my heart thumping against my rib cage.

“I’ll do it,” I said, deciding to lead them on.

Anton’s smile widened. “Would you now?”

The look on his face caused the hair on my arms to spike up. My stomach sank. Had he guessed my intentions? It felt like he had.

But I had to keep up the charade. I had to give myself a chance to get out of here.

I nodded cautiously.

“All right then. Tell us. What’s the code to the Roscotto lighthouse?”

I froze.

The Roscotto lighthouse?

How did he know I had that information?

It was something that not many participants were privy to, as only important figures within the Roscotto family needed that knowledge.

Even though the games weren’t completed, Stefano had ordered Sam to fill me in on key details. He had offered me his trust in return for my own.

The Roscotto lighthouse was as its name stated: a lighthouse on the coast of a small island. It housed the main intelligence unit for the family. Their most important documents were held there.

Giving Anton that code was the same as giving him the lives of every member of the Roscotto family, blood relatives and associates alike.

Anton quirked a brow. “So, you do know what I’m talking about. That’s good.”

I bit my tongue and mentally cursed myself for reacting. He had caught me so off guard that I hadn’t been able to help myself.

I held my silence, refusing to say another word. That was not something that I could give them, even if it meant dying. I had my pride. Stefano gave me his trust, and I would never betray that.

“Are you not going to tell us?”

I wet my lips and muttered with a straight face, “I don’t know the code.”

“What about the location?”

“I don’t know that either.”

“Hmm.” He pondered for a second before glancing at Evan and giving him a nod.

Evan reached into his back pocket and pulled out a stun gun.

I blinked in confusion.

Was this their weapon? If they were going to torture me, why not use something that could maim? Why were they being cautious?

Did they need me unharmed if they had to send me back? Or was it something else?

“I’ll ask again,” Anton said. “What is the code to the lighthouse? Where is it?”

I took a deep breath and remained firm. “I don’t know. I was told about the lighthouse but not given any details.” I willed them to believe the lie, but I wasn’t successful.

Evan quickly stepped to my side. I heard the electric hum of the stun gun before it touched my skin.

“Gah!” I gritted my teeth against the pain as my body convulsed. Electricity ran beneath my skin like static, and my fear heightened.

My body slumped when it was over, but the ropes kept me from falling to the floor.

My breathing was heavy, and my mind reeled from the pain.

“This is only the beginning.” Anton reached into his breast pocket to pull out his phone. “It seems they’ve realized you’re missing.”

I kept my head down, trying to calm the erratic beat of my heart.

~Everything will be fine, Cat~, I told myself. ~Stefano will come~.

A pair of shoes entered my blurry vision. Anton knelt before me and gripped my chin, tilting my head up to look at him.

His eyes were cold, and my body couldn’t help but shiver as another wave of fear gripped me.

“I chose you for a reason, Cat. The Roscotto family doesn’t care about you. Haven’t you wondered what Stefano is hiding from you? If I told you it was about your aunt, would you help me take him down?”

I stiffened.

My aunt?

Were they really talking about my aunt the night of Anton’s party? Was that why Stefano sent me out of the room?

No.

Stefano wouldn’t lie to me. He’d told me that he hadn’t found conclusive evidence, and that’s why I didn’t need to know about it.

I couldn’t allow myself to be swayed by outsiders.

This was what Stefano meant by emotions being fickle. Anton was using the discord that had been sewn that night to feed my anxiety.

But I couldn’t give in.

I’d promised Stefano that I’d always be on his side.

I believed in the relationship we were building. I believed he’d never do anything to harm me, and that included hurting my family.

I twisted my head out of Anton’s hand. “Fuck off.”

He chuckled. “I didn’t expect your loyalty to be so high.”

I said nothing.

“Evan.”

My body tensed, preparing itself for what I knew was coming next.

I screamed when the electricity met my skin, the jolt stronger than the last. I sucked in a sharp breath of air and coughed.

My body twitched, and tears rolled down my face as my heart threatened to burst.

Anton stood and stepped back. “I’ll give you more time to think carefully about where your loyalties should lie. You have a younger sister, do you not?”

My head snapped up, and I growled. “Touch her, and I’ll fucking kill you!”

“You do not have that ability.” He turned on his heel and approached the only door in the room. “Untie her. She should have some freedom while she’s here.”

Evan did as commanded and took a knife out of his pocket to cut the ropes loose.

My body was weak and trembling. I had no control over myself as I fell to the floor.

“Pathetic.” Evan snorted and followed Anton out of the room.

The door slammed shut behind them, leaving me sprawled on the dirty cement floor like an abandoned doll.