Chapter 19: Chapter 19

Elnora stepped out of the limo, clutching the pieces of the phone tucked inside Mason’s oversized jacket. The fabric swallowed her small frame, and the weight grounded her, even in his absence. A man with an AK-47 closed the door behind her, and she offered him a weak smile before moving to join the armed men flanking Gia. The limo idled, its tinted windows giving no hint of the man inside, but she could feel Mason’s gaze on her, a nervous flutter spreading through her chest.

“Shall we? The boss won’t leave until you’re safely inside,” Gia said with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. Elnora studied her for a moment, then nodded, falling into step behind her.

They entered through the back of the establishment, Gia leading the way through a labyrinth of nearly empty halls. It was a maze of smoke and the stale scent of cigar. Elnora’s heart pounded as they reached a lift and stepped inside, the silence between them only amplifying her unease.

When the doors slid open on the bottom floor, her breath caught in her throat. An underground pub sprawled before them, buzzing with the low hum of voices. Men huddled around tables, gambling and pawing at women who giggled and teased in return. A few familiar faces caught her eye, and she quickly looked away, swallowing her disgust.

This was Eve’s House of Peculiarities. She slanted a quick look at Gia thinking, she must be Eve.

“In here.” Gia’s voice cut through her thoughts, pulling her back to the present.

They reached a set of living quarters which she guessed the ‘dames’ lived, and Gia led her into a spacious bedroom with a large bed, a desk, and a black suitcase neatly placed beside it.

“We’ll be a moment,” Gia said, dismissing the guards and closing the door behind them. “That door leads to the bathroom, and the guards will deliver your meals daily.”

Elnora wandered over to the room on the right, peeking into the wash room. It was clean, modern, but the sight did little to ease the growing sense of confinement. “It’s a cosy prison,” she muttered, turning back to Gia. “Do I get to go outside for fresh air? This is suffocating already.”

“Boss’s orders,” Gia replied, her tone clipped. “You’re not allowed to leave this room for any reason until he returns.”

Elnora nodded, forcing a smile. It was clear Gia didn’t like her—whether it was jealousy, suspicion, or something else entirely, she couldn’t tell. But the woman’s forced politeness was wearing thin, and Elnora could sense the barely contained irritation bubbling underneath.

“Is there anything else you need?” Gia asked.

Elnora raised an eyebrow. “What would I need if I needed something?”

“Talk to the men outside,” Gia replied, brushing her palms together as if dusting off the conversation. “If they can get it, you’ll have it in minutes. I’ll check in occasionally, but I have my own business to attend to.”

Elnora glanced around the room, the walls feeling closer than ever. “What gives, Gia?” she asked, turning back to her. “What’s your problem with me?”

Gia laughed, a cold, dismissive sound that echoed in the small space. The tall, striking Latino woman with steel-blue eyes stepped closer, brushing her long, wavy black hair out of her face with perfectly manicured fingers. There was something calculated in her movements, as if she were sizing Elnora up, deciding whether to strike or simply walk away.

“M is very meticulous,” Gia began. “That’s how he stays one step ahead of everyone. I’ve seen M get sloppy within a few weeks of meeting you, and in this business, that’s how people die. Get the picture?”

Elnora shrugged, refusing to be intimidated. “You still haven’t told me what your problem is.”

“You are,” Gia shot back. “You’re no good for him, and anyone who threatens the welfare of my family is my enemy. I think he’s simply infatuated with your pretty face, but he’ll get over it soon enough, and we can all move on. So don’t get comfortable.”

A smile tugged at the corners of Elnora’s lips. “I suppose you’re bitter because you’re a forty-five-year-old spinster with no prospects,” she replied, her tone as sweet as poison. “It’ll take more than a few choice threats to scare me, Gianna. But don’t worry—Mason’s got me; he’ll be fine. We’re done here if that’s all.”

Gia’s expression darkened, her eyes narrowing to slits. “Careful, little girl. You can’t even begin to fathom what I’m capable of. ~¡Voy a aplastarte!~” Gia’s hand reached out, stroking Elnora’s hair in a gesture that was more menacing than comforting. “No matter how great you fuck him, you’re nothing more than a disposable pleasure.”

“~Sin embargo, aquí estamos~, Gia,” Elnora responded smoothly, the words rolling off her tongue with an edge that matched Gia’s own.

Suspicion flickered in Gia’s eyes. “Who are you?”

“Bilingual, bitch. You should’ve picked that up by now.” She met Gia’s glare head-on, noting the flash of recognition. “And I know exactly who you are, Mother of Eden with the Garden of Peculiarities.”

Gia’s expression tightened, but Elnora didn’t stop. “If you really are who you claim to be, you’d already know who I am. But just to clear things up—I’m a worthwhile pursuit, not some disposable pleasure. Maybe if you weren’t so clueless about the concept, you’d understand.”

Gia’s scoff was loud and sharp, her jaw clenching in barely restrained fury. With a final glare, she stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her with enough force to make the walls tremble.

As the door shook on its hinges, Elnora let out a long, frustrated breath. “Great job, El, making an enemy of Mason’s… whatever she is to him.” She mentally slapped herself, but there was no denying the revulsion she felt for Gia. Women like her, who trafficked young girls into a life of exploitation, were the worst kind of evil. It stung differently, knowing a fellow woman could lord over such atrocities like a self-proclaimed god.

Elnora refused to play the role of the damsel in distress, stuck in this gilded cage. She had to follow up on what she’d uncovered about the priest and Marcy. Did the Priest target Marcy to gain access to her work, or was it just a twisted coincidence? Were they in cahoots now? And why in the world had Marcy cheated on Joe?

What bothered her about everything was the way Mason made her feel—like nothing she’d ever experienced before, and it was infuriating. Despite his attempts to push her away, she felt a fierce sense of possession. He was hers, and she couldn’t understand why he was fighting the pull between them. And by the time this mess was over, Mason would be hers, no matter how much he resisted.

She couldn’t wrap her mind around how her once quiet life had spiralled into this chaos in less than a month. Had she unwittingly wished for this chaos when she blew out the candles on her birthday cake two months ago?

If she was being honest with herself, she was overthinking the little things and ignoring the bigger picture. Why wasn’t she more upset that Mason had bid on her like she was some kind of property? He’d brought her to his fortress, assuming she was a whore he could control. Maybe it was because she, too, had secrets—dark ones. And while Mason knew only fragments of her story, he had no idea why their paths had truly crossed.

Her real goal was finding Enrico De Lauro.

With a frustrated huff, Elnora rose from the bed and started pacing the room. When Mason finally met the priest and squeezed the truth out of him, he’d definitely find out about her connection to Octavia. She retrieved the phone parts from Mason’s jacket—still clinging to his intoxicating scent—and laid them out on the bed, drying them with the purple duvet that smelled like a cosy, rainy day.

A sudden knock at the door startled her. She froze, halfway through reassembling the phone, and turned as it creaked open. Richard stepped in, flanked by two armed men, and Elnora shot to her feet.

“The boss wants to see you,” Richard said with a flat tone.

Elnora blinked. But didn’t he just leave? Had Mason already tracked finished with the priest?

Richard tilted his head toward the door, signalling her to move. “Come now.”

She quickly grabbed the barely reconstructed phone and walked toward him. Richard led the way out, the guards close behind. They turned left down a different hallway, away from the noise of gambling and other illicit activities.

“What’s going on?” Elnora whispered, trying to keep the edge out of her voice as they passed by half-naked girls lounging outside the rooms they moved past, their vacant stares making her uneasy.

Richard remained stone-faced, leading her deeper down the hall. They stopped in front of a private room, the door slightly ajar. Inside, five men sat around a round table, their gazes cold as they sized her up. Elnora instinctively clutched Mason’s jacket tighter around her shoulders, feeling exposed. But confusion quickly overtook her discomfort as recognition flickered in her mind. These men—she knew them. They were agents from Octavia’s bureau.

“You could’ve let the lady change, Rich,” a familiar voice drawled from inside the room. “Parading her half-naked in front of these horny goons is just asking for trouble.”

Elnora’s heart skipped a beat as the voice registered, its familiarity slicing through her like a blade. What the hell was she doing here?

“Sorry, boss,” Richard replied, his tone respectful but devoid of any warmth.

~Boss?~

“Get out,” the voice commanded, and Richard left without hesitation.

She finally stepped out of the shadows in a black pant suit, heels clicking as she moved to the head of the table. Her steel-gray eyes locked onto Elnora’s, her lips curling into that smug, familiar smile.

“Keep your eyes off this one if you intend to keep them, boys,” she warned the men.

“What the damn hell’s going on?” Elnora demanded. Why would one of Mason’s soldiers call her ‘boss’?

“Leave us, gentlemen. And get ready to clear out,” the woman ordered, crossing her legs with casual confidence as she waited for the men to exit. Once the room was clear, she turned to Elnora, her expression softening into something almost friendly. “It’s so good to see you, El.”

“The feeling isn’t mutual, Octavia. What the hell is going on?” Elnora shot back.

“What do you think?” Octavia’s laugh was a low sound that echoed in the room as she spun her chair in a full circle before rising to her feet. She reached out and stroked Elnora’s chin, her touch both unsettling and invasive.

There was no way Octavia was part of the mafia. She was the lead investigator on the bureau’s drug and counterfeiting task force. If she was, Elnora would know. Or was she undercover, just like Burrell?

“I’ve got a lot to tell you,” Octavia said. “Come on.”