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Andrew steps closer, his eyes gleaming with a twisted pleasure. “Oh? And why’s that?”
My jaw clenches. “Because I’m going to kill you, Andrew. You made her suffer, and you’re going to pay for it.”
He laughs, a cold, heartless sound that echoes around the basement. “Big talk for someone who can’t move.”
“You think these ropes will hold me forever? Think again. I’ll break free, and when I do, you’ll wish you never laid a finger on her, you son of a bitch.”
His face falters for just a moment, a flicker of doubt in his eyes, before he regains his composure. “You’re delusional, Dion. Aria’s mine now, in every way that matters. I can do whatever I want with her. In a few short days, she’ll be my wife. And you’ll be dead.”
“She’s not yours and never will be,” I spit, my words laced with venom. “Either way, you’re no longer the heir to the Kastellanos estate.”
Andrew’s laughter fills the room. “How are you going to stop me? I made a blood pact with her father, and as long as I’m alive, I have the right to claim her as my wife. And when I do, I’ll get rid of her fucking brother and take over.”
“Not if I stop you first,” I growl.
Andrew scoffs. “The reason I brought you down here is to prevent you from doing anything heroic like trying to save that whore from her fate. We are to be married in three days.”
Fuck no. I lunge forward in my chair, hands clenched into fists. The ropes strain against my wrists, cutting deeper into my skin, but I barely register the pain. I notice with smug satisfaction his slight flinch, and I smirk.
However, Andrew is quicker than I anticipated.
His fist connects with my jaw with a sickening crack, sending stars exploding across my vision. I taste blood as it floods my mouth, hot and metallic.
“I can’t wait to make her mine and enjoy every moment of it,” he smiles. “Starting with fucking the bitch and filling her with my heirs.”
The mere thought of Andrew touching Aria, of defiling her in such a way, fills me with a rage so intense it’s almost blinding.
He hits me again. I refuse to back down, thrashing in my chair with all the strength I can muster.
Andrew’s blows rain down on me like a hailstorm. I feel bones crack beneath his relentless assault, my body convulsing with agony with every strike.
And through the haze of pain and blood, it’s Aria who consumes my mind.
I cling to the image of her, safe and unharmed, the only thing keeping me tethered to reality. Despite the darkness closing in around me, her face shines like a star in the night, a small comfort in this nightmare.
50
ATLAS
Isit in the darkness of my underground sanctuary, clutching my phone tighter, knuckles turning white.
“You really haven’t been able to find him?” I ask, trying to keep the frustration out of my voice. I fucking hate talking on the phone.
“Not a trace,” Evander replies, sounding just as frustrated—but for other reasons. “Even Xander can’t track him, and he’s my best hacker. It’s as if he vanished into thin air.”
I sigh, rubbing my temples. “And you came to me because…?”
“We need someone with your skills, Atlas. Dimitri said you’re a computer genius. If anyone can find Dion, it’s you.”
Fucking Dimo. Of course he’d go around calling me a computer “genius.” I’m becoming fond of the kid, but he’s a pain in my ass.
I glance around my surroundings, feeling the familiar comfort of solitude. Even months after being freed from the chains of my father, from the lies that bound me to him, I can’t bring myself to leave this place. Out there, people know the truth about me. Here, in the dark, I don’t have to face anyone. I don’t have to see their pitying eyes or hear their loud voices. I can just exist, quietly—hidden.
My computer chimes, breaking my reverie. A new message on my dark web IM. I’ve been chatting with someone named—well, their alias keeps changing, so let’s call them Phantom for now. For months, I’ve tried to figure out who they are, but it’s near impossible. It’s shocking, really. I’ve never had this much trouble uncovering anyone before. I even discovered the truth behind the Sisterhood when I was just a kid, and that was no easy feat.
“I’ll see what I can do,” I grunt, fingers already flying over the keyboard. “No promises.”
We hang up, and I turn my full attention to Phantom’s latest message. It’s another riddle, another challenge. I type out a quick response, my mind already working through the possibilities.
