Chapter 25 Chapter 25
They never had security in the house, only at the front gates. Idiots. We made our way through the living room and up the grand staircase. The first room was Alistair's and Vivian’s. I looked at Wesley, and he nodded. I pulled the mask out of my pocket and wore it. I grabbed the dagger and opened the door. We made our way over to the bed; I was going for Vivian, and Wesley would take Alistair.
When I got to the bed, I flicked the bedside lamp on. Alistair jumped up, but Wesley already had the gun to his head.
“Scream and you brains will be all over the sheets.” Wesley said, and Alistair shut his mouth. Vivian was a deep sleeper always was. I gagged her as she slept; it wasn't until I tied her hands that she woke up.
I didn't say anything because I knew they would know my voice. I had already prepared and coached Wesley on what to say. After they were tied and on the floor, I left Wesley and went after Blair. I found her asleep in her designer Pyjamas and shook my head.
I tied her hands and feet, and she woke up trying to scream. I raised the dagger to my lips, and she shut up. I gagged her and dragged her back to her parents' room and dumped her next to her parents.
Wesley pulled a chair and sat down in front of them, i stood beside him.
“Did you actually think you did it? That there was no evidence left Alistair?” Wesley asked, and Alistair shook his head with wide eyes.
“See Julian and Elena Valerius had a daughter, and she’s coming for you. This, the house, the money, the companies it all belongs to Ms. Valerius, and this mansion was built on the ruins of the Valerius Foundation, and she’s coming to take it back, Alistair. Tonight, just so you know, she has the evidence that you killed her parents. Tonight we are merciful, but when she gets hers, she won't be. She wants your blood,” Wesley said.
Vivian looked at Alistair; Blair looked terrified. Alistair’s face was pale.
“So Alistair , here are some suggestion. Give her back what belongs to her and disappear, or she’ll take it by force, killing you. Your choice” Wesley said.
I walked over to them, i opened the black case, there were three syringes but one wasn't a sedative. One was MNEMOSYNE, courtesy of Vanguard Global, Nikolai.
According to Wesley, it doesn't cause a high. Instead, it interferes with the brain’s ability to tell a memory apart from the present moment. The victim feels foggy. They forget where they put their keys or lose their train of thought mid-sentence. They just think it's age or a lack of sleep.
Then paranoia kicks in. They start remembering things that didn't happen, like a conversation where they can't trust their own head, then comes total collapse. They start seeing people who aren't there and talking to ghosts. To the outside world, it looks like early-onset dementia or a massive schizophrenic break.
I leaned in close to Blair’s ear. I didn't use my real voice; I kept it low, a distorted whisper that sounded like it was coming from the bottom of a well.
"Time for you to suffer?" I murmured. "Well, you’re about to have a very crowded head," I said before I stuck the needle into the base of her neck.
"Every time you close your eyes, you’re going to see your worst nightmare. Every time it’s quiet, you’re going to hear the sound of the fire that killed the Valerius family."
I stood up, looking at Wesley. He gave me a sharp nod. It was done.
"In an hour, the sedatives will wear off for your parents," I told her, stepping back into the shadows. "But they won't be able to save you. Because the rot isn't in your blood this time, Blair. It’s in your mind. And there’s no cure for that."
We left the way we came, it was almost two in the morning. We were about twenty minutes away from the Rhodes mansion when three cars pulled up beside us.
“Shit, Hold on” Wesley said.
It happened in a split second. The car jerked forward and started spinning; the next thing I knew, I was pitching forward, and then everything went black.
The first thing I felt wasn't pain, it was the vibration. A low, heavy hum underneath my feet that made my teeth rattle. Then came the smell, damp concrete and that thick, oily scent of a place that hasn't seen fresh air in a decade.
I tried to lift my hand to wipe my eyes, but my arm didn't move. I yanked, and the sudden jerk sent a bolt of white-hot pain up my shoulders. My wrists were zip-tied tight to the arms of a heavy metal chair. My ankles were the same.
Don’t panic. Natalie, don't you dare panic.
I blinked, my vision finally clearing. I was in a warehouse. One of those massive, hollowed-out shells near the industrial district. A single bulb flickered overhead, casting shadows against the rusted pillars.
Three guys were standing a few feet away. They weren't wearing suits like Nikolai’s crew, and they weren't flashy like the Rhodes. They just looked like hired muscle, with boots, heavy jackets, and faces that had seen too many street fights.
"She's awake," one of them said. He was a thick-set guy with a buzz cut, leaning against a wooden crate. He watched me like I was a problem he was getting paid to solve.
"Who are you?" I rasped. My throat felt like I’d been swallowing sand. "What do you want?"
"Information, sweetheart," the guy said, pushing off the crate and walking toward me. He didn't touch me, but he got close enough that I could see the dullness in his eyes. He didn't hate me, he didn't even know me. That was almost scarier.
"We know you’re the girl from the Ferro estate. We know you’re the one he keeps in that high-security house," he said.
"I don't know any Ferro," I lied, my heart hammering against my ribs so hard I thought it might crack one.
"Don't play dumb. It wastes time." He pulled out a folding knife and started cleaning his fingernails, the metal clicking in the silence.
"Tell us how to get past the perimeter at the main office. Tell us the schedules for the transport. Do that, and you get to walk out of here." another one said.
"I don’t know anything," I whispered, my eyes darting around the room. "I don't have codes. I don't have schedules."
The guy sighed, looking at his mates. "See? I told you she'd be stubborn."
He sat on a stool in front of me, staring. It went on for what felt like hours. They didn't hit me, didn't yell. They just kept asking. Over and over. How many guards? Where does he sleep? What’s his weakness? I didn't say a word.