Chapter 107: Chapter one hundred and seven

Chiara

My grip tightened around the phone.

“Where is my brother?” I asked.

He chuckled softly. “Straight to business. No greeting? No ‘how have you been, Sebastian?’ I’m hurt.”

“Where. Is. My. Brother?” I repeated, almost shouting.

“Alive.” The knot in my chest loosened a bit.

“Not for long…” he added.

“You touch him—”

“I already did,” he cut me off smoothly. “Quite easy, actually. You should really teach him not to trust quiet spaces.”

My jaw tightened.

“You’re making a mistake.”

“Am I?” he asked lightly. “The only mistake I made was ever crossing paths with you.”

“See, Sebastian, we can make it work again… I swear I was blind… and… and stupid… Come pick me from Avenue B at Boston Estate, Block D… please…” I pleaded.

There were no words from the other end for a while until Sebastian burst out laughing.

“You think that your trick still works? Learn something new.”

I ran a hand through my hair, frustration pouring out of me through sweat.

“Sebastian—”

“I give you one hour to come to my safe house… you know, the one where I fucked you like the whore that you are… that one… or he dies.”

The call disconnected.

“Shit! Shit! Shit!”

No… no Cameron…

“Mother… Mother can help…”

I dialed her number.

The door to the room I was in opened. I heard heavy footsteps, not one or two. Havizan and two of the other guards entered the room, machetes in hand.

I placed a hand over my mouth, trying to block every sound, even my breathing. My body shook.

They began to lift everything up.

“She is not here,” one of the men said.

“We should check more rooms. She is still here,” the other agreed.

They began heading for the door until Havizan stepped on something—the knot to the vent where I was hidden.

My heart sank.

This was it. I couldn’t lose a body part. What would become of me?

He picked it up, then turned slightly and looked at the vent.

“Did you find something, sir?” One of the men walked back into the room.

“No,” he said unhurriedly as he slipped the knot into his pocket.

What?

My brows creased.

Just before he left the room, he dropped something. The door shut with a soft click.

Why would Havizan do that? I asked a question I couldn’t understand myself. Seeing he was part of the group that brought me here to be killed, was it a way to lure me out? I was unsure.

I sat there, wanting to advance and find my way out through the vent, but I still wanted to know what he had dropped on purpose.

My inquisitive mind won.

After waiting, nobody came. I lifted the vent cover gently, slipped out a foot, then another. I went closer, then I found a paper folded. I picked it up and opened it quickly.

RIVER ROUTE

Was this what I thought it was?

Havizan?

But why?

This wasn’t the time to look for answers. I had to figure out if, first of all, it was a trap, and if it wasn’t, find a way to get there and escape.

I went back into the vent. It was the safest. Vincenzo Mansion was built in such a way that there were hidden doors behind the walls because Father called that a safe house. If he designed that house, he designed this one too. It wouldn’t be that different.

So the vent was going to show me how.

Back in the vent, I saw my phone, and Cameron rushed back into my mind.

“Shit!” I cursed.

I called Mother again. This time it connected. Just as I was about to answer it, it went off.

“Shit, low battery!”

I decided to hurry.

I crawled inside the vent, I felt the stitches from the gun shot wound tearing apart. Blood slipped out. The pain unbearable but I ignored it. I maneuvered through cobwebs and rats. Each time I reached an end that didn’t show the river, I retreated, crawling backwards in the cramped space.

I saw a few of them gathered in a room. My eyes locked on Havizan for a few seconds before I moved, being extra careful not to make a sound.

At that moment, my legs hit the corner of the vent, creating a sound that alerted them.

Fuck!

Their heads snapped up.

One of the guards rushed to check. There was no way I could make it back on time to the next turn.

This was it.

As he pulled it open, a massive rat jumped out.

“Just a rat,” he announced.

I didn’t realize I had been holding my breath.

My hands were full of blisters, but it didn’t matter. Sweat from my skin made them slimy.

After much time, I finally heard the sound of water rushing down and a kind of cool air coming into the vent. I recognized it immediately.

“Finally.”

I peeked out. It was empty. But the issue wasn’t removing the fan; it was the iron protector covering it.

“If he wanted to help, he would have made it easier!” I muttered.

I used my nail as a screwdriver. I winced as my nails twisted out from their roots. By the time I was done, blood had covered them.

I used my feet to kick it out. Then I came out.

The freshest air I had ever known since the day I was born consumed me. I took in air into my lungs like I was starved.

I turned to make my way out.

“Hi, bitch.”

\~~~~~~~~~

Zach

I itched my face, hair, neck. Everywhere itched. I knew it was this goddamn hospital. It was disgusting and not the kind of place I wanted to find myself in, but my mother didn’t care.

I shouldn’t even be here, but Mother kept these two riffraffs following me around all seconds of the day. All Mother says is, “Remain calm.”

I was far from calm. I was near madness.

I should watch my sister take what’s mine again.

I paced restlessly. I sat down occasionally.

I stood back up again.

The door to the doctor’s office opened.

“…Thank you so much… It will be done like you suggested…”

I stood up and ran to her.

“Is meeting with a plastic surgeon what we should be doing right now? If you won’t send these men, let me go by myself. It’s just Chiara!”

“Foolish boy…”

That was all she said, her feet soft against the floor.

“You take the ring from Chiara and then what? She steals the ring back?”

Her gaze held mine.

“I will create a world where that ring would be useless… Power will reside only and only with you.”

She walked ahead, leaving me behind to process what she had said.

I ran to catch up with her.

“That plan has been sabotaged already, Mother!”

“Says who? Only I can decide that…”

“Jemima is brain-dead… The wedding can’t hold… The Borgattas would have our heads on a platter once they know!”

She stopped as if frustrated.

“What if there’s a Jemima who isn’t brain-dead?” she asked.

My brows creased, confused. Slowly, it widened.

I met Mother standing with her phone pressed to her ears.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“Chiara called more than once…” She turned to look at me. I saw fear flash inside her eyes.

“She’s probably still sulking. You peeked by the side…”

“She hasn’t called me in 10 years!”

Mother’s steps quickened towards the car while her hand continued to work on her phone.

“Find out where my daughter is right now!” she barked.

\~~~~~~~~~

Sebastian

Just one hour to go. Everything would fall into place.

I drove fast towards the safe house. I tapped on the screen of the car, putting a call across.

“Jezebel… bring some men to the safe house. Position appropriately. We have a guest. Shoot on arrival. Don’t kill.”

“Noted.”

Chiara needs to watch her weakness suffer first.

I laughed out loud in the car.

Alessia, don’t worry. Everything is aligning for us.

I looked at the rearview mirror.

My legs slammed on the brakes. The car surged forward and came to a stop.

My head jammed on the steering wheel so hard I went dizzy for a few seconds.

I managed to get a hold of myself. Turning to check if I had seen wrong, Cameron had fallen off the seat and was now partly on the floor of the car, his hands still tied behind his back.

I thought I had seen his eyes open just now.

I blinked.

No way.

The drug I used could only wear off after two hours or one hour and thirty minutes, max. There was no way he would be awake now. Besides, if he was awake, he would have thrown a fit on getting kidnapped.

I took in his posture again and stared at the car. I kept looking back at the rearview mirror.

I clearly saw something.

It was all in my head.

I stepped on the accelerator.

“Let’s get this over with,” I muttered to myself.

“Sure,” a voice said behind me.

My blood ran cold.

A hand suddenly wrapped around my throat.

I slammed my foot on the brakes.

The car spun violently across the road.

“You really shouldn’t have underestimated me, Sebastian.”