Chapter one hundred and one
Victoria’s POV
“Rafe,” I rushed after him just as Santino dragged the bitch out. He strode straight to his office without even slowing at my call.
I pushed the door open, my heart hammering. Rafe stood by the window, his back rigid.
“Rafe,” I called, trying to keep my voice steady.
“This is not the time, Victoria,” he snapped, his voice sharp and cold.
“But we were supposed to…”
He whirled and slammed his fists onto the desk. Papers scattered, a glass shattered on the floor. I flinched, my chest tightening at the violent sound.
A shard bounced off the floor, catching the light before sliding to rest at my heel.
“Get out,” he growled, his hands trembling with barely restrained fury.
I froze, staring at him. The man I loved looked like he was unraveling. And it was not me he saw. It was the memory of her.
If removing her was the only way to stop seeing that emptiness in his eyes, then maybe it was a kindness I was willing to commit.
With a shaky breath, I turned and slammed the door behind me. He had never looked at me like I was the enemy before. And worse, I could not stop thinking, why could he not just be mine?
I walked back to my room. I needed to tell my dad what had happened before someone else did.
I paced with my phone in hand, waiting for the call to connect.
“Hello, Daddy?”
“Tori, what was so urgent that it could not wait until tomorrow?”
“Something happened at the mansion minutes ago, and I thought you should know.”
“It better benefit the plan. Otherwise it is useless to me.”
“She finally left the mansion, Daddy. And I did not even have to do anything. Just like last time when she was poisoned,” I said, a smirk tugging at my lips.
“What? Are you out of your mind, Tori?” he thundered. I pulled the phone away from my ear.
“I thought you would…”
“That woman was not supposed to leave before our plan succeeded. What do you think is going to happen now?”
“Dad, I…”
“The only reason you are breathing right now is because you are my daughter. Otherwise I would not tolerate this stupidity.”
“I am sorry. I thought you wanted her gone so I could be with Rafe.”
“Get out of your head. We are taking over, not indulging your fantasies.”
“Sorry...”
“Clean up that mess and do not call me unless that woman is handled.”
A knot of heat tightened in my stomach, making it hard to breathe.
The call cut off, leaving nothing but silence in my ear.
My hand lingered midair before I let it fall.
I had spent so long standing beside men who looked past me that I no longer remembered what it felt like to be chosen first.
I threw the phone onto the bed and dug my nails into my palm until the sting cleared my thoughts. That woman was like a parasite under my skin. How was I supposed to track her down? A hitman would handle it.
I went to the drawer and pulled out what I needed. One look at it and everything would fall into place.
I slipped out of my room and walked down the hallway. The hallway stretched empty and still, as if nothing had happened. As I passed Rafe’s office, I heard a low groan and caught the faint smell of cigarettes.
Smoke curled under the door, thin and restless.
The sound of his grief scraped against something ugly inside me, because no matter what I did, I would never be the woman capable of breaking him like that.
I headed for the basement stairs, careful to soften the sound of my heels.
The air grew colder with every step down, thick with damp concrete and old metal.
“Ma’am, you cannot be down here,” the guard said, stepping in front of the door.
I tilted my head and smiled. “And why not?”
“You need permission from the boss. Please leave.”
I leaned against the wall. “Then check with him. I will wait.”
His hand hovered near his radio.
I stepped closer, slipping my hand into my bag.
For a fraction of a second, doubt brushed against me, but I pushed it down before it could soften my hand.
In one smooth motion, I pressed the syringe to his neck. His eyes widened as the liquid emptied into his vein. Seconds later, his knees gave out.
His sharp intake of breath vibrated against my wrist.
If anyone thought to review the security footage tonight, my quiet little visit downstairs would not stay quiet for long.
“Good night,” I whispered.
I took the keys from his pocket, unlocked the cell, and stepped aside.
“Victoria,” Nico called from the far end his voice cracked.
The metallic tang of blood mixed with mildew, heavy enough to taste.
“You look like shit,” I muttered.
Bruises bloomed across his face, one eye nearly swollen shut.
“You need to get me out of here. Rafe is going to kill me, please,” he pleaded, gripping the bars.
“Too bad. What would Rafe do if he found out?” I asked softly.
“Please. I will do anything.”
“Why would I trust you after you have failed me more than once?”
His grip on the bars loosened, his gaze dropping to the floor.
“You have ten minutes to disappear.”
Before he could respond, I unlocked the cell and he stumbled out.
“Take this.” I handed him a burner phone. “The cash will be wired to you along with instructions.”
All I needed was for him to find her, stay close enough to learn her movements, and wait for the right moment to make her disappear without a trace.
“Fail again and you know what my father will do.”
“Understood.”
I held his gaze.
I was not reckless; I was simply willing to do what others were too weak to consider.
He did not look back as he disappeared into the shadows.
I climbed the stairs back to the main floor, my heels clicking softly. Every echo of my heels made me flinch, shadows seeming to follow me. The earlier chaos had been swallowed by silence.
“Victoria.”
A cold draft slithered along the back of my neck, sharp as a blade.
The voice came from the hallway. I scanned the shadows until I caught a flicker of movement.
He stepped forward, and the faint glow from the device in his hand illuminated his face.
And the faint glow from the security tablet in his hand told me he might have seen far more than he was meant to.
“Fuck.” One more pest, and then the night would be mine.