Chapter 12: The Devil's Bargain
The black armored SUV drove in total silence. Emily stared out the heavily tinted windows as the glittering skyline of the city faded into dense, dark forests. They were heading north, deep into the isolated mountains.
Arthur sat across from her, calmly sipping a glass of scotch from the car’s minibar.
"You should fix your makeup," Arthur noted, gesturing vaguely to her tear-stained face. "Julian prefers his women presentable. He has a very... precise temperament."
"You disgust me," Emily spat, keeping her distance pressed against the leather door panel. "You traded your own flesh and blood to a cartel for guns."
"I saved this family from ruin," Arthur snapped back, his calm facade slipping for a fraction of a second. "Your mother’s sentimentality nearly cost us everything. Love is a disease, Emily. Power is the only cure."
The SUV finally slowed, pulling up to massive wrought-iron gates that swung open automatically. The estate was terrifying. It wasn't a mansion; it was a fortress. Armed guards patrolled the high stone walls with assault rifles. Dobermans paced the manicured lawns.
As the car parked outside the grand entrance, a man stepped out of the heavy oak doors to greet them.
Julian Rossi was not what Emily expected. He was young—perhaps in his early thirties—with perfectly styled dark hair, a sharp jawline, and wearing a tailored burgundy suit that screamed old money. He was objectively handsome, but his eyes were entirely dead. They were black, bottomless pools that scanned Emily like a piece of meat at a butcher shop.
"Arthur," Julian greeted, his voice carrying a thick, aristocratic Italian accent. "You brought her. I was beginning to doubt your competence."
"I always deliver, Julian," Arthur said, stepping out of the car and pulling Emily by her wrist.
Julian stepped forward, grabbing Emily’s chin with a gloved hand. His grip was entirely too tight, bruising her skin. He turned her face left, then right, inspecting her.
"She is beautiful," Julian murmured. "A bit unrefined, perhaps. But she carries the Sinclair name. That is all that matters."
"Don't touch me," Emily hissed, jerking her face away from his grip.
Julian’s dead eyes flashed with a dangerous spark of amusement. "A fighter. How charming. But I assure you, mia cara, that fire will be extinguished by tomorrow night. Once the ring is on your finger, you belong to the Rossi syndicate. And we do not tolerate disobedience."
Emily was shoved into the grand foyer and escorted up three flights of stairs by a silent, hulking female guard. She was thrown into a massive, opulent bedroom. The door slammed shut behind her, and the heavy thud of a deadbolt locking echoed in the silence.
Emily rushed to the windows. They were made of thick, bulletproof glass and bolted shut. She was trapped in a gilded cage.
Panic threatened to consume her, but she remembered Daniel’s words: Don't show them fear, Emily. Show them you belong here.
She took a deep breath and looked down at her wrist. Underneath her elegant diamond bracelet was a sleek, black smartwatch. It was the one Daniel had given her to track her steps for the gala preparations.
Arthur’s men had confiscated her phone, but they hadn't recognized the luxury watch as a piece of tech.
Her hands shook as she activated the tiny screen. She had no cell service, but the watch had an emergency SOS satellite feature. She couldn't type a message, but she could drop a GPS pin.
She pressed the emergency button, holding it down for three excruciating seconds.
Location Sent.
Suddenly, the heavy bedroom door unlocked and swung open. Julian stood in the doorway, a chilling smirk on his face. In his hand, he held a tablet displaying a flashing red dot.
"Did you really think I didn't have frequency jammers scanning my own fortress?" Julian asked, his voice a lethal whisper.
May you like
He walked toward her, his footsteps eerily silent on the thick Persian rug. He grabbed her wrist, brutally unbuckling the smartwatch and tossing it to the floor. He crushed it beneath his Italian leather shoe until the glass shattered.
"You just cost your brother his life," Julian smiled.
