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CHAPTER

THREE

ADALYN

O ver the next few days, I didn’t so much as stray from the confines of my room.

To my surprise, no one came to punish me on the first day after my escape attempt and by the second one, Jesse had even come to keep me company. If he had known I was about to be killed, tormented or beaten, he certainly wasn’t showing signs of it. By that afternoon I was feeling considerably better about my chances of being alive the following day and fell asleep without barricading the door like I had the previous night.

The next morning, with the birds chirping and the halls of the mansion silent, I felt the last of my immediate fears die away.

If I was going to be punished for attempting to flee, he would have done it already.

Dons were never the type for delayed gratification anyway…or at least they rarely were. Perhaps my warning had held more sway than I had originally thought?

Half wanting to test the theory, half wanting to get the crap away from the monotonous four walls of my room, I decided to bite the bullet and head downstairs, silently praying my confidence had not been misplaced.

Quietly, I managed to retrace the steps I had taken with Jesse when meeting the Don for the first time. Not stopping until I found myself confronted by a familiar vacant hallway with a single door housed at the end of it. The door was now left partially ajar, a sliver of light glinting against the polished tile flooring.

I hesitated at the sight, not sure what my next move was going to be.

I wanted to know what was going on with my ransom but…did I have enough power in this situation to just go sauntering into his office and demand answers?

I was caught between marching down the hall like I owned the damned place and skulking back to my room like the submissive I normally was, when the indistinct sound of voices floated to where I was standing.

Sucking in a quiet breath, I tiptoed the distance between my spot and the door, the voices becoming clearer with each step.

I shoved aside every instinct that screamed at me I was going to get caught—I needed answers.

“You cannot just send them away!” a male scoffed. The voice was unfamiliar and gruff as if with years of experience.

“I can and I will.” Jesse responded cooly. “If they can’t put aside their own personal hatred then they can’t be here. It poses too much of a risk.”

“It is not as if their hatred is unjustified.” another male voice responded.

“ Layton .” another said, warning coloring their tone.

“Regardless of their reasons, allowing them near her is too much of a risk. It could cost us everything,” Jesse argued.

Her? Me .

They’re talking about me.

The hairs on the back of my neck rose as fear laced with dread weaved its way across my skin.

“Hasn’t it cost us everything already?” the older man spoke again, triggering the responses of numerous men—around ten I’d have guessed—and sending the room into complete chaos. Each man shouting to be heard over the other.

“ENOUGH!” The Don’s command rang out at the same time a loud thud echoed about the room, causing the men to fall into silence.

“I will not have any of my men putting this negotiation at risk and causing an all-out war for the sake of misplaced retribution. Adalyn is not the enemy—Alberto is. The sooner you all realize that the sooner I can be done with this stupid conversation and begin sorting out this mess with the Manninos. No one is touching her. If I hear so much as a taunt, a threat or learn of anyone defying that order then they will have me to fucking answer to.”

The distinct sound of a chair being pushed back and then the clinking of glassware trickled out from the door. The only noise amongst the otherwise silent room.

“Hunter and Ross will be immediately removed from the property as Jesse has suggested, and anyone else that isn’t onboard with the program can be reassigned as well. Everyone in this room should heed that warning. If any of you betray the trust I have placed in you, then you will pay for it with your life.”

Shit .

I swallowed thickly as I stepped back. Away from the sliver of light and away from the lethality of the voice that trickled out of it.

I didn’t linger long. The conversation swiftly moved on from me and my ransom to the logistics of where the displaced men would be assigned to and the practicalities of moving other men onto the property in their place.

I quietly crept back down the hallway and eventually found myself by the front entrance. I took a seat on one of the marble steps at the foot of the elaborate staircase, the stone bitterly cold as it bled through my leggings.

He isn’t going to hurt me, I realized.

In fact, he had just threatened his men with death if they so much as touched me.

That meant that I wasn’t about to be tied to a chair, beaten or shackled to a cellar wall, and even if I were, wouldn’t they have done that already? My botched escape the other night would certainly have given them justifiable motive and yet…they hadn’t taken it. They had left me alone.

He was worried about the repercussions.

A small smile pulled at the corner of my lips.

That meant I wasn’t just a hostage to them anymore—I was someone of value .

And that changed everything.

The next morning, I woke in a cautiously optimistic mood.

My father had been told of my capture and would pay my ransom soon enough. It was just a matter of time before it would be paid… I hoped. Family was family. It didn’t matter that I stood to inherit nothing or wielded next to no power, we were the Cosa Nostra. We never turned our backs on family.

All I had to do was bide my time until my family came for me…and that meant not only maintaining the ruse I had fabricated during my first day of captivity, but it also meant trying not to make Don La Torre want to kill me anymore than he already did.

This is going to be tricky.

Allured by the strong smell of bacon and eggs wafting through the mansion, I got dressed and padded downstairs in search of breakfast at a little after nine the next morning. I followed my nose until I came across an extravagant white kitchen and the source of the smell: a small dark-haired older woman. She was merrily bouncing around the kitchen with various pots and pans in her hands, cooking up a storm.

She smiled kindly at me as I appeared in the doorway and quickly hurried over.

“Good morning, Miss Adalyn. I’m Lucia, the housekeeper and cook. Your food is out there in the garden room, but please let me know if there is anything else you would like,” Lucia said kindly and gestured to the glass double doors on the other side of the room.

Before I could mutter my thanks, she quickly scurried back to her station and continued flipping the bacon sizzling away in a pan. Curious, I wandered over to the doors she had referred to as the garden room.

Peeking through them, I was met with a bright and airy room, adorned with floor to ceiling arched windows and glass doors that led out onto a veranda. The room was decorated in an array of different shades of cream and accented with gold filigree that beautifully caught in the bright morning sun. A selection of ceramic pots at the room’s edge housed various towering species of plants, their leaves a startling green against the tameness of the room. It was both peaceful and spectacular.

A small table sat nestled beside one of the ornate windows and I was surprised to see Jesse already seated, shoveling bacon into his mouth as if he hadn’t eaten in a week.

“You’ll catch flies with your mouth open like that, Bandit.” I rolled my eyes at the nickname he had bestowed on me since my escape attempt but took a seat opposite the hulking man.

The table was covered in various fruits, yogurts, pancakes, cooked meats and pastries. There was something for even the pickiest of eaters. My mouth watered as I stacked a couple of pancakes on my plate and drizzled them with maple syrup.

“This is a bit much, isn’t it?” I asked, gesturing to the food.

“Boss didn’t know what breakfast you’d like so he ordered some of everything.” Jesse shrugged, as if enough food for eight people being served for just one wasn’t ridiculously wasteful.

“I normally have granola and yogurt for breakfast, but if I have a choice then I choose pancakes.” I forked a piece into my mouth and smiled at him.

“Gottcha.” He nodded, faking seriousness before gulping down some orange juice.

“Has there been any news?” I asked, knowing he would understand my meaning. I hid my gaze, trying hard not to look too interested in the answer.

Jesse just shrugged. “Not sure.”

My gut told me he knew more than he was letting on, but I didn’t push it. I was starting to warm up to Jesse after the last few days, and I really needed someone on my side.

I bit back my disappointment and changed the subject instead. “What’s on the agenda for today then?”

“Your schedule is wide open.” He flashed me a grin. “ I, on the other hand, have some urgent errands to take care of today, so I’ll have to leave you to your own devices.”

A spark of hope lit in my chest.

Catching my expression, he quickly added, “But before you get any ideas…you are still under house arrest. There are harsher people around than me, Bandit; just remember that.”

The rest of breakfast passed by in silence, and soon enough, I found myself in the confines of my room, aimless and looking for something to do.

Realizing I had yet to fully explore my temporary wardrobe, I decided to spend a few hours reorganizing the many colorful rods to my taste and removing things I was certain I’d never wear. Once happy with my work, I moved on to explore different outfit options and hung them all separately for future use—not that I was particularly enthralled with the idea of spending a significant amount of time as a captive.

Lucia brought lunch to my room and after scarfing down the delicious caprese salad, I played around on the television, watched a few shows, and then snooped through the cabinets in the bathroom.

When the sun started drifting toward the horizon, I threw myself against the bed with a huff. Bored and irritated, I allowed my mind to drift.

It was now well over seventy-two hours I had been away from my family. Would they be looking for me? Did they know where I was? I hated not knowing.

Growing frustrated with the lack of news and being left alone for most of the day, I decided I wanted answers.

The halls were silent as I marched through them, retracing my steps to locate the Don’s study. After a couple of wrong-turns, I eventually located a door with two men stationed either side of it.

“Can I speak to Don La Torre? It’s important,” I directed to the taller and burlier one of the two.

They both appeared late thirties or early forties, judging by the fullness of one of their beards and frown lines marring the other’s tanned skin. One gave me a stoic once over, while the other knocked on the door and disappeared behind it. After waiting half a minute in tense silence with the bearded one, the other re-emerged from the room and resumed his post.

“Don La Torre is currently unavailable,” He said gruffly.

Excuse me?

“This is important,” I argued, knowing from the bored expression on his face that my words were futile.

When I didn’t get another response, I sighed in exasperation and stormed back upstairs to my room, furious.

Don La Torre not only had the audacity to kidnap me, but he was now set on totally ignoring my existence. I might be his hostage, but I had a right to know what was going on. It was my freedom at stake.

I paced about in frustration, trying to come up with a plan. What would someone with the upper hand do?

They would make the Don talk to them.

A wild grin contorted my face as an idea cemented itself in my head.

I switched on the speaker bar from under the flat screen and scanned through the channels until a heavy metal music station flashed on the screen. I adjusted the volume to the max and music instantly screamed through the room so loudly I had to put my hands over my ears.

Chuckling to myself, I ran into my closet to find the fluffy earmuffs I had spotted earlier when organizing. I threw them on to dampen some of the sound and perched on the bed, waiting for the inevitable scolding.

A minute ticked by.

Then another.

I frowned, disappointed that yet another plan seemed to be failing.

This time I wouldn’t give up so easily. I adjusted some of the settings on the television, cranking up the bass until the whole room started rattling to the beat. This will do it.

I laid back on my bed and waited, trying to contain a maniacal laugh.

One minute… Two.

Sure enough, the door slammed open with a whoosh not a second later.

I was instantly surprised to see the Don stalking into the room instead of one of his lackeys. He stopped at the foot of my bed, glaring at me with absolute fury in his eyes. I gulped.

Perhaps I have bitten off more than I can chew…

“What the fuck are you doing?” He yelled.

I just shook my head and gestured to the music, pretending I couldn’t hear him. A muscle in his jaw twitched and he turned, storming over to the source of the noise. The television turned black, and the sudden absence of sound was painful.

The Don then turned back to me, face tensed in anger as I removed my ear muffs.

“I’m sorry, what were you saying?” I asked sweetly.

“You are playing with fire, Adalyn. If there is one thing I do not tolerate it is insubordination.” He spat.

“Insubordination? I was just listening to music.” I insisted innocently.

I’ll damn well show him insubordination! My temper bubbled.

“And the other night?” He demanded.

The innocent smile on my face faltered and the words I wanted to shout at him suddenly caught in my throat. Jesse must have told him…

That rat bastard!

“And before you ask, no Jesse didn’t tell me. I had five other people watching you escape into a bush.” He mocked darkly, approaching the bed once more.

I thought I saw a smile twitch on his lips, and I glared in response. Color flooded my cheeks in embarrassment.

“Try it again and you will be punished.” He promised.

My heart spluttered with the threat, but it was somewhat short lived. Hadn’t he just said no one was allowed to touch me yesterday?

Guess it’s time to test the theory…

I swallowed back my lingering unease, “You won’t hurt me.”

The Don folded his arms across his chest with indifference, glaring at me with dark, impenetrable eyes. “That sounds oddly like a challenge.”

“It isn’t—it’s an observation. Hurting me will cost your family and mean war.” I shrugged, and his jaw ticked in obvious frustration. “It seems like a high price to pay for a bit of retribution.” I added, playing to the comment he had made to his own men just the day before.

His voice was cool like steel, “Do you really think I give a fuck about preventing a war? I do what I want. If I wanted you dead, you’d be dead. Remember that.”

His harsh words sent a chill down my spine and a tingle through my blood that wasn’t entirely unpleasant.

The Don’s indifferent glare burned into me for a moment longer before he turned on his heel and stalked out, slamming the door behind him.

That evening, I kept my head down and ate dinner in my room, deciding it was probably best not to piss the Don off twice in one day. As much as my lies appeared to be working… I wasn’t sure they were going to be enough if I pushed the Don too far.

Instead of causing any more trouble, I threw on some drama series on Netflix and tried to forget about the real-life dramas of being held hostage by a rival crime syndicate.

It was working until Jesse waltzed in and announced he wanted to watch a movie. Initially, I blew him off, not wanting company, but eventually, I relented to his constant pestering and easy-going humor.

After a considerable amount of bickering, we decided to put on ‘The Silence of the Lambs’, and much to my dismay, Jesse ate his way through my entire mini fridge, pointing out plot holes as he went. Not only provoking my irritation, but also my sincere amusement whenever I managed to prove him wrong.

By the time the credits scrolled across the screen, it was late evening, and Jesse excused himself for bed. I took a quick shower before turning in myself, feeling completely exhausted.

Despite being groggy and tired, I tossed restlessly for a few hours but never seemed to quiet my mind enough for sleep. Thoroughly annoyed, I eventually gave up and pushed on my slippers to walk downstairs in search of my sleep medicine—hot chocolate. I made my way quietly through the vacant halls until I found the familiar white kitchen. I flicked on the light and rummaged around in the cupboards until I located some milk and cocoa powder.

A few minutes later, and feeling a small sense of achievement, I had a delicious smelling mug of hot, chocolaty goodness.

I padded back to the hallway and climbed the stairs to my room. My foot had just grazed the top step when a soft noise made me pause.

Was that…

Another moan drifted from the hallway to my right.

Before I even registered that I was moving, I found myself walking toward the source of the sound—a closed double door. I got within two meters of it before freezing.

Yup, that’s definitely sex.

I was close enough now to hear that the moan was from a female, though whether that female was of the human species I had no clue. She squawked like a fucking gremlin.

My cheeks reddened when the word “Please” bled from behind the door in a awfully high-pitched voice.

“Please what?”

Shit .

The rough, masculine voice that followed was unmistakable.

My heart fluttered violently in response, and the cup in my hand shook so much it threatened to spill.

It took two seconds for me to process exactly who was behind that door before I sprang into action. Half tiptoeing, half running, I sped back past the balcony and down the hall to my room.

I placed the mug to the side and breathed out a heavy sigh, relieved I hadn’t been caught.

It was then that I decided I was angry.

Angry that I knew nothing about what was happening. Angry that I was trapped in a gold-gilded cage with no way out, and angry that there was not a damn thing I could do about it. I was also angry that despite having so many things to be angry about, I was angriest of all that the great Don La Torre was getting his kicks across the hall while my life hung in the balance.

Fury curled in the pit of my stomach.

If he thought I would just accept my fate and play the role of powerless little hostage, he had another thing coming.

I would make him regret the day he ever decided to take me captive.

A wicked smile crept to my lips.

Oh, it is so on.