Chapter 70
Elena’s body shook with rage and fear as Lorenzo’s men escorted her out of the car.
The irony of it all hit her like a punch to the gut. She had spent years investigating the De Luca family’s business dealings. Years of digging, writing, searching for proof that they were involved in organized crime.
She never expected to be their next victim.
“Get your hands off me!” she snarled, yanking her arm away from the man holding her. He didn’t let go.
His partner gripped her other arm, their gloved fingers biting into her skin as they dragged her toward the house.
Lorenzo walked ahead, his footsteps echoing on the marble floor as he led them deeper into the mansion. They passed empty rooms, halls, and darkened alcoves, his men falling into a formation around them as if she might run at any moment.
As if she would be stupid enough to try.
Elena seethed with impotent anger. This couldn’t be happening.
But the cold stone walls closing in around her said otherwise.
Lorenzo finally stopped in front of a heavy wooden door. He produced a keycard from his pocket and swiped it over the lock.
The door clicked open, revealing a room bathed in dim light.
Elena blinked as she was shoved inside.
Her eyes adjusted to the darkness, her gaze sweeping over the space with growing unease.
A large four-poster bed dominated the center of the room, covered in crisp white sheets and a comforter. The walls were lined with bookshelves filled with leather-bound novels, while a desk sat in the corner with an open laptop.
It was the perfect guest room.
Except for the bars on the window and the locked door.
Her heart sank.
This wasn’t a guest room at all.
It was her cell.
Lorenzo stepped inside, his smile turning dangerous. “Home sweet home.”
“Let me out,” Elena demanded, even though she knew it wouldn’t do any good.
Lorenzo simply laughed. “In due time, Elena,” he said, his voice dropping into something lower. “After all… you’ve made quite the mess.” He turned to leave.
She stepped forward. “What are you going to do to me?”
He paused, his gaze meeting hers over his shoulder. “Nothing you don’t deserve.” With that, he stepped out and slammed the door shut behind him.
Elena’s scream died on her lips as she ran forward to bang on the door. It didn’t budge.
Panic clawed its way up her throat, her breath coming in ragged gasps. She stumbled backward, her eyes falling on the window.
Bars.
Her only hope was gone.
Her cell was secure, just like the rest of the estate.
The weight of her situation crashed over her, a wave of despair and fear dragging her down.
Elena collapsed to her knees, her eyes burning with tears.
She had lost.
She belonged to the monster now.
* * *
Lorenzo strolled into his office, his mind still on the journalist he had just locked away.
Elena Carter.
She was trouble. And he knew it the moment he saw the article with her name on it.
She had been asking questions. Too many of them.
She had spoken to people she shouldn’t have, people who were too damn weak to keep their mouths shut. She had been digging, looking for proof that his family was involved in illegal business dealings.
And she had found it.
That was how she ended up in his sights tonight.
But she wasn’t supposed to end up in his cell.
That’s not what was supposed to happen at all.
He had sent his men out to silence her, not abduct her.
But the second he saw her on the street-her dark hair pulled back into a ponytail, her grey eyes haunted-he changed his mind.
The words came easily: Take her instead.
And now she was locked behind bars, furious and scared and defiant as all hell.
He should be concerned with the repercussions of keeping her alive.
Instead, he found himself wondering what it would take to break her.
“Boss?”
Lorenzo blinked, turning his attention back to his men standing at attention around the room. He cleared his throat. “Yes?”
he said, voice calm and steady. “Report.”
One of them stepped forward. “We got the intel you requested on the journalist’s movements. She was at the Carter place an hour ago, sir.” He paused. “Her brother seems to have gone missing a few days ago.”
Lorenzo nodded, his fingers drumming a slow rhythm on his desk. “Do we have any leads?”
“Yes, sir. We managed to obtain a recording of her phone call with her informant. She spoke about the De Luca family business and-”
“I heard enough.” Lorenzo’s fingers stilled. “Burn it.”
“Yes, sir.”
The man turned to leave, but Lorenzo stopped him. “And her brother?” he asked casually.
“Sir?”
“Have you found him yet?” he clarified.
There was a pause, before the man spoke again. “We’re working on it, boss.”
Lorenzo narrowed his eyes. “See that you find him quickly.” He let the unsaid words hang between them. If they didn’t find him quickly, there would be consequences. “And tell me as soon as you do.”
“Yes, boss. Anything else?”
Lorenzo turned back to his computer screen, his eyes falling on Elena’s photo.
He felt her earlier words echo in his mind.
This is insane. You can’t just-
I can. And I will.
He smirked to himself.
“Oh yes,” he said quietly, “I think there’s a lot more.” He pulled up her file on the screen, scrolling through the list of her articles, her past investigations. “Find me everything she has on the De Luca family.” He spoke without looking up. “I want to know what she knows, what she’s planning to write about. And tell her editor that she’s taking a leave of absence.”
“Got it.”
The room emptied around him, leaving him alone with the computer.
He typed in her name and password, logging into her email account with ease.
A smile spread across his lips as he scrolled through her messages, reading her private communications, her notes, her research on his family. He read every word, every sentence, every letter. And with each line, he learned more and more about her.
By the time he finally shut the laptop, his face was dark with something far more sinister than curiosity or amusement. His gaze swept over the room before finding its way back to the camera in the corner.
He watched as the screen came to life, revealing Elena pacing back and forth in the room.
She thought she was safe in there.
But she was wrong.
He could see her from anywhere in this house.
Every move she made, every word she spoke.
Lorenzo leaned back in his chair, watching as she picked up a book from the shelf and began to read.
He wanted to break her, yes.
But he also wanted to unravel her secrets.
Because the longer she stayed in his possession, the more he realized the worst part of this wasn’t taking her.
It was that a part of him didn’t want to let her go. Not when there was still so much to discover. Not when he still had so many questions. So many secrets to uncover.