“I’m sorry about Lionel,” I say quietly.
“Lionel was incompetent. He would have gotten someone killed eventually.” Alaric’s voice is matter-of-fact. “Better to find out now.”
We sit in the car for a moment after he parks, neither of us moving to get out.
“This stops now,” he says finally. “No more escapes, no more games. You’re here until this situation is resolved, and the sooner you accept that, the easier it will be for everyone.”
“And if I don’t accept it?”
He turns to look at me fully for the first time since the highway. “Then you’ll spend the rest of your life in that room, and eventually, Dante’s enemies will find a way to get to you anyway.”
The weight of inevitability settles over me like a blanket.
“Okay,” I whisper.
“Okay?”
“I’ll stop running.”
He studies my face for a long moment, probably looking for signs of deception. Whatever he sees must satisfy him, because he nods once and gets out of the car.
As I follow him into the house, past the doubled security and into my new, more secure prison, I wonder if this is what giving up feels like.
It doesn’t hurt as much as I expected.
10
KASI
Five days in this room,and I’m ready to claw my way through the walls.
The lawyer sits across from my bed again, papers spread between us like offerings to a goddess who couldn’t care less about his devotion. His voice drones on about benefits and privileges while I stare at the ceiling, counting the seconds until I can make him bleed.
“As Mrs. Moretti, you’d essentially be the queen of this estate,” he says, adjusting his glasses. “Unlimited spending allowances, your own personal staff, complete access to all family properties in?—”
I lean forward and spit directly in his face.
The glob of saliva hits his cheek and slides down toward his collar. He jerks backward so hard his chair nearly tips over, fumbling for his handkerchief like I’ve just thrown acid at him.
“Miss Vale, that’s completely?—”
“Go fuck yourself.” I settle back against my pillows, arms crossed. “And take your queen bullshit with you.”
The door opens before he can stammer out another word. Alaric fills the doorway, taking one look at his lawyer’s horrified expression and understanding everything.
He sighs, the sound carrying five days’ worth of exhaustion. “We’re done here, David.”
“Sir, perhaps if we tried a different approach?—”
“We’re done.” Alaric doesn’t even glance at me as he turns to leave. “Clean yourself up.”
The lock clicks behind them, leaving me alone. No walks. No fresh air. No human contact except for meal deliveries and legal bribes I’ll never accept.
But guards get careless when they think the fight’s gone out of you.
My lunch tray arrives at exactly noon, carried by a girl who can’t be older than nineteen. Her hands shake slightly as she sets down the silver service, and her eyes dart around like she’s afraid of making mistakes.
“Your meal, miss,” she says softly.
