Mostly out of desperation, I press my ear to the door. I close my eyes and steady my breathing. All I can hear is the thumping of my heart.
I knew this was a mistake.
I’m trapped here. Whoever’s on the other end of that phone can’t really have my best interests at heart. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be sending me a bunch of puzzles. Instead, they’d smuggle me a key and a gun baked into a cake.
My mind wanders to Mass and that night in Turkey again. I find myself wishing he was here with me right now. That way, I could just ask him straight out what’s in this room. I don’t even think he’d lie, but I’m not sure he’d answer either.
Curiosity keeps me in place. I’m ready to give up when I hear it.
The sound’s faint. It’s clearly coming from deeper in the room.
But it’s unmistakable.
It’s the sound of a man singing in Italian.
The song is shockingly familiar. My mother used to sing it to me when I was little, back before she really started to despise me. I loved that song so much I made her sing it every night until I was ten years old, at which point she finally snapped at me,you’re too old for this baby stuff, close your eyes and sleep.
But the voice in this room tugs at something. There’s a memory buried deep in my head. A man’s voice, like that one, warbling that same lullaby. Mama rolls her eyes but smiles a little.
Who’s singing? What’s he doing in that room? And why does it feel like I know him?
“Time for you to move on.”
I pull away, heart racing into my throat. I look around, but there’s nobody nearby. It takes a second before I understand. “Was that you, Lady?”
“Yes, Allie, it was me.” The house AI’s voice is pleasant and emotionless. “The guards are on their way. I suggest you go elsewhere.”
I frown slightly. “Why are you warning me?”
“Because I’ve been instructed to prioritize your health, safety, and comfort above all else by Dragon Massimo.”
Interesting. I didn’t know he’d given her that instruction. “Thanks for the heads-up, Lady.”
“Anytime, Allie.”
I hurry away from the door. Memory still itches at the back of my head. The lullaby’s haunting melody dredges something old from deep in my past.
But as soon as I reach for it, I feel the half-remembered images fade like an old dream.
MASS
Lucy sprawls on the chair across from me. She’s not typing on her phone, which is a very bad sign. “Should I come out with it?” she asks.
“You know I prefer bad news straight.”
“That’s half your life these days.”
“My job is to deal with problems.”
Lucy smiles weakly. “Medved hit a safe house in Brussels, a warehouse in Bordeaux, and three of your brothels in Lisbon.”
I stiffen and push back against the frustration burning in my stomach. “Casualties?”
“Extensive. Honestly, the one whorehouse—” She whistles, shaking her head. “Outright slaughter. That was before our security forces could show up.”
“The girls are all dead?”
“Deadis putting it mildly. Want the details? I can send you the report. Medved’s people were extremely thorough.”
