Costa’s voice cut through the haze. “You and I are a means to an end, that’s all.” He gestured to his men. “Unchain him. We’re moving him to a cell with less ventilation—let the poison work its magic properly.”
The masked men advanced.
I jerked against my restraints, but I was too weak to put up a fight. I knew what awaited me—torture, suffering, more poison seeping into my veins. My body braced for it.
They knelt on either side of me, unlocking the iron shackles clamped around my wrists and ankles.
Then, with ruthless efficiency, they seized my arms and dragged me across the jagged stone floor.
Costa and Balthazar stepped aside, their quiet argument trailing behind us. My clothes shredded against the rough ground, stone scraping my skin raw. Every movement sent fresh pain jolting through my body.
I gasped for breath, my world shrinking as they dumped me into another cell.
Six feet by six feet. No windows. No openings. A suffocating tomb.
The masked men shackled me against the cold wall, their metal chains biting into my flesh. Then they turned and walked out, leaving me alone. Relief settled in my chest.
It lasted mere seconds.
The door slammed shut.
Balthazar stepped inside, brandishing a dagger, and snarled, “Where’s my dagger?”
Before I could react, the blade flashed, ripping through my shirt and slicing into my chest.
A gasp escaped my lips as warm blood spilled down my skin.
Balthazar’s face contorted, his fury unrestrained. “You son of a bitch! Where is it? Alina’s dagger is gone, too, and you’re the only one who could have taken them!”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I croaked.
I braced myself for the worst but refused to let him break me. I had toendure, for Emily and I had to stay strong. I wouldn’t let them win, no matter how cruel Costa’s and Balthazar’s methods became.
As a gladiator, I had learned to compartmentalize pain, to push it into a dark corner of my mind and resist. I called upon that skill now as Balthazar’s blade carved into my flesh. If I let them break me, I would be lost forever.
“Who have you been helping? Who are you working with?” Balthazar demanded. “Was it Malik?”
The poison clouding my mind loosened my tongue before I could stop it.
“Yes.”
Shit. Why the hell was I telling him anything?
The words spilled from my lips in a rush, as if they had their own will. “You sought me out. You made me your pawn, tainting me with your lies. But Malik told me the truth. Malik saved me.” I couldn’t stop the torrent of confession. It had to be the belladonna. “And if you kill me today, it won’t matter. Emily will never know you’re her father. The best part? You’ll never see your grandchild.”
Balthazar’s roar shook the walls. His body seemed to expand, and his rage was so monstrous that it distorted reality.
“Where is my daughter?”
I forced a smirk through the pain. “I’ll never tell you. I’d rather die first.”
The impact came swiftly and brutally. Balthazar’s backhand split my lip, the metallic taste of blood filling my mouth.
“Then I’m going to kill you.” His voice was thick with venom.
I spat blood onto the floor. “Go ahead. I’ve done enough betrayal. You can’t hurt me anymore.”
But that wasn’t true. The agony was a wildfire, spreading, searing, breaking through my defenses. I didn’t know how much longer I could hold out.
