Page 1 of Razor
PROLOGUE
Ophelia
My fingers trembled as I zipped the duffel bag closed, the sound impossibly loud in the silence of my bedroom.I'd packed only essentials—clothes for Dante, his favorite stuffed dinosaur, and the emergency cash I'd been hiding for months.The mansion's security system would register the door opening in exactly three minutes when the overnight reset happened.Three minutes to get Dante and escape the gilded prison my parents called home.
I crept to Dante's adjoining room, my socked feet silent on the plush carpet.His night light cast soft blue shadows across his small form.My beautiful boy.Four years old and already carrying invisible scars from his father.I wouldn't let that monster near him again.
"Dante," I whispered, gently sliding my arms beneath his warm body."We're going on an adventure, baby."
He stirred slightly, eyelids fluttering before settling back into sleep.Thank God.I'd given him the children's melatonin gummy at bedtime—just enough to keep him drowsy through our escape.I hated drugging my son, but the alternative was worse.If he cried out, if anyone heard us...
I clutched him to my chest, his head heavy against my shoulder, and slung the duffel across my back.The weight pulled at my muscles immediately, but adrenaline would carry us through.It had to.
Two minutes.
I eased open the bedroom door, wincing at the slight creak.The hallway stretched before me, its ornate wallpaper and gilt-framed portraits a mocking reminder of the facade my family presented to the world.Perfect Murphy family.Wealthy.Respected.Nobody knew what happened behind closed doors.Nobody knew what my father had done when I got pregnant at sixteen, forcing me to stay with Dante's father despite the bruises I couldn't hide.
My throat tightened.Not now.Focus.
The grand staircase loomed ahead.Forty-three steps down to the main floor.I'd counted them a thousand times, planning this moment.I took each step deliberately, Dante's weight throwing off my balance.Halfway down, his fingers clutched at my blouse, a reflexive movement that nearly stopped my heart.
"Shhh, baby," I breathed against his hair."Mommy's got you."
A light flicked on in the kitchen.
I froze, one foot suspended above the next step.Someone was awake.The household staff shouldn't be up until five, and my parents never ventured to the kitchen themselves.I pressed against the wall, using the shadows for cover.
"Miss Ophelia?"
Rosa, our housekeeper.Shit.I'd forgotten she sometimes came down for tea when she couldn't sleep.I held my breath, willing Dante to stay silent, willing Rosa to return to her quarters.
The light clicked off.Footsteps padded away.
One minute.
I continued down, each step a small victory.At the bottom, I bypassed the main entrance with its noisy locks and cameras.Instead, I slipped through the formal dining room toward the service entrance—the staff's door, rarely monitored.
My mouth felt like sandpaper.Sweat trickled between my shoulder blades despite the cool air.I shifted Dante to my other arm, muscles already burning.
"Who's there?"
My father's voice, slurred with scotch and sleep, cut through the darkness from his study.I ducked behind an antique credenza, pressing Dante's face gently to my neck to muffle his breathing.
"Rosa?Is that you?"
Heavy footsteps approached, then stopped.I could picture him—standing in the doorway of his study, narrowed eyes scanning the hallway, tumbler of amber liquid in hand.The monster who'd forced me to stay with another monster.
"Damn house makes too much noise," he muttered, followed by the soft click of his study door closing.
Thirty seconds.
I darted to the service entrance, fumbling with the lock while balancing Dante.The night air hit me as I slipped outside—cool, sweet freedom that tasted like hope and terror mixed together.The manicured grounds stretched before me, moonlight silvering the pristine lawn.The garage and my car were on the other side of the property.
I cut across the side garden, staying close to the hedges.My arms ached, my legs trembling beneath Dante's weight.The duffel bag slapped against my back with each hurried step.In the distance, our estate's wrought iron gates loomed.Beyond them lay freedom.Or at least a chance at it.
A small animal skittered across the path ahead—probably a rabbit.I nearly screamed, heart hammering so violently I feared it would wake Dante.My pulse throbbed in my temples.Every shadow seemed to reach for us, every rustle of leaves sounded like pursuit.
I thought of Dante's father, Tyler.His rage when he discovered I'd taken his son.The promises he'd made about what he'd do when he found us.My parents would call him the moment they discovered we were missing.They'd always preferred him—his family's connections, his fake charm—to their disappointment of a daughter.
