Page 52 of Vendetta

That was going to be complicated when I didn’t even know where I was, let alone where she was.

Overcome with disgust and outrage, I chucked the box with its morbid contents across the room with a scream. The pale digit bounced off the cinder blocks and rolled to a stop near the grate in the center of the floor.

Wait. What the fuck?

I scooted to the edge of the bench and nudged the cold flesh with my toe. It tumbled over on the crusty, gray floor. Was that a flash of color? It had been lying on its back, but with another tentative nudge, it rolled. The nail was facing up, and it was red. Not to mention ragged, as if someone had been chewing on it before it was detached. I shuddered, not wanting to accept the reality that it had been part of someone’s body not so very long ago.

But it hadn’t been part of Claudia’s body.

Thank god.

She never painted her nails red, not ever. And even if she did, she’d never chew on an expensive manicure. She was much more civilized about that sort of thing than I was, because I certainly had no problem doing it. The only thing that saved me from that terrible habit now was that these gels were hard as rocks and crusted with dirt.

That changed things.

So, what the fuck? Were they lying to me? Bluffing? Trying to scare me? They were going to have to try harder than that. I knew Nico’s brother Dom was the one who took her after listening in on the conversation in the car. But as I thought back, I remembered that she’d been dancing with two guys at the club that looked like twins. Like Nico’s twin brothers. And I also remembered she’d had a very late night and didn’t get back to me the next day until close to noon. Her new favorite hookup was the reason her text message replies had been so spotty lately, too.

Nico’s brothers weren’t going to hurt Claudia. If I had to put money on it, they were absolutely too busy fucking her.

Still, I’d been given some chick’s finger in a box. I shuddered and pulled my foot back. Poor woman, whoever she was. I hoped she was having better luck than I was. Probably not, though, based on what was rolling around on the floor.

Avoiding the anonymous finger, I grabbed the water off the floor.

I breathed out a soft growl.

I was going to fucking kill him.

My stomach took that moment to grumble, reminding me it had been at least a day since I’d eaten last.

“Feed me, cowards!” I screamed at the top of my lungs. Maybe this was their plan all along—starve me to death.

No one responded, as I’d expected, but alone in the quiet, with only my hunger for company, I had time to think. I should go along with their stupid intimidation tactic. If Nico believed that I’d behave, he might slip up and give me an opening to escape. Cruz would be harder to trick because he’d seen my fuckery, but Nico seemed like the boss.

This might be the break I needed.

Chapter 35

Rosalina

The sound of the lock disengaging dragged me from my meandering thoughts. My eyes flew to the door, and I waited.

I’d long since finished the bottled water Nico had brought, and hunger gnawed at my stomach. Maybe someone had remembered they needed to feed me, so I wouldn’t starve to death. Unless that really was what they wanted.

The sweet scent of thick syrup on perfectly custardy bread drifted to my nose. The things I would do for French toast right now. That thought made me miss Maria. I could always count on her when I needed comfort food. Right now I would settle for any food at all.

No sound came from behind the door, but I’d definitely heard the lock click. Where were they? I pushed myself to my feet, every muscle protesting after being cramped up on the cement bench for so long. The door hadn’t opened, so I shuffled across the floor, skirting the finger, to peek out the high window. As far as I could see in either direction, the hall was empty, with an ambient glow coming from the left.

That was weird.

I nudged the door, and it shifted as if it had never been locked at all. I knew it had. This wasn’t the first time I’d pushed against it, or pounded on it screaming. But no pounding or screaming was necessary. It swung open on silent hinges. This had to be some kind of fucked-up trap. Tentatively, I peeked out of the door, looking both directions. To the right there were more doors, similar to this one, and a dead end with a tiny window high in the block wall, too small even for an omega to fit through.

To the left, a set of wooden stairs led up to a well-lit corridor. I inched out of the cell, padding slowly across the frigid floor toward the light. Each step I placed carefully, half expecting the door above to slam shut to a chorus of laughter. I checked over my shoulder, but there was no one behind me sneaking up with a knife, either.

The scent of salty, sweet breakfast teased me, coaxing me up the steps. If I was going to die anyway, I might as well not die hungry.

I emerged from the shadows into a tasteful hallway. Creamy walls boxed me in as I made my way across the dark mahogany floor. Faintly in the distance, I heard a muffled banging, but there was no other direction to go. So I picked my way quietly toward the noise. The first open door I came across led to a bathroom, which I took full advantage of, and noticed it had a narrow window high above the bathtub. If I had something to break it with, I could probably fit out of that. I’d keep that in mind for later. The next two doors I passed were locked, and then the hall ended in an open, airy living space.

I paused, listening for anything to tell me where danger might be coming from.