Page 57 of Victorious Vice

“I never stopped loving you, Mario. I always knew you’d come back for me.”

Serena Deville. The one woman Mario loved. The woman his father wouldn’t let him have.

The woman who was taken from him but not murdered.

No.

He said what they did to her was far worse.

How long has she been here? She’s older than Agudelo. Did his father bring her here? Has she been kept prisoner all this time? What did they do to her?

Torture her? Rape her? Starve her? Beat her?

My guess is all four and then some.

The thought sends a wave of shocking anger coursing through me, but I stifle it.

I need to focus. She needs help. Now.

“Serena,” I whisper again, stepping further into the room. “I’m not Mario. I’m his… He’s my…” I fumble for words, my mind spinning. The truth would be complicated and hard to believe, especially for someone in such a fragile state. “I need to get you out of here, Serena.”

“Get me out?” she repeats my words, her voice barely a whisper. Her eyes, so full of hope a moment ago, seem to flicker with fear. “But how? The door is always locked.”

“I have a key,” I reply. “We will leave this place together.”

“But the guards. And Señor…”

“I’ll deal with them,” I say before she can finish her sentence. I don’t know exactly how yet, but one thing is certain. I won’t leave her here.

Perhaps Daniela can help me again. I’ll get Serena out of here somehow. I have a two-hour window to get her out of the room and to someplace safe without anyone knowing. Agudelo isn’t here, but his staff is. Morehouse is.

I glance around the room and spot an old blanket. I drape it over Serena’s frail form and help her sit up on the bed. She’s weak but manages to hold onto me.

“We need to be quiet and swift,” I tell her.

She nods, clutching onto my hand.

I help her stand and then lift her into my arms. She’s light as a feather. I take her out of the room and into the dimly lit attic. We move as silently as possible towards the concealed staircase leading down.

The house is eerily quiet. The silence seems to stretch out around us, amplifying the softest of sounds—Serena’s strained breaths, my pounding heart. As we creep down the stairs, I can’t help but glance back over my shoulder every now and then.

Just when we reach the landing at the bottom of the stairs, a soft creak echoes from somewhere down the corridor.

I pull Serena behind an aged wooden armoire that’s pressed against the wall. The scuffling of steps grows louder before gradually fading away.

“Who was that?” Serena whispers.

“A guard, maybe. Or one of Agudelo’s men,” I say, trying to keep the fear out of my voice. “We can’t wait around to find out.”

Gently, I carry her through the corridor to my room, where I pound on Elmo’s adjoining door. My heart beats in my chest like a drum, each thud echoing loudly in my ears.

Elmo opens the door, his eyes widening when he sees Serena. But then he regains his composure. “Daniela came to me. I’ve got a car ready to go. How much time is left?”

I look at my watch. “Only fifteen minutes.”

“We should be able to make it. Are you packed?”

“I never unpacked.” I pat my pocket. “I keep my passport on me at all times.”

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