Page 7 of Galen

Moments later, a text from Carver lit up the screen:Is the job done? Need help cleaning up?

“Shit, what have I done?” Galen muttered to himself, tossing the phone onto the passenger seat. His mind was a whirlwind of conflicting thoughts, each one more chaotic than the last.

As their entourage entered the underground garage of Arrow Tower, Galen felt the weight of his decision settling on his shoulders. He and his brothers owned the entire building. Some floors housed legitimate businesses, others were the headquarters of their own legitimate companies. But the lower levels, particularly the basement, were reserved for the darker, more unsavory aspects of their empire. And it was there, deep in the belly of the beast, that Galen had ordered Benny and David to take Bianca and Mario.

Mario’s pleas for his daughter’s safety echoed in Galen’s mind as he parked his car. The old man had begged for mercy, fully aware he was a dead man walking. But Galen hadn’t pulled the trigger, not yet.

He told himself that Mario might still be useful as a bargaining chip, but the truth was murkier. What was he bargaining for? Was it just about power and leverage, or was there something more?

Galen shook his head, trying to dispel the doubt gnawing at him. He made his way to the elevator, descending to the basement where the air grew colder, the walls more oppressive.

By the time he reached the cells, Benny and David had already secured the father and daughter duo inside one of the empty holding rooms.

Mario looked every bit the broken man, but Bianca … Bianca still had that spark in her eyes, even as she sat in the corner of the cell, trying to comfort her father. Galen’s gaze lingered on her for a moment longer than he intended before he turned to Benny and David. He couldn’t afford distractions, not now.

“Tell no one about this,” Galen ordered, his voice cold and firm. “That includes my brothers.”

David shot Benny a puzzled look, uncertainty flashing in his eyes. It was rare for Galen to keep something like this from his brothers. But Benny, ever the loyal enforcer, only nodded.

“Sure thing, boss,” Benny replied, though his tone hinted at a question he didn’t dare voice.

Galen could sense the unease in the room. This wasn’t just another routine job, and they all knew it. But he wasn’t ready to explain himself, not even to Benny, who had been with him through thick and thin.

“Just follow orders,” Galen added, his eyes narrowing as he looked between the two men. “I’ll handle the rest.”

With that, he turned and left the cell, the heavy door clanging shut behind him. As he walked away, the sound of his footsteps echoed in the dimly lit corridor, each step a reminder of the choices he had made tonight.

Galen’s thoughts kept drifting back to Bianca, the way she had looked at him with a mix of fear and defiance. He and his brothers dealt in fear and violence, but Bianca had stirred something within him, something he didn’t want to acknowledge.

It wasn’t just her beauty—though she was undoubtedly stunning—it was her spirit, the fire that refused to be extinguished even in the face of danger.

He reached the elevator and punched the button for his apartment, but as the doors slid shut, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he had just crossed a line he might never be able to come back from. He had always prided himself on being able to separate his emotions from his work, to do what needed to be done without hesitation. But Bianca Bruno had thrown a wrench into that carefully constructed armor.

As the elevator ascended, Galen leaned against the wall, closing his eyes. He had made a choice tonight, one that could have far-reaching consequences. He had brought Bianca into his world, a world she had no business being in. And now, he had to deal with the fallout.

But even as he resolved to see this through, to do whatever it took to protect his interests, he couldn’t deny the truth that gnawed at him: Bianca was no longer just a complication. She was something more, something that had the potential to unravel everything he had built. And that realization scared him more than anything else.

Chapter Four

Bianca paced nervously in the holding cell, her mind a whirlwind of fear and confusion. She had pinched her wrist several times, hoping to wake up from what felt like a nightmare, but the sharp sting confirmed that this was all too real. The cold, sterile air of the cell pressed in on her, and the heavy silence only amplified the terror gnawing at her insides.

In the corner of the cell, her father, Mario, sat slumped against the wall, looking more defeated and broken than she had ever seen him. As a child, she had always seen him as a distant, untouchable figure—someone ruthless, powerful, and above all, invincible. But now, as she watched him cower in fear, he seemed small, fragile, and utterly lost. The sight of him like this scared her even more than the danger they were in.

Unable to bear the silence any longer, Bianca forced herself to approach him. She had so many questions, so many things she wanted to scream at him. What had he done to bring them here? Why were they at the mercy of a bunch of ruthless gangsters?

But as she stood over him, those questions tangled in her throat, and all she could manage was a quiet, “Dad?”

Mario slowly lifted his head, his eyes glassy and distant, as if he had been somewhere far away. When he finally focused on her, there was a desperate, pleading look in his eyes that made her heart clench. He reached out and grabbed her hands, holding them tightly, as if she were the only thing keeping him tethered to reality.

“Bianca,” he whispered, his voice trembling with fear, “you must do whatever he asks … for your sake.”

She pulled her hands from his grip, recoiling as if she’d been burned. This man might look like her father, but he wasn’t the man she remembered.

Or maybe, she thought bitterly, she had never really known him at all. She had grown up with her mother, far away from Mario’s world, and had hardly seen him over the years. But surely, the father she had imagined would never have become this broken shell of a man.

She took a deep breath, forcing herself to stay calm. Getting angry at him wouldn’t help either of them right now.

“By ‘he,’ you mean that man who seemed surprised you had a daughter?” she asked, trying to keep her voice steady despite the fear gnawing at her insides.

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