Page 84 of Of Desire And Deception

After the door lock was engaged, I counted. First to sixty seconds. Then two minutes. Then five. My fingers trembled as I reached down, pulling on the cuff. It didn’t give at first, and I let out a cry of dismay. This had to work. It had to.

I yanked hard, breaking a nail, but finally, the metal separated, and I was free. Or at least free from the restraint. I put on another pair of sweats and a sweatshirt, knowing how punishing the January cold would be outside. Cosimo had disposed of everything I wore when he took me, including my shoes. Escaping was worth the risk of frostbit toes.

Rushing across the room, I took a knife from the torture table and tucked it into my waistband in case I met any resistance past the door. I had no idea what kind of security Cosimo had in his dungeon.

That left the keypad. I knelt before it, looking at it from the side, seeing the fingerprints Cosimo had left behind. Bingo. If it worked like other keypads, I could figure out the code. Without knowing if a wrong entry would set off an alarm, I took a deep breath and pressed the first number. Then the second. Third, fourth, and fifth.

The light turned green, and the lock disengaged.

I pressed my lips together, holding in my cry of relief. I pushed the handle down and slowly opened the door, looking out into a hallway. It must be a basement of some sort. On one side was a dead end, and on the other… a staircase. I bolted for the stairs and reached another coded door at the top. Taking a gamble, I entered the same code for the dungeon, and the light flashed green.

I opened the door and immediately recognized where I was. That asshole. His fucking dungeon had been beneath Deception all along. I’d worked above his murder room for months without suspecting a thing.

Shoving my rage down, I slipped out the back door and ran across the parking lot and down the sidewalk. I didn’t have my phone or money, so I couldn’t call for a ride. I found the nearest bus stop and waited until the next ride pulled up, pleading with the bus driver to let me on. He took pity on me, and I shivered until we reached a neighborhood close enough to mine that I felt confident in walking.

I broke into a run for the last block, ignoring the hard, frozen pavement and the air that burned my lungs as I rushed toward my destination. Once Cosimo found out I was missing, I knew he’d scour the city for me. It was dangerous to return to my apartment, but I had to risk it.

I reached into the light at the end of the hall, fishing out my spare key, and letting myself into my apartment. There was no evidence of my struggle from the night Cosimo had kidnapped me. Even the peonies were gone. The only hint he’d been in my life was the lingering smell of industrial cleaner.

I discarded the clothes Cosimo had given me and changed into jeans, a t-shirt, and a sweater, then pulled on a pair of boots and a winter coat. I grabbed a spare credit card and my service weapon, wishing I’d kept a burner phone on hand. Contacting Madden could wait until I was safe.

I bolted back down the stairs and out the door, jogging to the store a few blocks down and snagging some energy bars. On a desperate whim, I picked up a dark box of hair color and a pair of scissors to disguise myself.

Another bus ride landed me outside a nondescript motel I’d never been to. Hopefully, that would make it harder for Cosimo to trace my movements. The woman behind the desk barely glanced up when she gave me the room key, which was fine with me. I glanced around outside, scanning the area for any sign I’d been followed, before slipping into my room.

Tossing my store items on the bathroom counter, I tore the scissors from their package and stared at my reflection in the mirror. I saw Wynn, the bartender, with her fun-loving attitude and party-girl hair. What had that gotten me? Kidnapped, that’s what.

I fingered that short bit of hair in the front and grabbed a fistful of my length, holding the scissors to it and wincing as it came free in my hand. A shuddering breath passed my lips, but I’d already started. I couldn’t stop until I was finished—until nothing remained of the weak woman who loved the wrong man.

Three hours later, I burst into Madden’s office.

“I thought I told you not to fucking show your face until your sabbatical was up,” he growled, jumping to his feet. “What the fuck did you do to yourself? You’re a mess.”

I slammed my palms down on his desk. “I just spent three weeks as a captive in Cosimo Neretti’s elusive dungeon. But if you want me to wait another week to tell you, I can leave.”

Madden’s eyes widened, and he pointed to the chair. “Sit. Explain.”

So I did, refusing to acknowledge the voice in my head screaming for me to take it back and walk away. I sat in that chair and told the entire fucking story.

I willfully betrayed the man I loved.

Again.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

My phone chimed on my way to Dante’s house, and my blood ran cold. It was the door notification for the dungeon. A failsafe in case anybody ever made it in—or out. I pressed the gas pedal down, pushing through yellow lights and running a couple of reds until I came to an abrupt halt in the circular drive outside my brother’s home.

Before I unlocked my phone, I knew what I’d find on the cameras. It had been at least twenty minutes. When I checked the surveillance in the dungeon, my fears were confirmed—Remi was gone.

I pressed my forehead to my phone. My entire body felt strung tight like I might snap at any moment. But I couldn’t. I had to mitigate the fallout from my mistake.

Climbing out of the car, I darted through the front door, ignoring the guard and rushing straight to Dante’s office, where he sat behind his desk in his customary black suit. He looked up, and his face fell.

“What?” he asked.

“She’s gone.” I ran my hands through my hair. “I don’t know how, but she escaped while I was on my way here. I need all hands on deck for protocol.”

Dante pulled his phone out and made a call, quietly giving instructions. I texted Romeo, letting him know what was going on in code.

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