I didn't have time to react. I was so focused on the threat in Santo's eyes that I didn't feel the shadow moving behind me.
A sharp, biting sting pierced the side of my neck.
"Santo" I gasped, my hand flying to my throat, but my fingers felt like lead. My vision began to fray at the edges, the world tilting at a sickening angle.
I looked down and saw my sister's head loll to the side as another guard withdrew a needle from her arm. The rage that surged through me was the only thing keeping me upright for a heartbeat longer. I lunged for Santo, my hands reaching for his throat, but he didn't even flinch. He caught my wrists with a strength that was terrifyingly calm, pulling me flush against his chest.
"Shh," he whispered against my ear, his breath warm against my freezing skin. "Sleep, Dante. You've been running for so long. Let me take the weight for a while."
My knees buckled. The last thing I saw was the cold, grey sky and Santo looking down at me with a dark, triumphant smile.
I woke up to the sound of dripping water and the hum of a heavy ventilation system. My head felt like it had been cracked open and stuffed with cotton. I tried to move my hands, but the sharp clink of metal stopped me.
I was on a stone floor, my wrists chained to a ring in the wall.
"Maya?" I croaked, my voice raw.
"She's safe, Dante. For now."
I forced my eyes open. I wasn't in a dungeon from the middle ages, but it felt like one. It was a high-tech holding cell located somewhere in the bowels of the mansion. Re-enforced steel bars, concrete walls, and a single flickering light.
Santo was standing on the other side of the bars, his suit jacket gone, his white sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He looked less like a businessman and more like the monster everyone whispered about. In his hand, he held my leather wallet the one with my hidden badge tucked behind a false backing.
He held the gold shield up, letting it catch the dim light.
"An agent," he said, his voice dangerously soft. "I expected a rival. A hitman. Maybe even a disgruntled employee. But a fed? You really played the part well. The underground rings, the calculated silence... I almost believed in you."
I pulled against the chains, the metal biting into my skin. "Where is she? If you hurt her, Santo, I swear to God"
"I don't hurt children," he interrupted, stepping closer to the bars. He knelt down so we were at eye level. "She's in a guest room upstairs. She has her inhaler. She has food. She's even watching a movie. She thinks you're 'working' a late shift."
He reached through the bars, his fingers gripping my chin, forcing me to look at him. His touch wasn't gentle this time; it was a claim.
"You lied to me about everything," Santo hissed, his thumb brushing over my lower lip. "Your name, your past, your purpose. But that look in your eyes when I touched you in the car? That wasn't in the script, was it?"
I wanted to spit in his face. I wanted to tell him I felt nothing but disgust. But the way my heart thudded against my ribs as he leaned closer betrayed me. The slow burn hadn't died out with the betrayal it had twisted into something darker, something toxic.
"What are you going to do?" I asked, my voice trembling.
Santo's eyes darkened, his gaze dropping to my mouth before snapping back to mine. "I should kill you. My men expect it. But I've decided I like having a ghost in my house. You wanted to infiltrate my life, Dante? Congratulations. You're never leaving."
He stood up, pocketing my badge as if it were a trophy.
"Sleep well, Agent," he murmured. "Tomorrow, we see how much you're willing to sacrifice to keep that little girl upstairs smiling."
As he walked away, the heavy steel door at the end of the hall slammed shut, leaving me in the dark with nothing but the sound of my own racing.