“You know what? Just let her go.” I wave my hand to the men. They look at each other and then back to me, and it’s only when I give them the “fucking do that I say now” look do they release her.

  Serenity looks around like a wild animal caught in a trap. Looking for the exit. But the only door out has four men surrounding it, and the window is 25 feet from the ground.

  She’s not going anywhere.

  “Serenity,” I call out, and her head snaps in my direction. Long locks of dark hair fall over her face and shoulders. She’s visibly shaken, but her eyes are furious and full of rage.

  She pushes her hair out of her face, revealing that beauty I saw in the photo. I’m almost taken aback by how beautiful she is in real life. Dark eyes, full lips, and soft cheeks. And then, I notice the bruising around her left eye.

  “What happened to your face?” I ask.

  “Your man hit me!” She points to Tanner.

  Rage stirs in me, and without thinking, I pull out my gun, aim it at the man’s knee, and shoot. The ring of the bullet leaving the gun echoes in the air. When it hits him, there’s a shout, and he collapses on the floor. Gasps come from everyone in the room. Serenity covers her mouth as she stares with wide eyes at Tanner writhing on the ground.

  “Leave,” I tell my men. “All of you.”

  Rico and Mateo pick up Tanner and drag him out of the room, leaving a trail of blood behind.

  The door shuts, and it’s just me and Serenity in my office. Her eyes are fixated on the pool of blood left by Tanner, but my eyes are on her bruise.

  My hands twitch with the need to run my knuckles across her skin to comfort her. But I keep my hands to myself. This isn’t supposed to be emotional. There are no feelings here, just a debt that needs to be paid. A transaction.

  “Serenity.” Her face snaps to mine when I call out her name, giving me a sense of satisfaction. “Don’t worry about it,” I tell her.

  She points to the blood and stutters, “Y-you shot- you shot him.”

  “Yes, I did. He never should’ve hit you. That is the price you pay for disobeying orders. He’s lucky he’s still breathing.”

  I see her body stiffen, and I can only imagine she’s thinking of what I’ll do to her if I don’t get what I want. Her life might not be in danger, but I can’t guarantee anything more than that.

  I ignore the sudden need to tell her she’ll be fine and get down to business.

  “Serenity, if you are here, it means that either you didn’t tell my men where your father is, or you don’t know.”

  Her eyes shift from fear to anger.

  “I told them I don’t know where he is, and I meant it. I’m not lying to you.” Her voice shakes with desperation, but her body stays upright and strong.

  “Do you know why we’re looking for him?”

  She scoffs. “Money. Obviously.”

  My brow quirks up. “Obviously?” I echo.

  “I’m not an idiot. I know my father has a gambling problem. I know he owes a lot of bad people money, and of course, you’re one of them.”

  I admire her candor, considering her situation. To call me a bad guy. She’s right, but most people try to make people like us feel better to spare them. They compliment us instead of just straight out saying that we’re the worst.

  “You’re right.” I sit at my desk and wave to the seat opposite the mahogany structure. My desk was large and had a presence. Like me.

  Serenity takes a few tentative steps toward the chair before sliding into it. She sits right on the edge with her hands in her lap.

  “Yes, your father owes us a lot of money. And we’re not the kind of people you can take 150 thousand dollars from and not repay it.”

  The look on her face is one of shock. She must not have known how much money he owes us.

  “Needless to say, we are looking to retrieve that money. If you don’t know where he is, we'll have to take our payment another way.”

  Her eyes widen, and she starts frantically playing with the silver ring on her right hand.

  “What if I found the money?” she asks quickly. “Maybe it’s at our apartment. I don’t know. Maybe he left some money somewhere. Let me go and get it for you.”

  I consider her offer. We already went to his apartment to find the money. There was nothing of value there, which didn’t surprise us. Perhaps it’d make Serenity more compliant if she knew she had fewer choices.

  “Alright. Rico will take you to your father’s place. If you can’t find the money, he will bring you back here, and you will be responsible for settling his debt.”

  I hit the button under my desk that calls Rico back to the room.

  “How could I possibly pay you back?” she asks.

  With a grin, I tell her, “There are many ways.”

  Her face falls just as Rico enters the office.

  “Take Miss Brockman to her place,” I order.

  Rico nods and looks at Serenity. “Ma’am, if you come with me, we have a car waiting outside.”

  The chair scrapes across the floor as she stands, looking at me with defiance and that anger that’s been raging in her since she entered my office. She stomps over to Rico and then looks back at me.

  “That nut job who hit me isn’t joining us, right?”

  I shake my head. “It would be a miracle if you ever see him again.”

  Before she leaves, she asks, “Who the fuck are you, anyway? You know my name, but I don’t know yours.”

  I cross my legs under the desk as I grab my drink.

  “My name is Dante Salvatore, Miss. Brockman. And I am your worst nightmare.”

  Chapter 4

  Serenity

  They take me back and I search the apartment, but I know the money isn’t there. The bastard probably took it with him. He’s probably in a villa in Belize, treating himself to hookers and expensive Champagne while I’m stuck here cleaning up his mess.

  Jesus, what kind of a father is he?

  Dante said there were other ways I could repay him, and I knew what he meant. My body. Of all the things I could be doing, that isn’t the worst. He’s handsome, has tattoos, and knows how to wear a suit.

  But he’s dangerous, and I can’t forget that. He said he’s my worst nightmare.

  I hear a creak behind me, and one of Dante’s goons is leaning against the door frame.

  “Time to go,” he says.

  For a moment, I think to start running, but something about my face probably gives it away because this man stalks toward me and yanks me off the floor.

  “Don’t, Miss. Mr. Salvatore wouldn’t like it.”

  He drags me out to the car, shoves me into the back seat, and we drive off back to hell.

  When we get back, the sky is pitch black. I can see only one light in the house, and Dante is standing at the large window like he’s Lucifer, and I’m about to walk through the gates of hell. He takes a sip of his drink in his crystal class.

  His man shoves me, and we go back into the house. However, this time, instead of heading up to his office, we walk up the stairs, turn left and go down the hall. Our footsteps echo across the dark marble floor. This place is a mansion. We pass rows of rooms and hallways that lead farther into the house.

  The man opens the door and gestures to me to step inside.

  He flicks on the light, revealing a massive suite with multiple rooms. The floor is the same dark marble as the outside. You can even see your reflection in it. The walls are a gray textured wallpaper. There’s minimal furniture, but there are multiple rooms within the room. Archways open up to a bedroom, which looks like a living room, and onto a balcony. On my left is the only set of doors I can see. Big blue double doors like the ones in Dante’s office.

  The door shuts, and I turn around to see Dante standing there. The other man is gone.

  “What am I doing here?” I ask.

  Dante takes a few steps forward, closing the gap between us. My breath hitches as his body presses against mine. He places his hand on the small of my back and directs me to the doors.

  When he opens them, I gasp. Inside the middle of the dark blue room is a bird cage. A giant one. It fills almost the entire room. Silver metal bars blink at me as Dante passes by me and opens the cage door.

  “Get in,” he says, and my eyes widen.

  “Excuse me?”

  “Can you not hear me? I said, get in. I need to make sure you aren’t going to run off. You still have a debt to pay.”

  Dante’s patience seems to be running out because he pulls back a piece of his jacket, revealing a gun.

  “I won’t tell you again, Serenity.” His voice is menacing, and I have no choice but to step into the cage.

  When I step inside, I see a bed in it.

  “So I’m going to sleep here,” I remark.

  Dante nods.

  “Be grateful you get this much, Serenity. Not a lot of others do.”

  He locks the cage and walks to the doors.

  “Dante,” I call out. He turns, and I swallow, but I have nothing to say. What is there to say?

  Dante smirks and leaves me with another chilling thought.

  “Welcome to my world, Serenity. Let’s hope that fate is kind to you.”

  And with those final words, he leaves. Lost in thought, circling in a cage.

  And that’s when I spot the liquor bottles sitting on a table.

  I feel the sluggishness from the alcohol hit me as I pace around the cage. I look up at the corner where the security camera’s red light blinks at me. I sort of thought he would get all testy about me taking his liquor, but he hasn’t shown up yet.

  I stick my tongue out at the camera before taking another swig of scotch.

  I hear a click of the lock before Dante steps inside the room. He’s still in his black suit but loosened his tie and cufflinks. His dark eyes look from the bottle in my hand to my face, and he seems unimpressed and slightly disappointed.

  Oh, well.

  He pulls up a chair and takes a seat in front of the cage’s door.

  “Didn’t know you were a scotch girl,” he says. His voice does things to my body that I like, but deep down, I know I shouldn’t.

  I shrug. “I’ve never been much of a drinker, but better now than never.” I take another swig, and the muscle in his jaw ticks.

  “What do you want?” I slur. There is a flash of concern on his face before it’s shrouded in that glare.

  “Just checking on my captive,” he says in a blase tone like he’s kidnapped several people before.

  I walk toward the bars, his eyes tracking my every move.

  I pass the scotch through the cage, thrusting the bottle at Dante. He stands up, takes it, then returns to his seat. Taking a large gulp, he loosens his tie more before removing it entirely.

  “You’re going to be a lot of trouble for me, aren’t you?” he says, placing his tie carefully on a rack next to his chair.

  “Hey, you’re the one who kidnapped me. This is your doing, not mine.”

  “Technically, this is your father’s doing, not mine,” he explains.

  There is a beat of silence where no one speaks. We stare at each other, waiting for whoever is going to make the next move.

  “Don’t test me, Serenity. You have no idea what I’m capable of,” Dante says, snapping us out of the moment.

  “Oh, yeah,” I say, challenging him. “What are you going to do?”

  He stands up, and I take a quick step back. Just the sheer act of him standing commands attention and scares me. It's like when someone pulls their hand up for a slap. He walks to the bars and wraps his hands around two of them.

  Then, slowly, he says, “I’ll put you over my knee.”

  My body shivers, my mouth parts slightly, and my core clenches at the thought of his rough hands on my ass.

  No! He’s the bad guy, remember?

  I clear my throat and shake my head as I walk backward toward the dark part of the cage.

  “I can’t believe you locked me up in a literal cage,” I say, changing the subject.

  “Trust me, Serenity. This was not my first choice.” He sounds sorry, but it doesn’t matter. He did this. And he can’t take it back.

  “Trust you? Yeah, I’ll get right on that.”

  Dante cocks his head to the side and then asks, “How else do you expect the head of the mafia to deal with losing 150 thousand dollars?”

  “I don’t know. File an insurance claim,” I quip.

  “You think you’re funny, do you?”

  “I’m hilarious.” I give him a fake smile as I lie across the bed. I’d never admit to his face how comfortable it is. Or how I moaned the first time I laid on it. It’s so much better than that sorry excuse for a mattress I lay in every night at my shitty apartment.

  Dante leans back in his chair, one arm over the corner. He looks me up and down, and even though I’m fully clothed, I still feel so exposed. It’s like he can see right into my soul.

  “Okay. If you think you’re so funny, let’s play a game.”

  I move onto my side and prop my head up on my fist.

  “What game?”

  He smirks at me.

  “Truth or dare.”

  I don’t know where he’s going with this game, but maybe playing with the man will help me get out of here somehow.

  “Fine. I’ll go first.” I sit up and watch his eyebrow shoot up. “Truth or dare?” I ask him.

  He thinks for a moment, never breaking eye contact, which he seems to love to do.

  “Truth.”

  Now it’s my turn to be shocked. I assumed this was a man who’d never tell the truth. Not willingly, anyway.

  “What do you want from me?” I ask for the truth. “I don’t have 150 thousand dollars.”

  He looks down at his wrists and pulls at his cuffs before he answers.

  “In my business, you don’t lose 150 thousand dollars by someone and let it go. There needs to be a cost. And at some point, the actual money is no longer important. Getting something out of it, something that sends a message becomes important. That would be you.” He clicks his tongue and drums a finger on the arm of the chair. “The money's gone, and so is your father, so by the power of transference, you’ve become worth 150 thousand dollars. And I plan to collect in every way I can.”

  My heart races as he stares at me with those feral eyes. He looks like a predator.

  And I am his prey.

  His lips curl as he says, “My turn.” And I almost forget what game we’re playing.

  I sit up and cross my legs, feeling the fight drain from me and the tipsiness of the alcohol getting to me.

  “Truth or dare?” he asks.

  “Truth,” I say.

  “What are you most afraid of?” he asks.

  At first, I thought this was an easy answer. Clowns. Heights. Escalators. But then, I really start thinking about it.

  What am I afraid of most?

  Answering the question comes to the top of that list. I know he’ll be able to tell if I’m lying. Lying has never been my strong suit. But I can’t give him anything to use against me.

  “Dare,” I say. “I change my mind. Dare.”

  Instead of being disappointed in changing my answer, he seems delighted. He leans onto his elbows on his knees and says in a deep and commanding voice.

  “Crawl to me.”

  I gasp. He wants me to do what?

  He leans back and then stands up, walking toward the cage door.

  “In order for me to trust you, Bambola, I need your submission. I need to know that I can order you to do something, and you’ll do it. That is, I say stay in my room, and you will.” He unlocks the cage door, then opens it and takes a step back.

  “Crawl to me, and I’ll let you walk around the house. The grounds. You can’t leave, but you’ll have much more than you do now.”

  “And if I don’t?” I ask.

  “Then I shut the door, and you don’t get to come out unless I say so.”

  I can hear my heartbeat in my ear. If he wants to know what I’m afraid of most, he’s just ordered me to do it. Being the pet of a mafia boss seems like hell. But then, why is my body aching to get down on my knees? Why am I actually considering this?

  I lick my dry lips and swallow loudly.

  No. I can’t. If I do that, I will belong to this man, and I can’t do that. His deal is temporary, but what I will lose if I succumb to him may be permanent.

  So I can’t. I won’t.

  I shake my head, and Dante nods.

  “Alright, Serenity. We’ll keep this strictly business then. That is if you take my offer.” He shuts the door and locks it, placing the key back into his pocket.

  “I need an heir to carry on my family business, but my love life is, well… non-existent. I will not force you, Serenity, but I suggest you consider the offer. Because you may not like plan B.”

  A shiver runs down my spine.

  Ah, fuck. Not plan B. Never plan B. If his plan A is knocking me up, I don’t want to know plan B.

  Dante leaves the room, not looking back, and the door closes. My thoughts race now that he’s left me alone.

  Can I do this? Can I allow this man to knock me up and give him a baby? Wiping my father’s debt clean, and I could just… walk away?

  In theory, it’s possible, but I don’t know. Pregnancy is no joke, and I can’t imagine what walking away from a baby, my baby, will do to my psyche. But I don’t think I have any other choice.

  I don’t have 150 thousand dollars, and I have no way to get it. Sure, I could gamble and try to win it, but that’d most likely get me into more trouble.

  I look out the window, the sun settling under the horizon, the orange light hitting me straight in the eye.

  I was never a huge fan of Christmas, but this may be the worst one yet.

  Chapter 5

  Dante

  When I enter the breakfast nook, my food is ready for me. A plate of eggs, bacon, tomatoes, and a cup of coffee. There is a bowl of fruit and a second empty plate. I asked Mateo to get Serenity. She should be awake by now and probably ready to eat.

  Watching Serenity get drunk on the monitor in my office wasn’t what I was expecting to do last night. Nor was it my intention to offer her a chance to get out of her cage if she were to submit to me. It seemed to happen in slow motion. I opened my mouth and told her to crawl to me. I saw in her eyes that she was dancing between the options, which was enough. Even if she said no, the fact she wanted to say yes was very satisfying.