Scarlett P.O.V

I slowly come to, but I can't make heads or tells of my surroundings. The cloth around my eyes leaves me sequestered in darkness.

Where am I?

And how long have I been out?

The last thing I remember is Luciano shoving me into the back of a van, then a sharp pinch. And nothing else.

Oh, shit. That bastard drugged me. Actually, drugged me! The fuck! Over a few short days, my entire perception of him had changed. Assault, kidnapping, and now drugging. Who the hell was he? And why had I allowed him into my life?

I shift, sitting more upright against the cold, hard brick at my back. Creaks ensue, and the bindings around my wrists pull taut against my skin, making me stop. The chink of a door opening sounds to my left. A whiff of bleach comes through followed by heavy footfalls. Every thump of their shoes drives my heart rate higher as they draw nearer and nearer. I unconsciously hold my breath when the footsteps stop in front of me.

A second pass, then another before a sharp tug brings the cloth covering my eyes down, and light hits me square across the face. My eyes soon adjust, and Luciano comes into view, squatting before me.

"Luciano, if this is some kind of game. It's not funny. Now let me go!" I instill enough confidence in my voice to try and convince him I'm unaware of his alleged crimes.

Maybe if he believed me, he would let me go. And if not, it could at least buy enough time to plot an escape, or here's hoping for Maddox to find me.

He glances over his shoulder at the two cells behind him. My eyes go wide at the two women inside.

Oh, good lord. What kind of mess did I get myself into?

Who on earth are they?! And why were they here?! Had he attacked them like Dr. Earhart?

"Does this look like a game to you?" He asks, bringing my attention back to him.

Chills run down the length of my spine, and I try to keep my fear from broadcasting all over my face. But I know I failed miserably when a sinister grin slowly creeps across his lips.

His smile falls when the door cracks open, bringing with it, once again, the faint smell of bleach. A masked man enters the room but doesn't venture past the doorway.

Luciano's eyes never leave mine as he asks, "What is it?"

"Can I talk to you? In private."

Luciano sighs, standing to his feet. He looks down at me, lips twisted in a snarl before following him from the room.

"You took her from the hotel?! What happened to waiting until she left Pure Leaf? Huh?!" The man yells, his voice coming through clear from the crack they left in the door.

Pure Leaf? The Resort and Spa? My mother and I meet there every month without fail to relax and catch up. It's a monthly thing. The one time I can get her to focus on something other than work.

"I got tired of waiting."

"It was one week! Have you forgotten her friend's a private investigator?"

"No! But it seems you've forgotten who's in charge around here! This is my plan. Not yours! And I don't need to consult you about a damn thing regarding the decisions I make! Got it?"

"Yes, I got it. All I was saying is he won't stop looking into any and everyone around her until he finds her. And that means you. And we don't need that kind of heat right now."

"Don't you worry about that. Everything's going to be fine."

"Will it?"

"Yes, because she'll be long gone before he even catches up to us. Now, come with me, there's something you need to do."

Gone? I got a feeling he didn't just mean from this...er, basement, or wherever the hell I am, but the face of the earth. And if so, heaven help me. I needed a way out. Fast. For myself and if I were to have any chance of helping those women.

I look toward the cells. The woman in the farthest one is lying on her side out cold. Multiple scrapes and bruises cover her arms as she uses them as a makeshift pillow, but none of them seem deep enough to be a cause for concern. But I couldn't say the same for her face. Her dyed blonde strands create a veil over one side, but through them, I can make out a black eye and busted lip.

I turn my attention to the other girl. She appears in a much better condition than the previous. Physically, that is. Mentally, I couldn't be sure. She gently rocks back and forth against the wall with her knees pulled up to her chest. The few strands hanging loose around her heart-shaped face sway along with her movements.

Through squinted eyes, I look closer at her. There's something familiar about her. I stifle my gasp as the image of the woman from the security camera footage pops into my head. It matches perfectly with the lady sitting before me.

But how could that be? Surely, I am mistaken. Right?

What connection could she possibly have to Luciano?

I rack my brain trying to recall her name, but only her first comes to mind.

"A-Aria?" I whisper, but she doesn't look over or give any indication that she's heard me at all, so I try again, only a little louder. "Aria!"

Her head whips toward me as she stops rocking. "H-" Her voice comes out scratchy as if she hadn't spoken for some time, so she clears it and tries again. "How do you know my name?"

"My friend Maddox was hired to look for you."

"Your friend?"

"Yeah, he's a private investigator. He's going to find us and get us out of here."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Be-" I fall silent as the door opens, and Luciano re-enters the room.

Fear overtakes me, and I don't even so much as move a muscle as he walks past. He stops at Aria's cell, unlocks it, and heads inside. Aria presses back against the wall, looking up at him from behind her knees. She looks so tiny in comparison as he stands over her.

"Get up!" He orders, snatching her up by her arm.

"No. Please." She cries as he drags her from the cell. "You don't have to do this. You don't have to do this."

"Shut up!" He growls. "Begging will only make it worse. Now come on!"

He tries to yank her forward, but she calls to the floor, grabbing one of his legs. "No!" She cries again.

Luciano's eyes darken before he delivers a swift kick to her ribs that makes her curl over in pain."I bet you wish you would've listened now. Don't you?!"

He lifts his foot, preparing to strike again, but before he can, I shout, "Luciano, stop! Please. Why are you even doing this?"

He whips around to face me. "Why?! I'll tell you why. My poor sister spent all her time looking up to girls like her. So much so that she wanted to look, dress, and have the same rich and extravagant lifestyle they portrayed in their social media profiles. But it's all fake. Only she didn't realize this, and now she's dead."

"H-how did she die?"

"She killed herself after that quack doctor screwed up her surgery, then everyone made fun of her online. But don't worry, he'll get his real soon."

I scoff, rolling my eyes. "You failed once before. What makes you think this time will be different?"

He moves closer and closer still until he's stood before me. "Oh, so you know about that, huh? Is that why you suddenly turned cold after you and Maddox spoke at the restaurant?"

Shit. I messed up. I shouldn't have let that slip.

He grasps my face, thumb digging into my cheek. "Don't go quiet on me now. It is, isn't it?"

I say nothing.

He lets out a wry chuckle. "Even if you don't answer, how you're acting is more than enough confirmation. But tell me, what else do you know?"

"No!" I try to shake off his grip, but he holds firm. "Not until you tell me what I have to do with any of this?"

"Are you seriously asking me that?! When you and the people like you are the worst of them all."

"People like me?"

"Yeah, so-called doctors. With your fancy degrees and all your years of training, how could you miss the signs?"

"I'm sorry for your loss, but you got the wrong person. I don't even know your sister."

"Oh really? Are you sure about that?"

"Yes!"

"Does the name Holly Pickett ring any bells?"

I draw a blank at first, and he's quick to call me on it before I can speak.

"Now you have nothing to say. I'm not even surprised you don't remember her. I bet all she was to you was a paycheck."

"That's not true!"

"The hell it isn't!"

"Holly and I only had three sessions. Three! And every time, she always spoke about the new pledges or a trip she and her sorority sisters were planning once school was out. N-"

"Stop! I don't want to hear your lies."

"I'm not lying! She never spoke about anything too deep or personal that it made me wonder why she was even there. But then I realized maybe it was a cover-up for something else, so I referred her to a colleague. Someone she could maybe open up better t-"

"I told you to stop!" He growls, choking me.

"Okay. Ok-ay." I wheeze out, my vision growing blurry.

After a few more seconds, he releases me, throwing me back against the wall, where I struggle to catch my breath.

It is pointless trying to reason with him. He's already made up his mind. We were to blame, and nothing could change that.

Not even the truth.

But maybe I could keep him talking more to prolong the inevitable.

"So..." I swallow. "I guess all the flirting and taking me out was for payback?"

"No, more a means to an end. I figured if I became close to you, it would allow me easier access to your files on my sister but, more importantly, an alibi."

"Well, once the cops figure out I'm missing, and you're the one that abducted me, your alibi is fucked."

He shrugs with a smug grin on his face. "Doesn't matter. By the time they piece everything together, you'll all be dead, and I'll be long gone."