To my great surprise, they lead me out to the hallway. As we go up the stairs, the lighting gets better and I scan the two men escorting me.

The one who shot Aaron has a long scar on the left side of his face—an old knife wound maybe—stretching from underneath the outer edge of his left eye down to the side of his lips.

The tattoo sleeve covering his right arm has a gigantic phoenix in the middle of it, the name of their mafia, Fenice. Swirls of fire are tattooed around it. The fire stretches down to his elbow, cards, four dice, and casino tokens reach to the back of his hand, ending with a cross, reaching his middle finger's knuckle.

His black hair is buzz cut and his skin is dark, the defined muscles flex with each movement. He's a huge guy, perhaps over six inches taller than my overly average height of five foot four inches.

Unlike his boss, even his movements contain a certain amount of roughness. The way his heavy footfalls pound against the marble stairs, how he holds his arms apart from his body, with stiff shoulders, is like he's preparing himself to walk into a WWE ring.

On the other hand, his fellow partner is way skinnier than him. His hair is light brown and his eyes are hazel, his skin is a lighter tone too. Small tattoos are dotted around his forearms. Compared to the other guy, the way he carries himself is almost like a lanky gauche teenager.

Down a long hallway, they stop in front of the third door. The bulkier one opens the door for me while the other one steps aside, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Boss will put two men 'ere." He motions with his hand, pointing to either side of the door. "No funnny businesssa." He shoots a sideways glare at me and I roll my eyes. "You want to mit the bosss, you tell the two mena."

I nod and cross my arms. "Am I allowed to know in which country or city I am right now?"

From the corner of my eye, I catch the bulkier one subtly shaking his head. Huffing, I walk past him and enter the moderate-sized room. He slams the door shut behind me.

I sigh, staying rooted to the spot as I pinch the bridge of my nose before surveying the place.

A queen-sized bed is placed across from me, with yellow and gray bed sheets, and a leather bag resting on top of it. The walls are white and bare. On the nightstands placed on either side of the bed, similar vases are set with yellow flowers I can't recognize.

On my right, a narrow window is covered with a thick curtain and a few paces away from me a wooden drawer is placed, with three empty red bottle-like glasses planted on top of it.

The other side of the room has an empty wardrobe with its door ajar. The other door must lead to the bathroom.

I scrutinize the ceiling, and every angle in the view, checking if they've placed cameras. So far, I can't spot any.

For the first time today, I allow my body to relax and hurry to the window, already feeling suffocated being locked in the room. I suppose it's going to be my prison, where these monsters will keep me hostage until they get what they want.

I pull aside the curtain and I'm greeted by the night sky. The moon is a silver face amidst the darkness. With an effort, I open the window, letting the fresh night air in. Closing my eyes, I inhale deeply before opening them.

I gaze outside, taking in the vast garden covered in trees and bushes. In the far distance, the moonlight glimmers off the sea.

I lean against the wall as I inspect the surroundings. I'm no longer in New York, that's evident. Perhaps I'm in Sicily... but if so, how did they get me out of the country so fast... and how did they even enter my house?

I scratch my forehead as I think.

The asshole's warning echoes in my head and I close my eyes to draw in a shaky breath. I really don't want to know who's going to be his next target.

I don't know if I'm truly out of the States and in Italy, but if so, what's the time difference? If I assume I'm in Sicily... approximately the time difference should be something around five to seven hours... I'll go with six.

I pause and turn around, scanning the place until I find a small clock placed on the nightstand. I squint to read the time. It's nine-thirty.

I chew my bottom lip and face the window again. So it should be around three-thirty back home... someone must have noticed my absence, right?

Out of habit, my fingers slip under the neckline of my shirt and I pull out my necklace. I fidget with the small rectangular pendant, barely half an inch. My thumbnail draws over the carved shape of a mother hugging her baby... or at least, that's what Mom used to say, and my grandmother. For me, it's more like a woman praying, with her hands pressed together and held in front of her.

I sigh as I contemplate the options I have.

Twenty-four hours to decide.

I can't let him kill someone else... but I don't want to give up the flash drives either.

He's correct about the mafia having their people scattered everywhere... how will I bring them down?

And Amber... is she a part of a gang too? If not, then why set me up on a date with Aaron? Was it all a plan? If so, what did they want?

I groan, leaning my head against the wall. Tendrils of pain are slowly creeping around my head. I fiddle with the pendant each second growing more confused and clueless.

Midst of it, I'm sourly reminded I was supposed to work on that murder case with Caleb. Just as we were going to spend time together, these assholes had to kidnap me. So much for hoping to get closer to Caleb.

I rub my temple, gazing out at the dark sky.

I have to give my answer to the devil before nine-thirty tomorrow night... Maybe if I stall enough, Ruby or even Caleb will notice I'm missing and file a report. That ought to tie these gangsters' hands.

Also, if all the other gangs know the information I'm holding... they're probably thirsty for my blood and they will come for me. The only thing I can do is move faster than them. I have to put that information to use quickly. Before they take me out, I have to set them behind bars.

Razoring my lips with my teeth, I go down my options. The first one is, I can give the flash drive to Dad.

No.

No way. I'm not giving that USB to him. Surely he'll find the best way to tackle the case and throw everyone in prison, but it'll be his cases and his wins.

Petty as it might be, I don't want to give it up to Dad. This is my only shot at proving myself to him and anyone who has ever doubted me—including myself. I can't let him take all the credit while I'll be struggling for the rest of my life to prove myself.

That option is off the table.

I untie my hair and run my fingers through the tangled mess. Holding on to my scrunchie, I pace up and down the room.

I can get rid of those flash drives and use the clues they have given me to find proof for myself without directly using the information. For each gang, I'll find one crime, the easiest to track down with the help of that USB's data, and one by one, get rid of them.

Maybe Ruby and Caleb can help me?

I'm sure Ruby will be down for anything. She's the only person I trust.

But how can I access those USBs and my friend while being stuck here?

Multiple options spring to my head. Steal someone's phone, or find a device connected to the internet, but they're all too risky. All I've ever done is sit behind desks, analyze crime scenes while being flanked by the police force, or interrogate people. That's it. That's the area of my expertise.

I'm no spy or detective to slip into a place and go unnoticed. Hell, I never even slipped away from my classes back in school.

I can vividly imagine Ruby laughing her ass off at me if she was here, having the time of her life, choosing the wildest choice, and getting it done. But that's how she is. A badass detective. I'm the boring one.

I shake my head and gather my hair and tie it in a messy bun.

I plop down on the bed, planting my hands on either side of me as I stare out of the window, at the clear black sky.

At last, an idea forms in my head... simple but effective, hopefully.

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I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I know nothing much happened, but let's give her a break because DRAMA is coming xD

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Stay safe, lots of love, happy reading <3