Page 107 of Breaking Point

“He was interested in Olivia too. Could have been the one leaving flowers and notes.”

“It just doesn’t sit right with me.” Her hair falls into her eyes. “I- There’s something else here that we’re missing.”

“What do you mean?”

“What if this isn’t about Harvey? Or Skar or Aleks…” she whispers, and regret flashes in her eyes. “What if…?” She trails off, and I can tell she doesn’t want to voice the thought.

What if this is about what happened last year? Her mother, getting close to the Benenatis…

She shakes her head again. “Harvey’s got a gala at the Rebren Hotel tomorrow night. I think that’s our safest bet.”

She turns on her heel, but I stop her: “What if you’re right?” I dare ask. “How do we know we’re not walking right into a trap?”

Her gaze hardens on the ground, and she shakes her head slowly. “We don’t.”

But we don’t have a choice.

Chapter Fifty-One

Olivia

My skull throbs painfully, spots dancing across my vision as I slowly come to.

A plush pillow presses into my back. My hands are tightly bound to a wooden chair, and there’s the distinct smell of rose on the air. I blink, my vision adjusting to the orange light filtering from a chandelier overhead. The pain only spreads.

Where… the hell am I?

“I did tell them to be careful with you,” I hear a woman’s voice, and I swing my head to the right, my gaze settling on a woman in sage.

It takes a few moments for her long black curls and two eyes to settle into focus. Recognition slowly flutters through me.

Sofia Vercelli’s pretty, red smile stares back at me. Then it finally, truly hits me. The hospital is gone, and I’m tied to a chair in the middle of the Rebren hotel.

“The boys said you put up a pretty good fight.”

Panic has me tugging at the restraints, but the rope cuts into my wrists. “What’s happening??”

“Oh, please.” Her heels click as she strolls closer, peering at me curiously. “You should know that’s not how this works.”

“Why am I here?” I ask instead, doing my best to catalog the room. But I don’t recognize any of the cashmere furniture or the crawling greenery.

“Awlll…” she purrs, frowning in a cheap expression of pity. “Harvey didn’t tell you?”

“Didn’t tell me… what?” I spit.

She merely chuckles, strolling back toward a bar cart on the other side of the room. She pours a couple knuckles worth of the amber liquid into a crystal glass, watching me before taking a sip.

“Thirsty? I can imagine the last twenty-four hours have been rather trying.”

“Stop playing games with me. What is this?” I say, wincing at the ropes cut into my skin.

“You’re no fun,” she pouts. “I was at least hoping you’d be willing to play cat and mouse for a while longer. You were so close to putting the pieces together yourself that we just couldn’t wait,” She smirks at my obvious confusion. “The boys will be here before too long. They’re not nearly as nice as I am.”

I suddenly remember the men at the hospital. They drugged me and knocked me unconscious.

My stomach bottoms out.

Sofia chuckles again, the sound rolling off her tongue as she clicks toward me. “Don’t worry,” She tilts my chin up. “I won’t let Daddy hurt you.”

---