Page 215 of Salvatore

A light breeze snakes through my hair as the men close in. The first grabs my shoulder and slams me into the hood. His hands roam, rough and unyielding—ankles, thighs, waist—before sliding between my breasts to linger too long.

“If you’re looking for trouble, you’re getting warmer,” I sneer, wishing Sarah’s gun had been an optional accessory.

“I will look until I’m satisfied.” He spreads my legs wider, trekking rough hands behind the back of my knees. “Your father is waiting.” Then he yanks me around to face him and jabs his pistol toward my chest. “Start walking.”

At one time, the gun would’ve terrified me. Now, I hold my chin high, at peace with my fate, knowing fear is the last weapon they have—and I won’t let them wield it.

I’m marched through the gates onto a property I once thought was beautiful. The manicured gardens are the same, the large sandstone mansion overlooking vast acres of land still castle-esque.

But now I see the horror it hides. Hear the whispers of souls that have been left here to die.

“Move faster.” The guard grabs my arm.

I rip free and jab my elbow into his stomach. “Don’t fucking touch me.”

He hunches over with a look of stunned silence… then rage. “You fucking bitch.”

“Andreas, no.” Gabriel’s voice cuts sharp across the yard. “Déjala tener esta victoria. Será la última que tenga.”

I turn my glare to the man who created me, standing a few feet away at the corner of the mansion, watching like a king surveying his domain after so eloquently telling his employee to let me have this win because it will be my last.

“You were meant to be sent to the men waiting at my city apartment.” His smirk is subtle. “But having you here is a pleasure, too.”

I cling to my composure, suppressing the riotous drum of my pulse. “Take me to Salvatore.”

Gabriel raises a brow, mocking. “Why? Are you worried for him,hija?”

“I’m worried for my mother, my aunts, and my female cousins who didn’t sign up for this. You’ve dragged them into a war none of you will survive.”

“Your fear for them is surprising, seeing as though you gave up on your family long ago.”

“I didn’t give up on my family. I gave up on you.”

His lips thin, his control slipping for a fraction of a second before he shoves the mask back into place with a faux smile. “You test me, Isabella. Have you forgotten I bite?”

“Then bite.” I hold my ground. “I’m done flinching.”

He won’t spare me even if I grace him with good manners. But if this is my last day on earth, I’m going to shake this mortal coil with him knowing exactly how much I hate him.

He chuckles. “I think I might test that theory.”

He leads me around the house, two armed guards tailing behind us. Not six. Not four. Just two.

My uncle used to have an army. Now, the yard is a ghost town.

“I have done well for myself, have I not?” Gabriel gestures toward the mansion.

I scan the balcony. The guards I expect to see are nonexistent. “Isn’t that an odd thing to say when everything you have was only gained from your brother’s death?”

His grip snaps around the crook of my arm as he leans toward my ear. “You will do best to curb your insolence, Isabella. I’ve learned the fastest ways to make little girls behave.”

I steel my spine, letting the horror wash through me, not allowing one drop to settle. “That’s not my name.”

“Yes, it is.”

He releases me, taking me across the pebbled courtyard, each step feeding the dread mass-producing in my gut. The bunker looms ahead, half-hidden in the shade of an oak, a black hole waiting to swallow me whole.

The closer we get, the more suffocating the air becomes, until we’re there—standing at the top of the stairs, staring at darkness below.

---