Page 1 of Death

Chapter 1

CIARA

Santiago Castro; 39. Ciara Devlin; 26.

Rushing into my bedroom, I shut the door behind me before lifting my arms and gripping fistfuls of my hair.

Shit.

The past few days have been downright insane. I can’t believe this is happening.

After Grace, my older sister, was kidnapped from a birthday party we were attending, a man by the name of Dominik Varga saved her. Not even a day later, Dad promised the man I’d marry him.

Where Grace lost her shit, I’ve been hiding behind her because I’m no match for my father and Dominik.

Only after Grace’s late husband was assassinated did I learn about the deal she made with Dad. For years, I thought she married Braden because she wanted to, but she had actually agreed to the arranged marriage so I could be free to marry a man I loved.

It was difficult to accept that Grace endured hell at her late husband’s hands for me. I never would’ve let her go through with it had I known the truth.

Since the arranged marriage between Dominik and me was mentioned, Grace has been fighting with all her might for my freedom.

It’s been a crazy few days, and I’m still trying to deal with the fact that Grace was kidnapped and beaten badly, never mind the fresh hell that’s been unleashed on us.

All I want to do is curl up on the bed with my sister and give her the comfort she needs. But we can’t do that. Right now, Grace is fighting with Dominik and Dad in the study. She’s trying so hard to save me, but after days of arguing, it feels like we’re losing the battle.

Honestly, it looks like Dominik is more interested in Grace, but the thought of her marrying him instead of me makes me feel even more scared and physically ill. Grace has already survived an abusive marriage, and I won’t let her suffer again. Not at my expense.

If we have no choice, then I’ll just have to be strong and marry Dominik Varga.

I’ll find the strength for Grace.

After our mother died, Grace took over raising me. She’s always protected me, and I love her more than anyone on this planet. Where Grace is fierce and brave, I get completely overwhelmed when I have to face danger to the point where I can’t think at all. Any kind of violence sends me into a panicked trance where I’m stuck in some kind of catatonic state, and I don’t take in any of my surroundings.

Since Grace’s abuse at the hands of her late husband, I’m aware she has been suffering from silent panic attacks. We don’t talk about it much, even though I wish she would confide in me.

The trauma she suffered hasn’t made her any less fierce, and it’s at times like this, I wish I could be more like her.

God.

What do we do?

I pace up and down in my bedroom while I try to think of a way we can get out of this awful situation, my heart beating faster and faster.

Maybe Grace and I should run away?

I stop in front of the window and stare out over the backyard while my mind rushes from one idea to the next.

I hear movement behind me, and thinking it’s Grace, I swing around to ask her how the meeting went. I swallow the question when I see Nolan, one of our guards, shutting the door behind him.

What is he doing here?

Nolan’s only worked for us for three months, so I don’t know much about him besides that he’s in his early thirties.

Frowning, my lips part to ask him what he’s doing in my bedroom, but again, the words freeze on my tongue when he lifts his arm. It’s only then that I see the gun in his hand, and as he trains the weapon on me, an intense wave of pins and needles spreads through my body. My muscles tense up, and my brain activity seizes instantly, panic flooding my veins.

God.

His features are drawn tight with a dark expression that tells me he’s not messing around.

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