Page 104 of Ruined By Blood
"He married her off to secure a business deal. When she objected, he had her beaten until she complied." I stop pacing. "Sounds familiar, Henry?"
"If you have a point, get to it."
"Vargas leveraged his sister's trust fund, much like you've done with Charlotte's. Kept her medicated when she refused to sign papers." I rest my hands on the back of a chair, the picture of relaxed control while fury burns beneath. "Vargas thought he was clever, thought no one would notice or care."
Charlotte's voice is barely a whisper. "What happened to him?"
I hold Sterling's gaze as I answer her. "I happened to him."
Sterling laughs, but there's no humor in it. "Am I supposed to be frightened by your little story?"
"It's not the story that should frighten you." I move closer, maintaining eye contact. "It's what I did to Vargas after I found out. How I visited him at his home, like I'm visiting you. How I took what he valued most. Not his money or his business, but his sense of security, his belief that he was untouchable."
The guards shift uncomfortably.
"Vargas is still alive, if you're wondering. Lives in a small apartment in Detroit now. Works as a janitor. Sometimes he wakes up screaming, remembering the night I took everything from him. His company. His reputation. His fingers, one by one."
Sterling's face hardens. "You think I don't know who you are, Feretti? You're a thug with a fancy suit."
"And you're a monster who sells his own daughter." My voice remains perfectly calm. "I've spent a couple of days with Sienna, and I already know more about her than you ever bothered to learn in twenty-one years."
Charlotte makes a small sound beside me, her eyes filling with tears.
"Now," I continue, "here's what's going to happen. You're going to tell me exactly what arrangement you had with Cortez regarding Sienna."
Sterling's lips curve into a smile that doesn't reach his eyes. "Cortez doesn't know anything about her little disappearance. I managed to keep that quiet. Had to make some creative excuses for his meetings."
"Tell me about the arrangement," I press, keeping my voice deadly calm despite the rage boiling beneath my skin.
Sterling leans back in his chair, trying to project confidence though I can see the calculation in his eyes. He's weighing his options, determining how much to reveal.
"It's a marriage deal," he finally says with a dismissive wave. "Simple business arrangement. Cortez has no heirs and wanted a young wife. I needed his shipping routes."
"And selling your daughter seemed like a fair trade?" The words come out colder than ice.
"Don't be dramatic, Feretti. She was going to live in luxury. Cortez has properties worth millions all over Mexico."
Charlotte's hand trembles beside me, her knuckles white around the detonator.
"A gilded cage is still a cage," I say. "And we both know Cortez's reputation with women."
Sterling shrugs as if we're discussing the weather instead of his daughter's life. "Business requires compromise."
My patience evaporates. "I want to see Sienna."
"She's not part of our negotiation?—"
"I want Sienna in this office. Now." The deadly quiet in my voice makes even the guards tense. "Or Charlotte presses that button, and we all find out if your expensive artwork is flammable."
Sterling studies my face, searching for any sign of bluff. Finding none, he turns to the guard by the door.
"Get my daughter," he orders. "Bring her here."
Sterling's attention is now fixed on Charlotte. "All these years, I kept you comfortable, safe. Protected. This is how you repay me? By conspiring with criminals?"
Charlotte's laugh is hollow. "Comfortable? You kept me drugged in a cell for years."
"It was a private medical facility. The best care money could buy."
