Chapter 4

It was 2:15 AM.

I lay awake staring at the molded ceiling. In the days since De Marco had dragged me into his world, I’d tried to find an opening, a blind spot, anything—but he anticipated every move before I even made it.

Hopefully, this time will be different.

I got out of the bed and pulled on a black silk tank top and tailored trousers I’d found tucked in the suite’s expansive wardrobe. My hair was tied up in a high, messy knot.

In my right hand, I held a long, metal hairpin I’d managed to slide off the vanity table.

I took a deep breath, steadying the quiet tremor in my fingers. Stay calm.

I tiptoed to the suite’s heavy double doors. The electronic panel glowed a steady, mocking red in the darkness.

I bent down, inserting the tip of the sturdy metal hairpin into the manual override slot hidden beneath the digital interface. I’d spent two years studying security architecture while planning my escape from my father’s compound—Vittorio’s system was top-tier, but every system had a human flaw.

Finally, the electronic panel hummed, shifting from red to blue.

I held my breath, slowly easing one door open just enough to slip through into the grand, dimly lit corridor. The hallway was quiet, save for the rhythmic drumming of rain against the skylights above.

I kept low, hugging the shadow of the marble pillars as I glided toward the far end of the floor where I knew Vittorio’s private office was situated.

My heart hammered loudly—not from fear, but from adrenaline. Every time I closed my eyes, I could still feel the phantom pressure of Vittorio’s thumb tracing my bottom lip, the heat of his body pressing against me.

Stop it, I scolded myself sharply. He’s the enemy. He’s a monster who drugged and kidnapped you.

Yet, the memory of his raspy, velvet voice purring fiammella turned me hot in places too intimate to mention.

I reached the double mahogany doors of his office. I slipped inside, closing the door silently behind me.

The office was massive, smelling rich of leather, cedarwood, and expensive scotch. A colossal glass desk sat near the window, overlooking the storm outside.

I rushed behind the desk, tapping the sleek glass terminal built into the sleek wooden surface. A blue holographic interface sprang to life, casting a ghostly light over my face.

SECURITY CLEARANCE REQUIRED.

"Come on..." I whispered, tapping in a master bypass sequence I’d sniffed from his guard’s communicator frequency during our dinner confrontation.

The screen flashed: ACCESS GRANTED. INITIALIZING SERVER DOWNLINK.

A triumphant smile began to form on my lips. If I could extract his encrypted security keys, I could unlock the private elevator, bypass the perimeter guards, and disappear into the night before sunrise.

"You really don't know when to submit, do you?" a quiet voice suddenly murmured from the corner of the room.

My blood ran cold.

Before I could smash the terminal's power button, a massive clap of thunder shook the entire building, and the lights cut out completely. Darkness swallowed the office.

I gasped, spinning around in the pitch black, my hand instinctively dropping to search for anything sharp on the desk.

Before I could move, a heavy hand wrapped securely around my waist from behind, pulling my back flush against an iron chest.

I froze.

His grip was immovable, possessive, and warm. I could feel the rhythmic, heavy rise and fall of his chest against my shoulder blades, the intoxicating scent of rain, gunpowder, and cedar wrapping around me like a trap.

His free hand slid up my waist, his broad palm resting flat against my stomach, holding me captive against him in the dark.

"Looking for a way out, fiammella?" Vittorio purred into the dark, his lips brushing the sensitive shell of my ear, sending a wave of fiery electricity straight through my veins.

I swallowed hard, forcing my voice to remain steady despite the violent pounding of my heart. "You... you were waiting for me."

"I knew the moment you picked that lock," he growled softly, his hand on my stomach sliding upward, his fingers sprawling over my ribcage, just beneath my breasts. "Did you really think I’d leave a feral cat unlocked in my house without keeping an eye on her?"

"Let go of me, Vittorio," I snapped, though the command lacked steel, coming out softer and more breathless than I intended.

I tried to elbow him in the ribs, but he caught my elbow easily with his arm, pulling me even tighter against his hard body. My a.ss pressed directly into the firm heat of his thighs, and a betraying gasp escaped my lips.

Vittorio let out a low chuckle that vibrated straight through my back.

"Your heart is racing, Alessandra," he whispered, his teeth lightly nipping the shell of my ear, making my toes curl inside my shoes.

"It's adrenaline," I lied desperately, twisting against his iron grip, trying to fight the overwhelming warmth pooling in my lower stomach.

"Liar," Vittorio murmured dark and low.

He slowly turned me around in his arms until I was facing him in the shadows. Even in the dim light of the lightning flashes outside, his dark, hypnotic eyes burned through me like hot coal. He trapped me against the edge of the desk, his massive hands resting on the wood on either side of my hips.

He leaned down until our noses almost touched. I could feel the heat of his breath.

"You hate that you want me to touch you," Vittorio drawled softly. "You hate how much your body responds every time I get close."

My breath hitched. My hands came up to press against his broad chest, intending to push him away.

"I don't want you," I said, my voice trembling slightly as I looked up into his fierce, unyielding gaze. "I want my freedom."

"You won't get either until I say so," Vittorio murmured, his thumb reaching up to slowly trace the contour of my cheekbone, dragging down to press firmly against my lip. "Now... what am I going to do with a little thief who tried to steal my keys?"