The Deep End

Chapter 38

The basement is large, probably spanning the entire frame of the house. On the left side of the room there are what look to be multiple concrete cells. Each one has a large steel door with a small window covered in bars. The right side is completely open, various steel hooks bolted into the concrete walls with shackles dangling from a few of them that look similar to the ones in Enzo's basement. There's a clear tarp rolled out across the entire room, covering every inch of the floor for an easy cleanup. A steel table and two matching chairs are placed against the wall right beside Valentina who's shackled to the wall with an expressionless look on her face.

"Put Aleksandra in the last cell." Enzo tells Vero.

Vero glances at him over his shoulder, his jaw shifting and I worry he's going to argue about it but he holds in whatever is on the tip of his tongue and turns back around. He walks over to the cell and pulls the door open, placing my sister on her feet before stepping out. The door shut with a loud click, automatically locking her inside.

Angry blue eyes stare back at me from behind the bars over the small window and I quickly shift my gaze away from her toward the other cells, noticing my fathers men filling them. They avoid my gaze and I give them my back, not wanting to think too much about who they are.

My eyes flit around the room, taking in the men around me, each of them waiting silently for what's to come. My gaze falls on Giovanni and Nolani who are standing off to the side, away from everyone else. The sun may have only just risen but Nolani looks well rested. Her golden brown skin is blemish-free and glowing, even under the harsh fluorescent lighting that illuminates the room. Her hair is styled in tight braids down her back, parted in neat boxes that look as if they must have taken hours to achieve such precise perfection. She's dressed simply in jeans and a t-shirt but you can tell they're a high end brand with the way they mold against the contours of her body as if they were tailored specifically for her.

She's a model so maybe they are.

Nolani leans against Giovanni's side, anger darkening her brown eyes as she stares my father down while Luca shackles him to the wall. Giovanni runs his fingers through his dark hair, pushing back an arrant strand that had fallen out of place. His other arm is wrapped around her waist, his thumb brushing back and forth across her waist. They make a gorgeous couple.

"Valentina, I have to say I'm pretty excited about the way things are headed." Enzo says, yanking my attention right back to him.

He slowly approaches where she's restrained against the wall, her arms spread up high over her head.

She juts her chin out, looking down her nose at him. "I don't fear you Lorenzo. I may die but my brother will come after you once I'm gone."

Enzo grins, the malice in his eyes making them appear golden. "I wouldn't be so sure, not when he finds out he was your cover."

Valentina's mask shutters, almost completely falling in surprise.

Enzo chuckles, the sound deep and erotic, sending goosebumps across my flesh. I have to fight the urge to close my eyes and take it in.

"What? Did you not expect me to figure it all out?" He tsked. "You shouldn't underestimate me." He crosses his arms and stops a few feet from her. "I didn't realize it at first, it wasn't until we found out it was you that had been helping Mikhail that suddenly the things that didn't make sense made perfect sense." He uncrosses his arms and holds up a finger. "Why Luís' surveillance systems were so accessible." He holds up a second finger. "Why he only had a handful of men guarding his home when we invaded it, whereas usually there's at least thirty." He holds up a third. "Why he would step foot inside multiple Bratva owned businesses and exit with a suitcase of money."