“He telling the truth?” Dom asked.

“Fucking right, he is,” Titan replied.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” Vincent laughed. “What the fuck is it about that girl?”

“You better start from the beginning, boy,” Dom told me.

“Don’t have the luxury of that kind of time, Mr. Casso. Right now, Angelo Francetti has your daughter.”

“Angelo isn’t going to hurt her,” Vincent said. “He’s protected Eden for years.”

“Where the fuck did he take her, Vin? I want answers. Now.”

“He’s got a place in Jersey. He wanted some time alone with her.”

Dom turned to Vincent, his gun held loosely in his hand. “Wait. You knew your boy took my girl? What the fuck else did you know? That she was kidnapped? What about the Feds on your kid’s phone? You got explanations for all of that, my friend?”

“You’re gonna believe this guy over someone you’ve known for years?”

“This kid that walked up to us with the balls of a fucking elephant to make sure my daughter was safe? What motive does he have? Because the fact that you’ve been giving me the runaround for fucking days tells me that you’re the one I’ve got to worry about right now. Get her on the phone or my bullet goes in your brain.”

“I WANT TO TALK TO my father,” I told Angelo when he opened the door to my newest cage.

His features hardened into a scowl. “I told you to shower before breakfast.”

I knew I had to walk a delicate line. “I’m not feeling well, so I decided not to.”

Angelo rushed inside the room, and I had to curb my gag reflex when he reached for my hands and squeezed them.

“I didn’t want to drug you, but I didn’t have a choice. You need to learn to follow my orders, Eden. That’s the way this works.”

I forced a weak smile. “I really need to talk to my father.”

“You will when I say you’re ready.”

“And when will that be?”

Angelo didn’t answer, but instead dropped his grip on my hands and turned toward the door. “Come eat. It’ll make you feel better. And then you can shower after. We need to wash that city off you. Gotta make sure my girl is clean before I give her my cock.”

I shuddered and stopped just short of gagging at the thought. Schooling my expression so he wouldn’t read my disgust and decide not to bother waiting, I followed him into the living area of what appeared to be an apartment. But where?

“Where are we?”

“Doesn’t matter as long as we’re together, baby.” Angelo reached for the takeout containers he’d left on the kitchen counter with his wallet. “Got you eggs Benedict and an extra side of bacon. Your favorites.”

They actually were my favorites, but right now, the thought of eating either was enough to make me want to run for the toilet.

But I didn’t have to say anything because Angelo’s phone rang.

“Sir?”

At his greeting, I hoped like hell it was my father.

“He wants to speak to Eden? That’s not possible right now. She’s sleeping.” Angelo’s response was clearly a lie, and I had to assume the call was from Vin.

“No, I’m not sleeping! He’s holding me here against my will!” I screamed as loud as I could.

Angelo’s hand lashed out and he backhanded me across the face. “Don’t listen to her. She’s still doped up. She was doing all kinds of bad shit in New Orleans.”

My cheek burned where he’d struck me, but I didn’t care. “Fucking liar!”

He held the phone away from his ear. “You’re going to—”

“Daddy! Help!”

“I’ll call you back.”

Angelo hung up and turned to me. “What the fuck is wrong with you? You don’t get it yet, do you? Your life only matters as long as I say it matters. My pop is steppin’ into the number-one role, and he don’t like you much.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“Dom is going down. Feds are all over him, and we’ve given them everything they need to move in. The only way you’re not going down is to stick with me.”

I shook my head, unable to believe him.

“You think it was a coincidence when your credit card got canceled for fraud? I did that. Your bank account frozen? I did that too. The Feds eat up whatever info we give them, and they’re going to put Dom away for life. Now sit the fuck down, eat your breakfast, and I’ll be back after I’ve talked to my dad.”

He walked toward the bedroom, his phone already lifted to his ear. As soon as he shut the door, I ran toward it.

While Angelo might be crazy, a mental giant he was not. I guessed he’d forgotten that he’d set up the bedroom door to be locked from the outside. I threw the dead bolt before Angelo realized his mistake and began pounding on the door.

“Let me out of here, Eden. You’re not safe without me!”

“Fuck you!” I yelled.

I grabbed his wallet off the counter and ran for the door. Adrenaline and giddiness rolled through my veins as I unlocked it and threw it open.

Freedom. I can save myself. I’m the hero of this freaking story. Fuck Angelo and his whacked-out plans. I didn’t need him to keep me safe. I just needed to get away from him.

I ran down the stairs, four floors, until I hit the lobby of what appeared to be a less-than-posh building. Slowing my pace, I walked out to the curb, hoping I’d be able to catch a cab this early in the morning.

I had to be in Jersey somewhere, because this definitely wasn’t Manhattan. A cab turned the corner, and I waved it down. As I slid into the backseat, I heard someone calling my name.

From four stories up, Angelo yelled down at me. “Someone stop her!”

The cabbie looked up and then looked at me. “You okay, kid?”

I glanced into the rearview mirror to meet his gaze and winced at the red mark it revealed on my face.

“I’ve been better. Can you take me to Hell’s Kitchen?” I gave him the cross streets of the brownstone. I didn’t know where else to go, and my apartment didn’t seem like the best choice. I needed to get to Dom.

“Sure, hon.”

I did it. I really freaking did it.