Chapter 2 - The Awakening
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Leah scrambled to her feet and tore the damp linens away. The man’s eyes were open. They were dark, entirely unfocused from the drug, but filled with a predatory instinct that made Leah take a step back.
He moved with terrifying speed for a man who had just been poisoned. His large hand shot out, wrapping around her wrist like an iron clamp. The heavy black ring dug into her skin.
"Where am I?" his voice was a ragged, gravelly whisper that sent a shiver down her spine.
"You're in the basement of the Grand Aurelia," Leah gasped, trying to pull away without screaming. "Let go of me!"
He didn't release her. He pulled himself up, swaying dangerously. He looked at the rusted pipes, the stained linens, and then at Leah’s cheap, ill-fitting uniform.
"You pulled me out of the corridor," he stated. It wasn't a question.
"They were going to kill you," she whispered, her heart hammering. "Someone named Sable."
The man's jaw tightened. A dark, terrifying smirk crossed his pale face. "Sable is going to need a closed casket by tomorrow morning." He finally released her wrist. "What is your name?"
"Leah."
"Leah," he tested the syllables. "You just robbed the Russian syndicate of a ten-million-dollar bounty. And you saved the life of Dante Valerius."
Leah stopped breathing. Everyone in the city knew the Valerius name. They owned the ports, the politicians, and half the skyline. The man sitting in her laundry cart was the head of the most ruthless crime family on the East Coast.
"I need a way out," Dante said, his breathing shallow. "Not the loading dock."
"The old steam tunnels," Leah pointed to a chained door. "But it's locked, and I don't have the key."
Dante reached into his ruined jacket, pulling out a sleek titanium switchblade. He tossed it onto the cart. "Pick it."
"I'm a waitress, not a burglar."
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"You outsmarted two hitters with a laundry cart," Dante replied softly, his eyes piercing through the dark. "You're capable of more than pouring coffee. Get us out, and I will wipe away whatever debts are keeping you in this miserable job. That is a Valerius promise."
Leah thought of Matteo's hospital bills. She picked up the knife.
