Marcus grunts and climbs into the Escalade beside me, and the moment the door closes behind him, Roman peels out of the secret garage, shooting out into the thick woods.
We drive for a few minutes before we clear the woods and I finally see the gothic castle in all its glory, and yet somehow, we’re on the opposite side of the big security gates that line the property. “How did you guys find that tunnel?” I question, unable to look away from the haunting castle.
“Find?” Levi grunts. “We spent five fucking years digging that shit out.”
My brows fly up as I turn my attention to the brothers sitting silently in the front seats. I’ve got to admit, I’m impressed. When the boys are committed to a cause, they sure as hell stick to it.
With the castle disappearing into the distance, we sit in complete silence for at least an hour. Cars pass us on the highway and my heart aches with every one of them. I’d give anything to wriggle through the big sunroof and catapult myself on top of one of those cars for just a slight chance at freedom.
Surely if I could somehow get out onto the road, one of these cars would pick me up. But just one look at my captors would have any rescuer bolting in the opposite direction.
Letting out a heavy sigh, I lean back into my seat, trying to figure out the dynamics of the boys being prisoners in their own home. They have staff who can come and go after their shift, staff who they have access to. So surely they would know how they get in and out. Though, I’m sure they would all have personal electronic codes for the gates and doors, but that almost seems too easy. Retinal scanners maybe? Then how do they leave when their father needs them to play the part of his perfect hitmen soldiers? Does he come to them or are they offered some kind of temporary code to be let out?
They stalked me for three months before finally making a move, so getting their freedom doesn’t seem so hard. But then, I also haven’t seen them leave their home since I arrived.
Another hour passes and the boys are discussing their plans to overthrow their father, though they talk in riddles so I can’t follow along. They discuss names that I don’t recognize, locations I’ve never heard of, and times that simply don’t make any sense.
Their confusing conversation quickly gives me a headache, and just as I go to zone out, Roman turns off the highway and down a long dirt road. The conversation falls away, and I notice how the brothers sit a little straighter. They keep their attention focused out the window as though they’re waiting or looking for something. Eventually the dirt road leads out into the backstreets of an old industrial area.
Worn down warehouses are barely visible by the dim streetlights. Most of them look as though they’ve been out of operation for hundreds of years, while others look like they’ve had the occasional slap of paint to keep them going.
Roman slows the car as we edge through the backstreets of the lonely area, and when he cuts his headlights, I find myself gripping the door handle nervously. It’s nearly pitch-black inside the Escalade, and call me a wimp, but being alone in the dark with the DeAngelis brothers isn’t exactly one of my favorite pastimes.
He drives the Escalade through an abandoned warehouse, cutting through the torn down opening and right to the back entrance. We come out into a dirt yard and he continues to the very back of the property before swerving around some aged trees and passing into the neighboring warehouse.
He drives slowly to not alert anyone that we’re here, and after creeping closer to the warehouse, he brings the Escalade to a stop right in the perfect vantage point, giving us a complete view of the property. “Where are we?” I ask, staring out at the old building that’s falling apart.
Dim lights are on inside and the front roller doors are wide open, shining light out onto a portion of the front driveway. A few banged up cars are sporadically parked inside, the doors left wide open as a small fire burns in a drum to the left.
“Just paying an old friend a visit,” Marcus mutters darkly, the excitement in his tone reminding me that the three men who sit around me get off on savage murder.
I glance between the brothers before looking back at the warehouse. “Why did you bring me here?”
Levi glances back at me with a blank expression, his brows drawn as though I just asked the most ridiculous question he’s ever heard. “Couldn’t leave you back there all by yourself now, could we? Wouldn’t want to risk you finding a way out.”