SIMONE'S POV
The screaming started at dawn.
I followed the sound through corridors still stained with blood from last night's m******e. Bodies had been removed, but dark patches marked the marble where people had died.
The screaming came from the wine cellar.
I came down the stone steps, each cry echoing off ancient walls. My stomach clenched with each agonized wail.
At the bottom, I found hell.
Nicholas sat across from a man tied to a wooden chair. The prisoner's face was unrecognizable beneath swollen flesh and blood. His fingers bent at wrong angles.
Dark stains spread across his tactical gear.
"I'll ask again." Nicholas's voice was conversational. Pleasant, almost. "Who sent you?"
The man whimpered through broken teeth. "Please..."
Nicholas picked up a p
