Chapter7
1001 Words
BLOOD TIES AND BROKEN PROMISES
The private jet was eerily silent.
Valerie sat near the window, her hands clenched into fists as the city of New York disappeared beneath the clouds.
She was going back.
Not home.
That no longer existed.
But back to the man who had betrayed her, the man who had sold her to a devil for nothing more than a briefcase of money.
Her father.
And Mason Kingston was sending her straight to him.
She exhaled, staring at her reflection in the glass. She didn’t recognize the woman looking back at her anymore.
Somewhere between the chains and the freedom, between hate and obsession, she had changed.
And Mason knew it.
He had let her go. But not really.
Because he knew, just as she did—this wasn’t over.
Not even close.
The drive to the small, run-down hotel where her father was staying felt too long and too short all at once.
Two of Mason’s men sat in the front, watching the roads, keeping her under their quiet, unspoken control.
When they finally arrived, Valerie hesitated at the door.
The last time she had seen her father, he hadn’t even looked at her as he handed her over.
She had promised herself she wouldn’t care.
That she wouldn’t feel anything.
But as she raised a hand to knock, her chest tightened.
The door swung open before she could.
And there he was.
Luca Grey.
A shell of a man, thinner than she remembered, his once-proud eyes now dull and lifeless.
His lips parted, surprise flickering across his face. "Valerie?"
Her stomach twisted. He didn’t even know she was coming.
Mason hadn’t warned him.
Of course he hadn’t.
He wanted her to see the truth with her own eyes.
That Luca Grey was a man who would never change.
"Are you just going to stand there?" she said, her voice colder than she expected.
Her father blinked before stepping aside. "Come in."
She did, slowly, taking in the room—half-empty liquor bottles, cigarette ashes on the table, the faint smell of failure clinging to the air.
He hadn’t just fallen.
He had f*****g drowned.
Luca poured himself a drink, hands unsteady.
"You look well," he said, his tone forced, as if he wasn’t sure what else to say.
Valerie scoffed. "You sold me to a Mafia boss, and that’s all you have to say?"
Her father flinched. "I did what I had to do."
"No." She stepped forward, fire burning in her chest. "You did what was easiest."
His jaw tensed, but he didn’t argue.
Because they both knew it was true.
She exhaled sharply, forcing herself to focus. "I know about the Rosettis."
His grip tightened around his glass. "You spoke to Mason."
"Of course, I did. He told me everything." She narrowed her eyes. "Did you really think they would save you?"
Luca let out a bitter laugh. "Mason Kingston is not my savior, Valerie."
Her pulse skipped. "And the Rosettis are?"
"They offered me protection," he said. "A way out. Something Mason never did."
Her blood ran cold. "You made a deal with them."
He didn’t answer.
He didn’t have to.
Because she could see it in his eyes.
Her hands curled into fists. "You don’t understand what you’ve done."
"I understand perfectly," he shot back. "Mason isn’t invincible. He can be taken down."
Valerie shook her head. Fool.
"Do you really think they’ll keep their word? That they’ll help you?" she asked, voice trembling. "They don’t want to free you, Luca. They want to use you."
Silence.
And then—
"Just like Mason is using you?"
The words struck deeper than she expected.
Her father leaned forward, eyes sharp for the first time in years. "You think you’re different? You’re nothing but a pawn to him, Valerie. He let you go because he knew you’d come back."
She stiffened.
Because it was the same thought that had haunted her all night.
Had Mason really given her freedom?
Or had he given her just enough space to make her crawl back to him on her own?
She swallowed hard. "This isn’t about me."
Her father smirked. "Isn’t it?"
A knock on the door cut through the tension.
Luca stood, rubbing a hand over his face. "That’ll be my contact."
Valerie’s stomach twisted. "What?"
But before she could stop him, the door swung open.
And a stranger stepped inside.
Tall. Cold eyes. A gun at his hip.
Rosetti.
Her pulse spiked.
Her father hadn’t just made a deal with them.
He had invited them here.
The man smiled. "Valerie Grey, I’ve heard so much about you."
Her breath hitched.
Luca frowned. "What’s going on?"
The Rosetti man ignored him, stepping closer to Valerie.
"Mason must care about you," he mused. "That makes you valuable."
Her heart pounded. This was a setup. Oh no.
"You need to leave," she said, voice steady despite the fear creeping up her spine.
The man chuckled. "Oh, I don’t think so."
Luca moved to stand between them. "This isn’t what we agreed—"
A gunshot rang through the air.
Luca collapsed.
Valerie’s scream caught in her throat as she fell to his side. Blood spread across his shirt, his breathing shallow.
"No," she gasped, pressing her hands against the wound. "No, no, no."
The Rosetti man sighed. "I was going to use him as leverage, but he was getting annoying."
She trembled.
"You didn’t have to—"
"Shh, sweetheart." He tilted his head. "Mason will be here soon enough."
Her stomach dropped.
This wasn’t just about revenge.
This was about luring Mason into a trap.
She had to warn him.
But the Rosetti man crouched beside her, gripping her chin.
"Try anything, and you’ll be dead before he gets here."
She
swallowed, pulse roaring in her ears.
Because this was it.
The moment she realized—she wasn’t Mason’s weakness.
She was his greatest liability.
And now, because of her, he was walking into a trap.
- Writer
