Debt to the Devil

THE PRICE OF SECRETS

Cecelia’s POV

Richard opened his mouth to give me the name of the traitor, but a dull pop sound cut through the air, and a small hole appeared right in the center of the window glass before his head snapped back violently.

I watched in absolute shock as he slumped forward onto the low table, a dark pool of blood instantly spreading across the polished wood, and his eyes stayed wide open, staring blankly at the floor without ever getting to utter the name.

Panic hit me like a physical wave, so I dropped the gun back into my coat pocket and scrambled toward the locked door, unlocking it with trembling fingers while the sound of shouting and screaming began to erupt out in the main auction hall.

People were running in every direction when I burst back into the corridor, and the guards were drawing their weapons while the guests shoved each other to reach the main exits, creating a massive wall of bodies that made it impossible for me to find River or see where the enforcers went.

I pushed my way through a side exit that led toward the dark alley behind the docks, hoping to find the car River had left for me, but the moment I stepped into the cool night air, a massive hand grabbed my shoulder and spun me around against the brick wall with terrifying strength.

“Did you honestly think you could slip away from my estate, walk into a hornets’ nest like this, and I wouldn’t find you within the hour?” Marcus roared, his silver eyes flashing with an absolute fury that made my breath catch in my throat, his body pinning mine so tightly against the bricks that I could feel the heat radiating off him.

“Marcus, please, let me explain, I didn’t mean to cause a problem,” I gasped, looking up into his dark features, and his grip on my arms was like iron bands as his jaw clenched so hard I thought it might shatter.

“You do not explain anything right now, because you lied straight to my face at the casino, and then you used an unauthorized passkey to walk directly into an active target zone,” Marcus snarled, pulling me away from the wall and dragging me down the alley toward his black SUV where two of his enforcers were holding the doors open.

He threw me into the back seat and climbed in right after me, slamming the door shut with a force that rattled the windows, and the vehicle tore away from the docks before I could even sit up properly.

The silence inside the car was suffocating, and Marcus stared at me with an expression that was completely cold, his fingers twitching against his thighs as he tried to rein in the volatile energy of his wolf.

“Who gave you that invitation, Cecelia, and how did you manage to leave the mansion grounds without a single guard reporting your movement to River or myself?” Marcus demanded, leaning across the seat until his face was inches from mine, his voice dropping to a low rumble that vibrated through my bones.

“I found the invitation in the study when I was looking for water last night, and it was just sitting on the corner of the desk, so I took it because I needed to know the truth about the man I saw at the casino,” I lied, keeping my voice as steady as possible because I knew that if I mentioned River’s name, Marcus would kill him before we even reached the house. “The guards at the gate were busy checking a delivery truck, so I just slipped through the side pedestrian entrance while their backs were turned, and nobody helped me.”

“You are lying to me again, because that auction is an invite-only event for syndicate heads, and those passes are registered to specific criminal syndicates, meaning you did not just pick it up off my desk like a piece of scrap paper,” Marcus said, his eyes narrowing as he grabbed my chin, forcing me to look directly into his terrifying silver stare. “Richard Moretti is dead, Cecelia, my enforcers just confirmed he took a sniper round to the head while you were in that room, so you are going to tell me exactly what he said to you before he was eliminated.”

“He didn’t say anything to me, Marcus, I swear it,” I cried, tears of frustration and fear blurring my vision as I maintained the lie, knowing that the truth about the insider would only make Marcus suspect everyone around him, including me. “I locked the door and demanded to know why he ruined my life, but before he could even answer me, the window shattered and he fell over, so I ran because I thought they were going to kill me next.”

Marcus released my chin with a rough shove, leaning back against his headrest while exhaling a long, ragged breath that sounded like a low growl. “He was a thief who was brokering data with my enemies, but you risked your life for a piece of garbage, and you have no idea how close you came to being caught in the crossfire of a war that has nothing to do with you.”

“It has everything to do with me if my stepfather was the one who started it, and I am tired of being treated like a helpless prisoner who isn’t allowed to know anything about the danger I am in,” I argued, the fear finally turning back into anger as I glared at him from across the seat.

“You are under my protection, which means your only job is to stay alive and do what I tell you, not to play detective in underground warehouses,” Marcus snapped, turning his face toward the window as the car sped through the iron gates of the mansion.

River was waiting under the grand portico when the vehicle slammed to a halt, his expression completely neutral and professional as he stepped forward to open the door for Marcus, and I watched his amber eyes glance toward me for a split second to see if I was unharmed.

“Get her upstairs and lock her in her room, and I want two guards outside her door twenty-four hours a day until I decide what to do with this breach,” Marcus commanded, stepping out of the SUV without looking back at me, his stride long and furious as he walked into the main hall to meet with his security team.

River reached into the car to help me out, his grip on my elbow firm but surprisingly gentle compared to Marcus’s rough handling, and as he guided me up the grand staircase away from the shouting down below, he leaned down to whisper in my ear.

“You did well keeping your mouth shut, Cecelia, and you don’t have to worry because your stepfather can’t trouble you anymore,” River murmured, his voice completely calm and smooth, and I gave him a small nod of gratitude,