Alessia’s POV
They kept me in the dark, literally and figuratively.
My hands were bound behind me with zip ties that cut into my skin every time I dared to shift. A strip of filthy duct tape stuck my lips shut, making my breathing erratic through my nose, and the only thing louder than the sound of my panicked breath was the cold silence that surrounded me.
I don’t know how long I sat there. Minutes? Hours? Time felt warped in that hellhole. My only source of light came from the surveillance screen mounted in front of me like some twisted theater display for me to watch.
And on it… was Leo.
He looked battered, bloody and broken on his knees like a goddamn animal. His face swollen on one side, split lip dripping crimson, and his chest rising and falling in shallow bursts. I gasped beh
