Chapter 11

11

SCARLET

I stepped into the elevator, my heart racing with unease. Cristian pulled out his phone, dialing quickly.

"Jules, Ty, come down. We're ready."

He held the door, his eyes never leaving me. The tension in the air was thick, making it hard to breathe in the confined space.

Moments later, Julian and Tyrone appeared from upstairs. Jules wore a casual navy button-down and dark jeans, looking effortlessly put-together. Ty, ever the businessman, sported his usual crisp gray suit.

Julian's warm hand found mine as he stepped into the elevator, giving it a gentle squeeze. The gesture should've been comforting, but it only amplified my unease. Tyrone acknowledged me with a curt nod, his face an unreadable mask.

The elevator doors closed with a soft ding, and we began our descent. The silence was deafening, broken only by the soft classical elevator music. My mind raced, trying to piece together what they could possibly have planned. What was it that they had been hoping to do with me to show me how important I was to them? It gnawed at me, quickening my heart with the frustration of the unknown.

"What's the plan?" I finally blurted out, unable to bear the suspense any longer.

Tyrone's dark eyes met mine, devoid of any hint as to what it may be. "You'll find out when we get there."

His cryptic response made me grit my teeth. I glanced at Julian, hoping for some clue, but he just squeezed my hand, his only way of easing the unease. I found it odd that Kenny was not joining us on whatever this outing was, which had me wondering how dangerous it was. Cristian stood unnaturally still, his earlier chaotic state of mind replaced by an eerie calm.

As the elevator continued its descent, I couldn't shake the feeling that whatever awaited me would change everything.

I found myself wedged between Cristian and Julian in the backseat of the car, driving through the familiar warehouse district where Angelo met his end. The silence in the vehicle was oppressive, each passing moment ratcheting up my anxiety. My mind raced, desperately trying to piece together what awaited me at our destination.

As we pulled up to the awfully familiar building, my heart hammered against my ribs. Julian squeezed my hand, the only comfort I'd had for the entire drive, along with Cristian's hand on my leg, although I'd chosen to focus on Julian.

"We're here," Julian stated as he released my hand.

I sucked in a breath, my chest tight. Time to find out what this was all about.

The brothers exited the car, and I followed, staring up at the warehouse, images of Angelo's body flickering through my mind. Tyrone's hand on the small of my back guided me forward, his touch both comforting and terrifying.

"This is for you, Scarlet," Julian murmured as we approached the entrance. "Your vengeance."

The words sent a chill down my spine. Vengeance? What could they possibly mean?

The warehouse door creaked open, and my breath caught in my throat. There, bound to a chair in the center of the room, was a face I never thought I'd see again. Ian. The monster who had violated me, who had snuffed out the life of my baby girl.

A tidal wave of emotions crashed over me – rage, fear, grief, all swirling together into a chaotic mess that threatened to spill over. I stumbled backward, only to find Julian's solid form behind me, steadying me.

Tyrone stepped forward, his voice cutting through the whirlwind in my mind. "Pregnancy or not, we want you with us, Scarlet. We will provide for you and any child you bear. You will never want for anything."

His dark eyes bored into mine as he continued, "But for us to have a woman we share, and will be faithful to, we want her to harbor the same darkness, to be willing to do what's needed for this family. As the family would also do for you."

The weight of his words settled over me like a shroud. I glanced at Ian, who stared back at me with wild, terrified eyes, his whimper muffled by his gag.

"Tonight, you have a choice to make," Tyrone declared. "Kill the man who murdered your child and become a part of this Silvestri family, or walk away and let us exact revenge for you. You will have your child if you're pregnant, but you will leave it with us, and you will be released afterward, where you'll never see us again. If you're not pregnant, well, then you're free to leave and move on with your life."

The room spun around me as the gravity of the decision before me sank in, my heart pounding so hard I could feel it in my throat. My gaze darted between the three brothers – Tyrone's stoic expression, as unreadable as ever; Julian's encouraging nod, a glimmer of something akin to pride in his eyes; and Cristian's intense stare, burning with a fervor that both terrified and thrilled me.

Abandoning a child pained me just to think about, but these were my options now, as harsh as they were. The thought of never seeing the three of them again stung more than I would have thought, and I clenched my jaw, debating my choices.

Why were these my options? A part of me understood. They needed a woman who would kill to protect their family, that would do what needed to be done. Someone weak didn't belong at their side.

Cristian stepped forward, his voice low and urgent. "If you choose this, I'll do everything right by you, kitten. I'll regain your trust, I swear it. Prove to you I will do anything for you, anything at all." His words were laced with a desperation that made my breath catch.

He held out a knife in one hand and a handgun in the other, the metal glinting ominously in the dim light. "The gun will be a quick death," he explained, then nodded toward the knife. "Or you can make him pay for everything he did to you, for the pain he caused. Make him suffer like he made you suffer."

For a brief, wild moment, I considered turning the gun on Cristian, on all of them. But the thought vanished as quickly as it came, leaving me cold and trembling. This was the moment that would define my future, the path my life would take from here on out. There was no going back after this, no redemption.

A perverse part of me craved the chaos, the darkness that the Silvestris offered. It whispered seductively in my ear, promising power, vengeance, and a twisted sort of belonging. I knew I was damning myself to hell, but I couldn't deny the pull of it all. It was like staring into an abyss and feeling it stare right back, beckoning me to jump.

With a shaking hand, I reached out and grasped the handle of the knife. The weight of it felt right, like it belonged there. I wrapped my fingers around it, feeling the cold steel warm to my touch. At that moment, I knew I had crossed a line I could never uncross.

I stared at Ian as he struggled against his restraints, his muffled whimpers barely audible through the gag. My grip on the knife tightened, knuckles turning white.

Tyrone's voice cut through the silence. "We've kept him here for the past week, ever since we learned about him. For you."

"He wasn't hard to find once I had his name. I'd planned on dealing with him as soon as I learned what he did to you, and Lily," Julian said, his voice heavy as he stared at Ian like he was filth.

A hiss escaped my lips at the reminder, and Ian's whimpers grew louder, more frantic.

Cristian stepped closer, his eyes dark with hatred as he glared at Ian. "He deserves this. He took a life that hadn't yet had a chance to flourish, and he did it out of cruelty and selfishness. He deserves to burn for it all." His gaze softened as it met mine. "But this is for you, kitten. Your justice, your closure."

I swallowed hard, my mouth dry. Cristian tilted his head, studying me, a tenderness glinting in his eyes. "Do you want me to walk you through what to do?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Which areas you can strike him that won't kill him," Cristian explained, pointing out spots on Ian's body as the bastard sobbed and shook his head frantically. "How you can make him bleed, cut him open, take your time knowing he won't die quick. I could even show you how to remove certain organs without killing him. Or we can take some fingers?"

I shuddered at the easy-going tone Cristian used, reminding me of their true nature, who they really were.

Cristian moved behind Ian's chair, gripping his head to hold it in place. "You can do whatever you need to do. I'm here for you, forever. I'll help you through this darkness." His eyes gleamed with a twisted excitement. "Perhaps we should take his tongue for what he said? For the words he spoke? Do you want to do that, kitten?"

Tyrone cleared his throat. "We can leave you alone to do whatever you like with him."

I shook my head quickly, panic rising in my chest at the thought of being alone with Ian. No, I wanted them here. I needed them.

"Then we'll stay," Julian said softly, touching my arm. "We do this together. Tell us what you want, pyro."

I stared at Ian, memories of that horrific day flashing through my mind. The pain, the terror, the overwhelming grief. My baby girl, gone before she had a chance to live. Because of him.

"I don't know what I want," I whispered, but as I looked at Cristian, a realization hit me hard. I was just as fucked up as he was. I could pretend to be human and normal, but deep down, I wanted to make Ian pay. To drag it out, to make him suffer like he'd made me suffer.

My gaze swept over the brothers – Tyrone's calm demeanor, Julian's quiet support, Cristian's barely contained excitement. None of them were bothered in the slightest by this whole scenario. They'd brought Ian to me so I could kill him, or they'd do it themselves.

In that moment, I saw them for what they truly were. No matter what sides they showed me, they were all monsters.

And as I tightened my grip on the knife, another thought struck me, sending a chill through me.

We all were.