29. Scarlett

By the timeI’m leading Mrs. Graves out of the elevator and into Grandmother’s penthouse suite, my heart is pounding against my ribs like it wants to burst out to freedom. But Mrs. Graves is a steady presence beside me, her face a picture of calm despite the circumstances.

How can she be so composed when I feel like I’m about to shatter into a million pieces?

And how can she have such perfect trust in “her girls”? Even I, who knows exactly what Lyssa is capable of, have my doubts that she’ll get here in time to save her mother-figure.

But Mrs. Graves insisted on coming. She made it impossible not to take her, threatening to become…

Difficult.

She’s very used to dealing with killers, that’s for sure. I wonder if she takes the same no-nonsense approach with Lyssa and Hadria. I wonder…I wonder, if I’d known about the Styx Syndicate when Adam died, whether I might have gone to themto ask for help. But I didn’t have the chance. Grandmother got to me first.

And now Grandmother herself emerges from her sitting room, eager to see her prize. Downstairs, when I reported in to the guards, I said only that I had a gift for Grandmother.

I feel some small measure of satisfaction now as her eyes land on Mrs. Graves, quick shock rippling across her usually unreadable face.

It’s like watching a stone statue crack.

“What is the meaning of this, Scarlett?” Her voice is thin, sharp, lashing at my already frayed nerves.

I launch into my story. “I know you wanted Aurora Verderosa, Grandmother, but I thought Mrs. Graves would be a better hostage. She’s like a mother to both Hadria Imperioli and Lyssa. Her life means everything—to both of them. Your plan will work better with?—”

But Grandmother’s face contorts with rage. She’s already moving fast, faster than I’ve ever seen her move, and strikes me across the face. I taste blood, feel it trickling from the corner of my mouth, and raise a hand to delicately touch it.

“You stupid, stupid girl!” Grandmother hisses. “How dare you defy my orders? Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”

“I thought?—”

“You thought wrong,” she snarls, raising her hand again. I brace myself, waiting for the next blow.

But it doesn’t come. Mrs. Graves has stepped forward, her eyes blazing, putting herself between Grandmother and me. “Stop it!” she snaps. “Leave the girl alone.”

Grandmother pauses, arm still raised, and laughs. “Who do you think you are, giving me orders?” She looks Mrs. Graves up and down, a cruel smile playing at her lips. “Do you have any idea who I am, housekeeper?”

Mrs. Graves lifts her chin, meeting Grandmother’s gaze without fear. In that moment, she seems taller somehow. “No, I do not—and frankly, I don’t care to.”

I stare at her, awed by her courage and—unfortunately—I want to giggle at the expression on Grandmother’s face. It’s just nerves, but it won’t help if I start laughing now.

Grandmother’s smile has faded, replaced by a look of cold fury. She opens her mouth to speak, but before she can, the elevator doors open again and one of her guards rushes in.

“Ma’am, we have a—a situation,” the guard says, slightly out of breath. “There’s a group here, attempting to breach the building.”

My heart leaps into my throat.

She’s here. Lyssa’s here.

I wasted a lot of time with Mrs. Graves in the warehouse, long enough for the Syndicate to notice her missing…and long enough for them to find Grandmother’s house, the high-rise.

Grandmother, though, seems almost irritated by the interruption. “Then take care of the problem,” she snaps at the guard.

Part of me wants to run down all those flights of stairs, to fall down in front of Lyssa and beg for forgiveness. But another part, the part that still fears death, is just on the edge of panic.

But my parents are the only thing that matter to me now. Mrs. Graves and I agreed before we came here—whatever we needed to do to save them, we would do it.

Grandmother’s eyes narrow into slits. She turns to me. “I hope you understand that your parents’ lives are at stake.”

“I do,” I tell her, completely truthfully.

“Then take this housekeeper to one of the safe rooms below. Lock her in and guard the door. I want her in complete isolation, understood? No one is to have access. No one. Not even Ariadne. When this little mess is dealt with, I will come and see you, Scarlett.”

For a moment, I stare dumbly at her. Does she not see how much peril she’s in, right now? This isn’t some little mess, like the wrong delivery truck turning up.

This is the wolf howling at her door.

But I just nod, my stomach twisting. “Yes, Grandmother.”

“Then get out of here,” she says, motioning at the elevator.

I’m torn. I know my parents are here, in the penthouse, in the torture room hidden behind a door at the end of her walkthrough wardrobe. I could run through right now, unlock the door, and free them?—

It’s too risky. The guard has a semi-automatic rifle and I know he won’t hesitate to use it if ordered. Better to play the part I agreed on with Mrs. Graves. I grab her arm and pull her back into the elevator, stabbing at the button to take us down one floor.

The doors close and I sag against the wall, glancing over at Mrs. Graves. “Why isn’t she more concerned about the Syndicate?” I ask her, bewildered. “About Lyssa?”

I don’t really expect Mrs. Graves to know the answer, but I’m even more surprised when she laughs. “Her reaction is quite usual, you know. So many people underestimate my girls. So many regret it afterward. This Grandmother has quite a shock coming her way.”

I’m still perplexed. “But Grandmother trained Lyssa. Surely she?—”

“What?” The doors open on the floor below just as Mrs. Graves grabs my arm, and I realize I’ve said the wrong thing. “What did you just say?” I try to exit the elevator, but she pulls me back. “Scarlett, do you mean to say?—”

“Mrs. Graves, please,” I say desperately. “I think…if anyone is going to tell you about all that, shouldn’t it be Lyssa? You can ask her yourself when she comes for you.”

Because I have no doubt now, like Mrs. Graves herself, that Lyssa will come.

She seems to accept that, but she keeps trying to pull me back into the elevator. “Your parents. Shouldn’t we?—”

I shake my head. “They’re up in the penthouse, where we just came from. I didn’t want to endanger you by starting something with that guard around. Besides…” I try to keep my voice even, hold back the fear. “There’s no guarantee they’re still alive. But if they are, the penthouse is probably the safest place for them right now, if the Syndicate is attacking. Don’t you think?”

My answer finally seems to assuage her, and I pull her out with me, checking the hallway for anyone. Grandmother ordered our isolation, but I’m in no hurry either to have anyone see Mrs. Graves. Strangers are very noticeable here in Grandmother’s house, and they cause a lot of suspicion.

I’ve only come down one floor, and this is not the floor my room is on. But I certainly don’t plan to be sitting pretty in my own room if Grandmother decides Mrs. Graves will be more use as a physical shield to keep the Syndicate back.

No. I need to focus on keeping Mrs. Graves safe now, and trust that my parents are still alive. So I pick one of the doors along the hallway at random and pull Mrs. Graves in with me. It’s the exact same set out as my own place a few floors below, and offers about the same amount of protection.

Zero.

But it has the advantage of being completely random, and empty of any occupants.

I sometimes wondered why there were so many empty rooms in this high-rise, but now I think I’m starting to understand. Grandmother planned to fill it one day. A high-rise stuffed full of trained killers who would follow her commands.

It’s sick. And my own selfish plans for vengeance completely blinded me to what I was supporting.

I take Mrs. Graves’ hands. “Listen to me. When Lyssa gets here—or Hadria—after they…” I swallow. “If I don’t make it out of here, promise me that you’ll tell them about my parents. Ask them to free my parents, and make sure that they do. Will you promise me?”

“Of course.” She looks sad again, the same sadness she had back in the warehouse.

“Mrs. Graves, if I could let you go right now, I would. But with all the guards and the others—I don’t think it would be safe to?—”

Mrs. Graves places a gentle hand on my arm. Her touch is warm, comforting. I don’t deserve the smallest kindness from her, but she gives it anyway. “I know, dear. And I appreciate that. But don’t you worry about me.” She’s looking around with eyes that get wider and wider as she takes in the near-empty rooms, the shitty furniture, the bare walls.

When she turns back to me, I don’t like the fresh light of understanding in her eyes.

“Listen to me, Scarlett,” she says slowly. “I think…I think you need to run. Now. Get as far away from here as you can. I’ll wait here for Hadria and Lyssa, and I’ll tell them about your parents. They will save them. But if they find you here with me…”

I know what they’ll do. But I still shake my head. “I won’t leave you. Not with Ariadne still around somewhere. She’s too unpredictable—all of the trainees are. I think Grandmother worries that they might kill you without stopping to think, to ask questions. That’s why she wants me guarding you.”

“But—”

“Please,” I say quietly. “Mrs. Graves, please—just let me do this one good thing in my life. For my brother’s sake, at least.”

Adam’s face flashes before my eyes, his smile bright and carefree. He was always the strong one, the one who protected me. And look what I’ve turned his memory into.

“Alright,” Mrs. Graves says at last. “Alright, Scarlett. If that’s what you really want.”

I’m about to tell her it is when the electricity goes off, sending the room into total darkness.