Down in the main foyer, Eli descended the grand staircase with thunder in his eyes.
His fists were clenched so hard his knuckles bled white.
“Foolish, arrogant bitch,” he muttered under his breath, glaring up at the second-floor gallery.
“I’ll make sure to ruin you for this.
Just watch me.
This precious marriage of yours?
I’m going to tear it apart piece by piece.
You won’t have a single place left to run when I’m done with you.” He shoved through the heavy front entry doors, striding out into the cool air of the courtyard.
Pulling his phone from his back pocket, he tapped out a quick call and brought it to his ear.
“Hey, bro,” Eli said, forcing a casual, upbeat tone into his voice the moment the line connected.
“Let’s grab a drink tonight.
You free?” By nightfall, the neon glow of the city strip hummed outside a low-end dive bar.
Eli stood near the curb, swaying noticeably on his feet as two of his acquaintances hovered nearby.
The guy with freckles patted Eli on the shoulder, looking at him with doubt.
“You sure you’ll be able to make it home in this state, man?
You’re completely wasted.” Eli waved a dismissive, heavy hand through the air, slurring his words slightly.
“I’m…
I’m totally fine, bro.
My ride’s coming.” The two friends shared a quick look, chuckling under their breath as they backed away toward their own car.
As soon as they turned their backs, the friend with curly hair leaned in and whispered, “What a total loser.” “Yeah, no kidding.
Just let her be, acting like she’s the one who cheated” the freckled one muttered back.
The curly hair one whispers, “i’m definitely not going to be around him anymore.” “Same bro,” he opens the driver door, enters the car and slams the door shut.
Eli remained on the sidewalk, staggering slightly as headlights cut through the gloom.
A sleek, unmarked black sedan pulled up smoothly against the curb.
The front passenger window rolled down, revealing a broad-shouldered man in a dark suit.
“Are you my ride?” Eli asked, leaning down to squint through the glass.
“Get in,” the driver instructed flatly.
Eli yanked the rear passenger door open and tumbled heavily into the leather back seat, slamming the door shut.
“You know the address,” he mumbled, closing his eyes as his head hit the headrest.
“Just drive…
wake me up when we get there.” Within seconds, the alcohol pulled him into a deep, unconscious stupor as the sedan pulled away from the curb.
Twenty minutes later, the car lurked in a dark alleyway behind an exclusive, subterranean club.
The rear door was yanked open from the outside.
Before Eli could fully open his eyes, a massive hand gripped his collar and dragged him roughly out onto the asphalt.
“Hey!
What the hell is going on?!” Eli stumbled, blinking against the glare of the alley lights as the sedan immediately shifted into drive and sped away.
“Hey!
Where are you going?!” Before he could react further, a heavy, thick black hood was shoved over his head, plunging him into absolute darkness.
Strong, immovable hands pinned his arms behind his back, hauling him forward through a rear service entrance.
Eli panicked, thrashing uselessly against the overwhelming grip as he was marched down a long flight of concrete stairs.
The bass from the club above thrummed through the walls, quickly fading into a dense, heavy silence as they went deeper underground.
He heard the distinct chime of a private elevator.
The doors slid open, he was shoved inside, and the elevator began a long, smooth descent into the sub-levels of the building.
“What is this?!” Eli screamed from beneath the hood, his voice echoing in the small metal shaft.
“Who are you?!
Do you have any idea who my father is?!
Heck, do you know who my brother is?!” The elevator decelerated and came to a smooth halt.
The doors slid open to reveal a dead-end brick wall.
The guard holding Eli stepped forward, pressing his bare palm against a hidden sensor on the wall.
With a mechanical hum, the brick facade slid smoothly to the right, opening into a vast, dimly lit underground complex.
The scent of damp concrete and metallic iron hung heavy in the air.
Men in dark suits stood posted at every entrance, armed and silent.
In the distance, the faint, muffled sounds of shouting and structural echoes drifted through the corridors.
“What’s going on?!” Eli whimpered, his bravado entirely evaporating into raw terror.
“What am I hearing?!
Please, let me go!
I beg you!” The guard dragged him to a heavy metal door at the end of the hall, unlocked it, and violently shoved Eli inside.
Eli crashed hard onto the cold floor, groaning as his knees and shoulders took the brunt of the impact.
He scrambled backward on his hands and knees, hyperventilating under the hood.
“Please!
Don’t hurt me!
Whatever you want, I can give it to you!
I can be your spy!
I’ll spy on my brother—I can get you any information you want, I swear!” The heavy door opened once more, footsteps echoing slowly and deliberately against the concrete.
Rowan walked into the room.
He was holding a sleek tablet, his eyes fixed on the screen, which displayed a live security feed of Esme curled up on her bed back at the estate, fast asleep.
Rowan stared at her quiet image for a long second before handing the device off to the guard standing motionless by the door.
Rowan turned his attention to his brother.
Eli was trembling on the floor, still blindfolded by the hood, sobbing and begging for his life to whoever was standing in the room.
Rowan stepped forward until the polished leather of his shoes rested just inches from Eli’s kneeling frame.
His expression was dead, completely devoid of warmth, his eyes fixed on his brother with a lethal, unforgiving glare as his hand slowly curled into a white-knuckled fist.
I can’t say much.