Room One Hundred & Twenty-One: Kiss of Fire

Chapter 1

LEXI

“ I want him to fuck me against the hood of that car!” I hear one of the girls say beside me as I walk to the main gate of Northwestern University. I follow her gaze and internally groan when I see Nico Lombardi, my ever-punctual bodyguard, leaning against the side of his sleek black Mercedes sedan.

He’s wearing his usual attire today: a black suit, a matching tie, and dark aviator shades. He looks more like a secret service agent than a crime boss’s chauffeur. I move quickly to pass the group of girls gawking and walk right up to him.

“Do you have to wait outside the car for me?” I snap.

“I need to ensure you see me. Can’t have you running off, now, can I?” He smirks and opens my door, ushering me inside. I lower my head, hoping no one recognizes me, and slip onto the black leather seat. I hate drawing attention to myself, but judging by the small mass of people trying to stare through the tinted windows, I feel like I failed at that mission. Nico walks around the front of the car and climbs in, ready to go.

“I’d rather you didn’t wait for me outside. Just sit in the car next time,” I order, glaring in his direction.

“Too bad I don’t listen to you.” He shrugs me off, as though I’m nothing more than a speck of dust on his shoulder, and we leave the school grounds.

It takes about forty-five minutes to get to my house. To some, that probably sounds like a long commute to endure every day. But to me, it feels as though it’s across the street. When I graduated high school, I dreamt of moving to another state and living my best college life— but the universe had other plans for me.

Fucked-up plans.

My father is a low-level crime boss in Chicago, trying to pave his way up the ranks and using me to do it. I’m the one thing that will get him in with the Gallo family. All I have to do is marry someone I hate.

About four years ago, I caught the eye of Vincent Rossi, my father’s newest business partner at the time. Whenever he’s near, I can feel him before I see him. It’s as though he’s always watching me, waiting patiently for the day he can lock me up and play with me however he likes. I’d rather shoot myself in the foot and dance on broken glass than accept a life with that man. Which is why I asked for a reprieve by going to college—to prolong the engagement. But graduation is fast-approaching, and I’m afraid that his patience is hanging on by a thin thread.

I stare out the window, softly bobbing my head to the silence that pours out of my noise-canceling headphones. Through the reflection of the glass, I watch as Nico sits leisurely with one hand on the steering wheel and the other on the gear shift, as though there couldn’t possibly be any threat from the woman sitting next to him.

I learned early on that Nico is arrogant. He thinks too highly of himself, believes everything will work out and go his way, so he got lazy, and I gained leverage. I’ve learned exactly where Nico likes to spend his free time and what he likes to do. I keep that information in the back of my head for when I need to use it to my advantage.

Nico taps his earpiece before placing his hand back on the gear shift. “Yeah?” he calls out, looking over at me to see if I can hear anything. I can, but he doesn’t know that. “Of course, I know about the meeting tonight. Do you?” His voice echoes around the car.

So there’s a meeting tonight?

“Boss says it's important. He wants everyone there. Something about a shipment coming in.” He pauses. “Fuck those Reapers. If they try to come at me, I’ll put bullets in their fucking skulls.”

My body stiffens at the mention of the Reapers. They’re like the boogeymen of the underworld. Just hearing their name makes you shiver. They’re deadly and skilled, leaving a trail of dead bodies in their wake.

Why would the Reapers appear tonight?

“Yeah, I’ll be there in five.” And with that, he ends the call with another tap to his earpiece.

I need to listen in on their meeting tonight. Whatever it’s about, it sounds important, and I need to figure out what my father’s planning.

My house comes into view, and I count down the days to when I’ll never see it again. The residence itself is lovely, with a natural stone exterior, floor-to-ceiling windows, and a gourmet kitchen. It’s large—technically a mansion by most standards—but I only care that it gives me enough space to avoid my father. We drive around the pebble-stone, circular driveway and park right in front.

You have to be fucking kidding me.

Standing alongside the large oak door is Vincent, and a bitter taste crawls into my mouth at the sight of him. There’s an important meeting tonight, so of course he’d be here .

Nico gets out and walks over to my side, opening the door for me. I start to step out, but Vincent’s already there, offering me his hand to help me. I ignore it and brush past him.

“You look beautiful today, Alessandra,” he coos, taking my hand anyway and bringing it up to his lips.

I suppress a shudder from the impact of his touch. Vincent is an attractive man, with storm-cloud gray eyes and salt-and-pepper hair that’s always combed back neatly. He’s close to my father’s age, but he still holds some of his youthful spirit. If anyone saw him on the street, I’m sure they’d find him good-looking, but that’s only because they don’t know him.

He’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing, presenting himself as the perfect gentleman when he’s far from it. His smile gives off a wrongness that makes you want to run away, but you’re pulled in at the same time. Charming but sinister. The man only cares about one thing: power.

Vincent releases my hand, and only then do I notice the small velvet box in his other palm. He opens it to reveal a 14-carat diamond necklace, the sun making it shine and sparkle. In Vincent’s pursuit to hasten the engagement, he’s been spoiling me with expensive gifts. They aren’t wanted, but I have to admit they’re nice to look at.

“I thought you might wear this to dinner sometime next week. To discuss our future nuptials,” he says as he hands me the box.

“I told you I want to finish school firs?—”

“I remember,” he barks but quickly recovers, straightening his collar. “But considering your graduation is right around the corner, I figure we might as well start some of the planning.” He smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. I clench my hands together, trying to keep my rising anger under control. He sighs and brings his hand to my cheek. “I don’t understand why you try to resist it.” He lowers his mouth to my ear. “You will be mine, Alessandra. So stop fighting me.”

I feel a million spiders crawl underneath my skin, and my hand itches to wipe at the flesh where he touched me. I want to kill him. I hate how trapped I feel when he’s near, but more than anything, I hate how I must endure his embrace or risk my father finding out, as well as the unavoidable repercussions that will surely follow my disobedience.

“Have a good day, Mr. Rossi,” I dismiss him through gritted teeth.

“You should get used to the sound of my name. It’ll be yours soon enough.” He kisses the side of my cheek and stalks towards his car.

I watch him leave, fighting the urge to scrub at my face. He turns just before climbing into his vehicle, winks at me, and drives off. At least he isn’t staying.

Wait, I thought he was part of the meeting?

“You should be more grateful,” Nico remarks beside me, and I jump from the sound of his voice. I completely forgot he was here.

“It’s none of your business.” Who the fuck does he think he is?

“Whatever, spoiled bitch,” he mutters and walks inside the house, heading to my father’s study.

I hasten my steps towards my room, shutting the door behind me. I make a beeline for my bathroom and slink down to the floor next to the air vent. Through some digging into the blueprints of the house, I learned a couple of months ago that my vent was above and to the left of my father’s private study. So I’m able to hear everything now that I’ve guided a small microphone through the air duct. I close my eyes, focusing on the voices coming from below, and quiet my breathing.

“Where’s my daughter?” my father demands.

“She’s in her room,” Nico replies confidently, though he knows it’s a lie. He’s not sure if I’m in my room or not; he only hopes I am like a good little princess.

I hear the sound of scraping on the hardwood floor below and a chair groans from someone’s heavy weight.

“The Reapers may try to bust us tonight, so I need everyone to be on guard.” There are murmurs going around, and I can’t exactly pinpoint what each of them is whispering about.

So it was true what Nico said earlier. My father believes the Reapers will show themselves. But why?

“Sir, no offense, but why would the Reapers be after us?” someone asks.

“Because… instead of the usual merchandise, there’ll be girls in that shipping container tonight.” What! Everyone goes silent.

I know my father is working with Vincent as a way to get recognized by Tony Gallo. My father deals in prostitution, drugs, and guns. And runs them all out of his strip joint: The Sapphire Club. Lately, his business has been booming, and I didn’t understand why.

Until just now. He’s trafficking women, selling them as though they don’t mean shit, like they’re property or chattel.

I’m gonna be sick.

My ears ring so loudly that I have to close my eyes and focus on my breathing. I shake from the intense hate that begins to suffocate me. I want to kill him and Vincent—because I know he’s just as culpable—so badly that I ache from head to toe.

“I’ll make sure the men are equipped and ready for any surprises,” a different voice speaks up now.

“Nico, you’re dismissed,” my father declares.

“But, sir?—”

“You are to protect my daughter. Nothing else. She’s home safe, therefore, you are not needed tonight.” There’s no arguing with my father; his word is final.

“Yes, sir,” Nico grumbles, and the sound of a door clicking follows seconds later.

“There won’t be any mistakes tonight. Is that clear?” my father warns.

“Yes, sir,” they confirm in unison.

“We leave in the next hour. Now, get the fuck out.”

I don’t listen anymore after that. I crawl over to the sink and open the cabinet door underneath, pulling out a tampon box from the back. When Vincent made his intentions for me known, I started collecting items from around the house and selling them. I open the box to find the money I made stashed inside, all thirty-plus grand of it. I release a sigh of relief and return the box to its hiding spot.

For months now, I’ve been planning my escape. I was going to use the money to get the hell out of here. I didn’t care where I went, as long as Vincent and my father couldn’t find me. But the image of women tied up and trapped inside a shipping container flashes in my mind, and my body freezes. If I leave now, my father and Vincent will continue to sell women to the highest bidder, and they don’t give a damn what happens to them afterwards. The cycle will never be broken and the sole benefactor would be me. The only way to stop it all is to kill the two men at the top.

And I know the only group I can ask to help me: the Reapers.

Though my father will never say it, I know he’s afraid of them showing up tonight. If I follow him to wherever they’re holding those women, maybe I can finally catch a glimpse of the elusive vigilante assassins. The ones lurking in the dark and ridding Chicago of the worst criminals—those who seem to always be two steps ahead of the law.

Then I’ll personally ask them to kill the monster sitting in his study downstairs.