Chapter 9
The subterranean holding cells of the Blackwood estate were a stark, brutal contrast to the gilded ceilings above. Cold concrete walls replaced the ivory panels, and harsh fluorescent tubes replaced the warm crystal chandeliers. The air was damp and smelled of iron and fear.
Wesley descended the concrete stairs, his polished leather shoes echoing rhythmically in the stark silence. Marcus stood outside a heavy steel door, arms crossed over his trench coat. Beside him stood an older man in a rumpled suit holding a medical bag—the syndicate’s private doctor.
“Is she secured, Marcus?” Wesley asked, walking up to the door.
“Yes, boss. She’s been screaming for twenty minutes, but she’s quiet now,” Marcus replied, unlocking the heavy deadbolts.
Wesley stepped into the cell. Valerie was huddled on a crude metal cot. The champagne satin gown was ruined, stained with dirt and torn at the seams. Her diamond earrings were gone. Her hair was a tangled mess, her makeup smeared into dark, grotesque streaks across her rosy skin. When she saw Wesley, she shrank back against the concrete wall, pure terror radiating from her eyes.
Wesley didn't speak to her. He turned to the doctor, pulling the amber vial from his pocket and handing it over.
“Will you tell me exactly what this is?” Wesley asked.
The doctor took the vial, unscrewing the cap and sniffing it cautiously before placing a drop onto a testing strip from his bag. He waited a few seconds as the chemical reaction turned the strip a dark, violent blue.
“It’s a heavy, synthetic barbiturate, Mr. Blackwood,” the doctor said, his voice shaking slightly as he looked at the mafia boss. “Highly concentrated. In the wrong dosage, it could easily cause respiratory failure, especially in a young child.”
The silence in the cell was deafening. Wesley slowly turned his head to look at Valerie. The cold, observant eyes that usually calculated multi-million dollar deals were now focused entirely on the woman who had nearly killed his son.
“Did you intend to murder him, Valerie, or were you simply too arrogant to care about the dosage?” Wesley asked, his voice a low, terrifying whisper that echoed off the concrete.
“I didn't know!” Valerie sobbed hysterically, crawling off the cot and falling to her knees on the cold floor. “The man who sold it to me said it was safe! He said it would just make him sleep through the night! I swear, Wesley! I would never hurt him intentionally!”
“Do you expect me to find comfort in your incompetence?” Wesley inquired, stepping closer to her.
“Please!” she shrieked, grasping at the hem of his tailored trousers. “I am a Sutton! If you kill me, my father will wage a war that will destroy your entire family! You cannot do this!”
“Do you believe your father will wage a war for a woman who poisons children, or do you think he will disown you to save his own empire?” Wesley asked.
He didn't wait for her to process the terrifying truth of his question. He looked at Marcus.
“Will you ensure she remains here until the Sutton family arrives to see the evidence of her treason?” Wesley asked.
May you like
“With pleasure, boss,” Marcus growled.
Wesley turned his back on the weeping, broken woman, stepping out of the cell and leaving her to the cold, merciless dark of his underground empire.
