The inside of the car carried the scent of polished leather, cedarwood, costly cologne, and a sterile kind of cleanliness that felt almost unreal after the nightmare Elena had just escaped.
Beyond the tinted windows, the world smeared into streaks of gray and black. Rain struck the reinforced glass relentlessly, as though the storm itself was trying to break in.
Inside the vehicle, only two things existed: the low, powerful purr of the twelve-cylinder engine and the intimidating presence of the man seated beside her.
Matthew Carranza did not turn toward her. His eyes remained fixed on the road, his profile outlined by the dashboard’s dim blue light. Everything about him seemed carved from something unyielding—his sharp jaw, rain-darkened hair swept back from his face, and eyes that carried the cold authority of a man used to commanding empires.
Without a word, he picked up a slim black satellite phone. He didn’t bother dialing. One press of a speed-dial button was enough.
“Marcus,” Matthew said, his voice low but heavy enough to make the air inside the car feel tighter. “Route 9 and Blackwood Lane. A woman is standing in the road. Patricia Salgado. She’s holding a leather belt. Remove her from the scene. If she tries calling the police, remind her about the pending audit on her logistics company. If she contacts Becerra, tell him he has twenty-four hours to liquidate his assets before I liquidate him.”
Elena’s breath caught in her throat. She hugged her knees closer, her bare feet pressing into the flawless leather seat.
He knew them.
The thought struck her with terrifying force. She had not climbed into the car of some random stranger. She had entered the world of a man who spoke about her abusers as if they were small problems to be erased from his path.
Matthew ended the call with a quick movement of his thumb. Only then did he look at her.
His dark gaze moved over her with sharp precision, taking in every detail—the soaked, ruined fabric of her cheap dress, the mud smeared along her legs, and the deep purple bruise spreading across her cheekbone.
Something dangerous flickered in his eyes. It was not pity. It was colder than that. Older. Angrier.
“Who are you?” he asked.
“Elena,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “Elena Vargas.”
“Elena,” he repeated slowly, as if weighing the name. “Arthur Vargas’s daughter.”
It was not a question.
Elena trembled and nodded. Her father had died two years earlier, leaving his modest shipping company under the control of his second wife, Patricia. From that moment on, Elena had stopped being treated like a daughter. She had become a captive, a pawn, something Patricia could use to pay off the gambling debts that kept growing around her.
Tonight, Patricia’s chosen buyer had been Oscar Becerra—a wealthy, infamous man with a cruel reputation.
“I didn’t want this,” Elena said, choking on the words as tears finally broke through her numbness. They burned against her bruised skin. “She locked me in the room. She said if I didn’t… if I didn’t please him, she would sell my father’s house. She hit me. So I ran. I just ran.”
Matthew watched her fall apart. He did not offer soft words. He did not comfort her.
Instead, he reached into his coat, pulled out a thick wool blanket, and tossed it onto her lap.
“Dry yourself,” he said coldly. “It’s a long drive, and I don’t allow blood or tears on my upholstery.”
The words were harsh, but the blanket was warm.
Elena wrapped it tightly around her shaking shoulders and buried her face into the wool. The car glided faster through the rain, smooth and silent, swallowing the road as Seattle disappeared behind them in a haze of distant lights.
The Devil’s Sanctuary
Two hours later, the car passed through enormous iron gates that opened by themselves. It climbed a private cliffside road surrounded by tall pine trees swaying in the storm.
At the top stood a massive modern estate made of glass, steel, and dark stone, overlooking the restless black waters of Puget Sound.
The car stopped beneath a covered entrance. A tall, silent driver in a dark suit immediately opened Matthew’s door and held out an umbrella.
Matthew stepped out without waiting for Elena.
