Chapter 5 ~ The Window Plan

{Daisy’s POV} 

“The woman we intended to kidnap is the Viper’s daughter… and so are you.”

For a moment, nobody moved.

The room was quiet; the kind of quiet that belongs in dramatic movies right before someone explodes something.

And then I laughed.

Not a polite laugh but a full, genuine, are-you-serious-right-now laugh.

“Oh, that’s good,” I said, wiping at my eye like DeLuca had just delivered the world’s greatest joke. The timing had been perfect. 

“That’s really good.” I remarked. “Kidnap the wrong girl, bring her to a billionaire villain's mansion, and then tell her she’s secretly the daughter of a crime lord. That’s… wow. You guys really commit to the theme here.”

No one laughed with me.

DeLuca just stood there, watching me with that same unreadable expression he'd been wearing, like he was permanently judging the entire planet.

I gestured vaguely around the room.

“All right, great performance, everyone,” I said. “Very dramatic. But I’m actually exhausted and I’d really like to go home now.”

I turned toward the door to take my leave, but then two very large men stepped in front of me.

I stopped.

Looked at them. Looked back at DeLuca.

“Are they part of the joke?”

DeLuca's voice was calm.

“I’m not joking.”

Something about the way he said it made the room feel colder at once.

“You are Roman Volkov’s daughter,” he continued. “And you are not leaving.”

I stared at him. Then I pointed at myself.

“Me. Roman Volkov’s daughter?”

“That Roman Volkov? The crime-lord Roman Volkov? The terrifying underworld villain you've mentioned?” I quizzed, my voice carrying absurdity... because there was no way he was serious right now.  

It’s just dumb crazy. 

“You’re acting this out well, but I suggest you quit it.” He said stiffly now.

I sighed. “Look, my dad left when I was five,” I said. “And from what I learned from my mum, he didn’t murder anyone and could barely assemble IKEA furniture. He was just miserable and a coward.” I explained but DeLuca didn’t look convinced. 

“Your mother’s surname was found to be Volkov.”

I frowned at him. “My mother’s name is Bennett, just like mine.”

“Her name is joined with a hyphenation concept. It’s Bennett-Volkov.” He explained and I rebutted. 

“That proves absolutely nothing,” I said quickly. “Volkov is probably a very common name in… wherever crime lords come from.”

“Russia,” Nico said helpfully from somewhere behind me.

“Thank you.” I turned back to DeLuca. “This could also be a coincidence of names. I’m not saying it’s my mother’s name, but this could all be coincidental.”

“It’s not. It was obtained from a database authenticating legality.” 

“But—“

“No more questions.” He said and then took a few steps forward, his expression tighter. Now the rest of the room seemed to shrink around him. 

“Before,” he started evenly, “you were simply a complication.”

I frowned also. 

“I don't like you defining me.”

“Now,” he continued, “you are useful.”

Oh. “Useful?” I repeated.

“Yes.”

I let out a sharp laugh.

“Let me get this straight,” I said. “I get kidnapped, dragged across the city, brought to a mansion full of angry men in tight-looking suits, just to be clearly discovered to be the wrong person. Still, you say I’m useful?”

DeLuca’s expression didn’t change. “Yes. To me.”

I stared at him.

“You’re insane.”

“Possibly.” He commented casually while his men looked tensed and like they expected a reaction from him. 

I continued, angry. “You can’t just decide that my life is over because you read something in a file!”

“I can.”

The way he said it— calm, certain, made something in my chest threaten to explode. I clenched my fists. 

“You have no authority over me!” I snapped. “You don’t own me.”

His gaze sharpened slightly.

“Right now,” he said quietly, “you are standing in my territory. Surrounded by my men. Inside a world you do not understand.”

He paused.

“You have no power here.” He said and the words landed like a door slamming shut.

I felt heat rush to my face.

“You kidnapped me, using unfair means!” I said. “You don’t get to talk about power dynamics like you’re hosting a motivational seminar!”

DeLuca didn’t react to my volume. He simply said the next words like he was stating the weather.

“Your father killed my mother.” He said and the room went still.

For the first time since this whole nightmare began, I didn’t feel like yelling at him immediately.

DeLuca's voice stayed steady.

“Roman Volkov murdered her five years ago.” He explained and something in his eyes changed then.

Not anger.

Something colder.

“So I will kill him,” he said.

My throat tightened without my permission. 

“I don’t care how long it takes. I don’t care who stands in the way.”

His gaze locked on mine.

“I don’t care who has to die.” He scowled and the implication hit me like a punch. 

I felt tense now and also confused because this had nothing to do with me. Nothing at all. Behind me, Nico spoke, his voice joining in.

“So you made a mistake but ended up not making a mistake as you still ended up kidnapping Volkov’s daughter.”

We both looked at him.

He considered the situation thoughtfully and added.

“That’s impressively unlucky.”

I didn’t know what to respond, but then DeLuca called my attention back to him now. 

“You will remain here,” he said and I turned. 

I folded my arms.

“No.”

“Yes.”

“Are you really serious about this nonsense?”

“I am.” He said, his scowl intact. 

I dragged a hand over my face in my frustration. 

“This is ridiculous. What exactly is the plan here? Am I supposed to start doing mafia errands now? Should I be taking notes?”

“You will stay in this house,” DeLuca continued calmly. “You will go where I tell you to go, and you will do what I tell you to do.”

I stared at him.

“You’re describing prison.”

“I’m describing necessity.”

“This feels like a branding issue.”

DeLuca turned slightly toward the guards, ignoring me.

“Take her upstairs.” 

With that, two large hands immediately closed around my arms.

“Hey—!”

I twisted slightly.

“Excuse me! I did not consent to the manhandling portion of this evening!”

They ignored me.

Typical.

As they dragged me toward the staircase, I craned my neck to glare at Adrian.

“You’re a terrible person!”

He didn’t respond and I felt like screaming, but it was pointless. 

**

The room they shoved me into was… ridiculous.

Huge bed. Tall windows. Furniture that probably cost more than my entire college tuition.

The door slammed behind me.

Click.

Locked.

I stood there for a moment.

Then I exploded.

“You can’t just take people from the streets and lock them in nice-looking bedrooms!” I shouted at the empty room.

The room, unfortunately, did not respond.

I paced.

“You kidnapped the wrong girl!” I continued. “That’s not even my father! That’s some random mafia villain you’ve decided belongs to me!”

Still no response.

Crazy.

I exhaled slowly.

Okay.

Fine.

If they thought I was just going to sit here quietly like a decorative houseplant, they were about to be very disappointed.

I scanned the room.

Door.

Locked.

Walls.

Unclimbable.

Then I saw the window.

I walked over and found out it was open, so I looked down and realized it was very high.

I leaned out slightly. If I were lucky, I’d survive and if I were unlucky, I’d break both legs.

Still better than prison.

My phone buzzed as I crossed one leg out so I stopped and pulled it out.

A message from Lilian, my roommate. 

“Where are you?? You're not back yet and it's almost midnight!!”

I stared at the screen for a moment. Then typed back.

“Currently halfway out of a crazy huge mansion window. Might die. Will update.”

I sent the message and shoved the phone back into my pocket. Then swung the other leg out the window.

Slowly. Carefully.

Climbing down stone walls in the dark was harder than it looked in movies. It was a crazy attempt, especially for someone as clumsy as me, but I persisted… and I was about halfway down when I heard footsteps.

I froze and looked down. 

Nico was walking across the courtyard and he stopped, looking up, apparently noticing me. 

We made eye contact and there was a long pause.

Then I lifted a hand.

“Hi, Nico.”

He blinked once.

“Hi.”

He sighed, shook his head slowly, then kept walking and using his phone.

I watched him go.

Huh.

Nice guy.

I continued climbing.

**

[DeLuca]

I was standing on the balcony outside my room when Nico appeared.

He leaned against the railing in the casual way he normally did but there was nothing casual about the words that came out of his mouth next.  

“The Daisy girl is currently attempting to escape,” he said and I frowned in confusion. 

“…How?”

“Your guest room window.”

I stared at him.

“You saw her?”

“Yes.”

“And you didn’t stop her?”

Nico shrugged.

“She said hi.”

I stared at him.

He shrugged again.

“And I said hi back.”

For a moment I said nothing to him. Then I turned and walked toward the hallway. There was no point in saying anything to him, except if I wanted to get even more pissed. 

I turned to my left and two guards straightened immediately.

“Search the grounds,” I ordered. “Find her at once.”

“Alive?”

I paused briefly.

“Yes.” I responded stiffly, realizing at the same time that I couldn’t let this random girl now tied to my story die. 

Not until she serves her purpose.