Page 85 of Taken By Sin
I’m being taken.
THIRTY
Acold, gnawing terror fills me.
Sin doesn’t know I want him, need him. He doesn’t know!
I feel a piece of me die inside as I lean forward to try and jump into the passenger seat. Maxwell doesn’t look back; he doesn’t even look like he feels bad as he reaches his hand up to the ceiling. I watch in horror as the partition rises, blocking me from him.
“Maxwell?” I say quietly. Knocking on the partition. “Please.” My heartbeat thrums in my ears. I can feel it on every inch of my body.
No response.
I curse the bulletproof windows, but that doesn’t stop me from trying to escape. I shatter a bottle of liquor against it. The glass sprinkles around me as we make a turn onto the interstate, accelerating into the night.
Away from the man I love, the man who thinks I didn’twant to turn around. The letter told him not to come after me, and if Sin does anything in this world, it’s honor my wishes.
I don’t know how long the ride lasts, but it feels endless—like time has stretched into a cruel, dark eternity. The car eventually slows, taking a sharp turn onto a long, winding driveway. My mind is racing as I try to piece together what’s happening, where we’re going, but nothing makes sense.
The car pulls to a stop, and before I can do anything, Maxwell opens the door for me, his face as impassive as ever. “Come on, Magnolia,” he says, his voice soft, but there’s something in the way he says my name that sends a chill down my spine.
I don’t move. I can’t move. My mind is too full of questions, of the overwhelming feeling that something is terribly wrong.
“Get out,” he says again, firmer this time, his patience thinning.
With my heart racing in my chest, I slip out of the car, my legs shaky as I take in the towering estate before me. The mansion looms ahead, its dark windows like unblinking eyes staring down at me, its stone walls cold and imposing.
This place isn’t like Sin’s home—it’s different. Darker.
“Where am I?” I manage to ask, my voice barely a whisper.
Maxwell doesn’t answer. Instead, he walks ahead of me, leading me toward the entrance. The door opens before we even reach it, and I step into the foyer, the cold air inside sending a shiver down my spine.
“Magnolia.” I freeze at the sound of the voice. A woman’svoice, calm and calculating. I look up, my breath catching in my throat.
She’s standing at the top of the grand staircase, her figure silhouetted by the soft light behind her. The woman’s eyes meet mine, cold and piercing, but there’s something… familiar about them. Something in the shape of her face, in the angle of her jaw.
I open my mouth to say something, but the words stick in my throat as she descends the stairs, her gaze never leaving mine.
“Who are you?” I manage to choke out.
Tears are streaming down her cheeks. “I am Maria Rusco,” she says, the words like a bomb dropped into the tense air.
They’re going to fucking kill me.
Cameron walks out, standing beside the woman.
I stagger backward, my knees threatening to give out beneath me as her words echo in my mind. My heart races, confusion flooding every inch of my being. My mouth goes dry, and I feel like the ground beneath me is slipping away.
“I—I’m sorry,” I stammer. “What do you want with me? Please let me go.”
Maria’s smile falters for a moment, just long enough to show a flicker of something darker, before she steps closer to me. “You’re not the lost girl you think you are, Magnolia. Your real name is Magnolia Rusco.” She smiles. “And I’m your mother.”
A rush of dizziness overtakes me as her words sink in. My legs finally give way, and I fall to my knees, the truthcrashing over me like a tidal wave. I’m not Magnolia Finley. I’m Magnolia Rusco, the daughter of the rival mafia family.
The world feels like it’s spinning out of control, and I don’t know where to go, what to think. How could I not have known? How could I have been so blind?
I look back at Maxwell, standing quietly at my side, his face unreadable. But I know now—he’s been part of this. Part of the lie.