Chapter 3 - The Golden Cage
Clara signed the document on the hood of a bulletproof SUV.
Within an hour, she was driven through the massive iron gates of the Caruso estate.
The mansion was a sprawling fortress of marble and security cameras.
Clara was immediately escorted to a high-tech medical wing hidden in the east wing of the house.
Evan was sitting up in a luxurious bed, playing a video game on a massive television screen.
"Clara!" Evan smiled, completely unaware of the deadly politics surrounding his new room.
"Some billionaire guy said you got a new job as his private nurse," Evan told her.
Clara forced a warm smile and hugged her brother tightly.
"That's right, buddy," she lied softly.
Later that evening, Clara was led to the master bedroom where Leo was waiting.
He looked paler than he had in the alley, his breathing slightly labored.
A private doctor quickly hooked up an intravenous line between Clara's arm and Leo's arm.
They sat in silence for twenty minutes as her rare blood flowed into his veins.
"You didn't have to scare me with Rourke's men," Clara finally said, breaking the silence.
Leo opened his eyes and looked at her.
"I did not send Rourke's men, Clara."
"They found you because someone inside this house leaked your identity."
Clara felt a chill run down her spine.
"You mean there is a traitor in your own home?"
Leo nodded slowly.
"That is why you and Evan can never leave this estate until the traitor is found."
The doctor unhooked the lines and quietly left the room.
Clara walked over to the window, looking down at the armed guards patrolling the gardens.
She noticed one of the guards rolling up his sleeve to light a cigarette.
There was a very distinct tattoo of a coiled snake on his forearm.
Clara gasped quietly and backed away from the glass.
She had seen that exact same tattoo on the wrist of the man who tried to attack her in the hospital garage.
She turned to warn Leo, but he had already fallen into a deep, feverish sleep.
May you like
She rushed to the bedroom door and pulled the heavy brass handle.
It was locked from the outside.
