Chapter 3 - The Bloody Warning
Clara stared at the bloody knife, her heart pounding frantically against her ribs.
She knew she had made a terrible enemy by exposing the groomer and the tracking device.
She carefully pulled the note from beneath the blade, making sure not to touch the blood.
She needed to show this to Matteo immediately.
She hurried down the lavishly decorated hallway toward the master suite.
Before she could knock on his heavy oak door, she heard voices whispering in the shadows.
Clara quickly hid behind a large marble pillar and held her breath.
Bianca Russo was standing at the end of the corridor, handing a thick envelope to one of Matteo's guards.
"Make sure the new girl has an unfortunate accident in the morning," Bianca hissed.
The guard nodded, pocketed the cash, and disappeared down the stairs.
Clara realized that Bianca was the one trying to kill her.
Bianca was clearly the traitor who had paid the groomer to plant the listening device.
Clara waited until the hallway was empty before she ran back to her room.
She locked the heavy wooden door and slid a heavy dresser in front of it.
She could not trust anyone in this massive, beautiful prison.
The next morning, Clara decided to act as if nothing had happened.
She went to the private kitchen to prepare Bruno's morning meal.
She opened the refrigerator and pulled out the expensive raw beef intended for the dog.
As she placed the meat into the silver bowl, she noticed a strange, sweet chemical smell.
She leaned closer and saw a faint bluish liquid pooled at the bottom of the container.
Someone had soaked the meat in heavy industrial antifreeze.
Bruno trotted into the kitchen, his tail wagging as he looked eagerly at the bowl.
Clara quickly grabbed the bowl and dumped the poisoned meat into the trash incinerator.
"You cannot eat that, handsome," she whispered, stroking his massive head.
Suddenly, the kitchen door swung shut and locked with a loud, mechanical click.
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Clara turned around and saw Bianca's corrupt guard blocking the only exit with a suppressed pistol in his hand.
"It is a shame you didn't run away last night," the guard smiled.
