Alex Stern, #2
Hell Bent
by Leigh Bardugo
Contents
Chapter 4
Overview
In a summer flashback, Alex settles into Il Bastone alone, exploring its library and armory while Dawes and Michelle are unavailable. Eitan calls, demanding a meeting in Los Angeles, forcing Alex to seek Lethe’s help for travel. She flies to LA expecting a trap and later returns with fresh blood on her hands, escalating her entanglement with Eitan.
Summary
During the previous summer, Alex intends to remain at Yale, avoiding her mother’s Los Angeles and clinging to the safety of Il Bastone. With Dawes nannying in Westport and Michelle difficult to reach, Alex lives mostly alone in the house, reading, testing Lethe’s library requests, and sleeping in the armory’s cool Hiram’s Crucible. She maintains small routines—biking to Black Elm to feed Cosmo—while the house’s wards soothe lingering fears from the bloody spring.
Her solitude is interrupted when Eitan calls, revealing he has eyes on her mother’s apartment and pressing Alex to meet at his Encino mansion. Pretending she’s nearby in LA, Alex negotiates a Sunday visit to avoid his Sabbath deadline, while recognizing his intent to control and possibly kill her.
Accepting she must go, Alex contacts Lethe board member Michael Anselm, secures travel funds, and prepares for a likely trap. The armory offers nothing she can carry on a plane to defend against a gangster, underscoring her vulnerability outside Yale’s magical protections.
Alex leaves Il Bastone, promising to return. She does—having finished her paperback and bearing the weight of fresh blood on her hands—implying a violent confrontation tied to Eitan that will haunt the present conflict.
Who Appears
- Alex SternProtagonist; spends summer alone at Il Bastone until Eitan’s call forces a risky LA trip.
- EitanIsraeli gangster and Len’s former supplier; threatens leverage over Alex via her mother and demands a meeting.
- Michael AnselmLethe board member; arranges and funds Alex’s immediate travel to Los Angeles.
- Mira SternAlex’s mother in Los Angeles; potential leverage for Eitan, prompting Alex’s compliance.
- Pamela DawesLethe colleague; away nannying, leaving Alex largely alone during summer.
- Michelle AlameddineAlly; difficult to reach over summer, limiting Alex’s planned collaboration.
- ShlomoEitan’s associate; surveils Mira’s apartment, signaling Eitan’s reach.