LOVING MY ENEMY'S SON

Chapter 5 – Leave Nothing Alive

Loving My Enemy's Son

By Ann E

Chapter 5 – Leave Nothing Alive

Instead...

It felt like the calm before another storm.

Rain tapped softly against the tall windows of the mountain estate while thick fog wrapped itself around the surrounding forest.

From the outside, the place looked impossible to find.

Hidden.

Untouchable.

Safe.

Gabriel knew better.

He stood in the control room, staring at a giant digital map covering the wall.

Red dots blinked across the country.

One after another.

Victor walked in carrying a tablet.

His face alone told Gabriel the news wasn't good.

"Our surveillance teams checked in."

Gabriel didn't turn around.

"Report."

Victor swallowed.

"They've expanded the search."

Gabriel remained silent.

"The men responsible for the Romano m******e aren't operating alone."

He placed the tablet on the table.

"They've contacted every allied family they have."

Another officer stepped forward.

"Our informants confirmed they're searching every private hospital."

"Every airport."

"Every border crossing."

"Every orphanage."

"Even funeral homes."

Gabriel's eyes finally moved.

"What are they looking for?"

Victor looked up.

"A mistake."

Silence settled over the room.

"They don't know what survived the fire."

"They're simply assuming something did."

Gabriel slowly folded his arms.

"They're smarter than I expected."

Another message arrived on the tablet.

Victor read it.

Then his expression darkened.

"They've also obtained security footage from roads surrounding the Romano estate."

Gabriel's jaw tightened.

"Can they identify anyone?"

"Not yet."

"But it's only a matter of time."

The room became unbearably quiet.

One of Gabriel's men spoke carefully.

"Sir..."

"We should move the girl."

Gabriel looked toward the rain-covered window.

He had chosen this estate because almost no one knew it existed.

Yet somehow...

It already felt exposed.

"We leave today."

No one questioned the order.

Everyone understood what it meant.

Their time had run out.

---

Upstairs...

Tiara sat quietly beside the bedroom window.

She hadn't slept much.

Every time she closed her eyes...

She saw flames.

She heard gunshots.

She heard her mother's voice telling her to hide.

Her small fingers tightened around the black phone resting in her lap.

She hadn't let go of it once.

A gentle knock sounded.

She didn't answer.

The door opened anyway.

Gabriel stepped inside.

He noticed the untouched breakfast.

Again.

"You haven't eaten."

Tiara kept looking outside.

"I'm not hungry."

"You haven't eaten since yesterday."

"I know."

Her voice was empty.

Gabriel walked over slowly.

The silence between them felt heavier than words.

After a while...

Tiara finally spoke.

"Can I ask you something?"

"You can ask me anything."

She turned toward him.

Her eyes were red from crying.

"...Can you take me back?"

Gabriel's heart sank.

"Back where?"

"Home."

The single word shattered the room.

"I want to see Mommy."

"And Daddy."

"I didn't get to say goodbye properly."

She looked down at her bandaged hand.

"I think..."

"They're waiting for me."

Gabriel knelt until they were at eye level.

"They aren't waiting anymore."

The words came gently.

But they still hurt.

Tiara's lips trembled.

"I know."

A tear rolled down her cheek.

"I just..."

"...I don't want the last time I saw them to be..."

She couldn't finish.

Gabriel understood.

The last memory she carried was blood.

Fear.

Death.

No child deserved that.

Without thinking, he reached out and gently wiped away the tear from her face.

"I can't take you back."

She lowered her head.

"The people who did this..."

"They're still looking."

"If they find you..."

"They'll finish what they started."

Tiara looked at him.

"Why?"

"I didn't do anything."

"No."

Gabriel's voice softened.

"You didn't."

"But evil doesn't always need a reason."

She stared at the phone in her hands.

"My mommy said to call you."

"She trusted you."

Gabriel's expression became unreadable.

"I know."

"Will you leave me too?"

The question caught him completely off guard.

For a long moment...

He couldn't answer.

Finally...

He shook his head.

"No."

His voice was quiet.

"As long as I'm alive..."

"No one will ever hurt you again."

Tiara searched his face.

Something in his eyes made her believe him.

For the first time since the massacre...

She gave the smallest nod.

---

A sharp knock broke the moment.

Victor entered without waiting.

"Sir."

Gabriel stood immediately.

"What happened?"

Victor handed him a secure phone.

"Our informant insists you take this."

Gabriel answered.

"This is Gabriel."

He listened.

The color slowly drained from his face.

"When?"

...

"How many?"

...

"I understand."

He ended the call.

Every person in the room watched him.

Victor spoke first.

"Sir?"

Gabriel looked toward the window.

His voice was calm.

Too calm.

"They've stopped searching randomly."

No one spoke.

"They know a survivor escaped."

The room froze.

"They don't know who..."

"...but they've issued one order."

Gabriel looked at Tiara.

She hugged the little black phone against her chest, completely unaware that dozens of killers were already searching for her.

He took a slow breath.

Then gave the order that changed everything.

"Prepare the jet."

Victor nodded.

"Where are we going, sir?"

Gabriel's eyes remained on Tiara.

His answer was cold.

"...Somewhere even ghosts can't find her."

Gabriel didn't waste a single second.

The moment he left Tiara's room, he strode back to his office.

Victor and the others followed close behind.

The atmosphere inside the room was heavy.

Everyone knew something had changed.

Gabriel stopped before the large window overlooking the estate.

Rain had stopped.

The mountains beyond the gates looked peaceful.

It was a dangerous illusion.

He turned.

"How long before the jet is ready?"

Victor answered immediately.

"Thirty minutes."

Gabriel nodded.

"Cancel it."

Silence.

Victor frowned.

"Sir?"

"We're not using the airfield anymore."

"What happened?"

Gabriel's expression remained unreadable.

"Our route has been compromised."

The room fell silent.

He walked to his desk and picked up a map.

"We'll leave by road."

One of his men hesitated.

"Sir... that's slower."

"It's also less predictable."

He looked at each of them.

"If they know where we're going..."

"They'll be waiting."

Nobody argued again.

Gabriel folded the map.

"Prepare three convoys."

Victor understood immediately.

"Decoys?"

Gabriel nodded.

"One travels north."

"One heads toward the airfield."

"The third follows me."

"Only six people will know which vehicle she's in."

Every man in the room straightened.

"Yes, sir."

Gabriel's gaze hardened.

"And if anyone asks..."

His voice became cold.

"There is no surviving Romano."

---

Upstairs...

A maid quietly placed a small travel bag on Tiara's bed.

"I packed some clothes for you."

Tiara looked at the bag without moving.

The maid smiled gently.

"If there's anything else you want to take..."

Tiara's eyes wandered around the unfamiliar room.

Then she slowly reached beneath the blanket.

She picked up the little black phone.

She slipped it carefully into the front pocket of the bag.

Next...

She reached into the bedside drawer.

Inside lay a framed family photograph that Gabriel's staff had recovered from the remains of the mansion.

The glass was cracked.

Ash stained one corner.

But her parents were still smiling.

Her father had his arm around her mother.

Little Tiara stood between them, laughing.

She held the photograph against her chest.

The maid's eyes filled with tears.

"Would you like me to pack it?"

Tiara shook her head.

"I'll carry it."

The maid nodded.

Then she noticed the old teddy bear sitting quietly on the chair.

"I can put that in your bag too."

Tiara walked over and hugged it tightly.

"My mommy gave him to me."

Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"He gets scared when he's alone."

The maid bit her lip to stop herself from crying.

"I understand."

She quietly zipped the travel bag.

Nothing else was added.

No toys.

No dresses.

No jewelry.

Only a phone...

A photograph...

And a teddy bear.

Everything left of eleven years of happiness.

---

A soft knock sounded at the door.

Gabriel stepped inside.

His eyes immediately fell on the photograph in Tiara's hands.

Neither of them spoke.

After a long silence, he knelt before her.

"We have to leave now."

She nodded quietly.

Then looked around the room one last time.

"When are we coming back?"

Gabriel didn't answer.

Instead, he picked up her small backpack and placed it over her shoulders.

She looked so tiny beneath its weight.

As they reached the doorway, Tiara stopped.

She turned toward the maid.

"If..."

She swallowed.

"If my mommy comes looking for me..."

The maid froze.

"...can you tell her I didn't want to leave?"

The room became painfully silent.

Gabriel slowly closed his eyes.

For one brief moment...

Even he struggled to breathe.

The maid knelt and gently kissed Tiara's forehead.

"I'll tell her."

Tiara smiled sadly.

"Thank you."

She took Gabriel's hand.

Together...

They walked out.

---

Three black convoys rolled through the estate gates.

Each one looked exactly the same.

Each carried armed guards.

Only one carried Tiara.

She sat quietly beside the window, clutching the family photograph on her lap.

The little black phone rested safely inside her backpack.

She watched the mountains disappear behind them.

Without realizing it...

She was leaving everything she had ever known.

Gabriel looked out through the opposite window.

His instincts refused to settle.

Something felt wrong.

Too quiet.

His secure phone suddenly vibrated.

The number displayed was one only Victor would recognize.

Gabriel answered immediately.

"This is Gabriel."

He listened.

His expression slowly hardened.

"What?"

Victor stared at him.

Gabriel didn't speak again until the call ended.

He lowered the phone.

The silence inside the vehicle became unbearable.

Victor leaned forward.

"Sir..."

Gabriel looked through the rear window.

His voice was calm.

Far too calm.

"Turn the convoy around."

Every driver spoke at once through the radio.

"Sir?"

Gabriel's eyes narrowed.

"They're waiting for us..."

He looked once at the little girl sitting quietly beside him, completely unaware that death was still following her.

Then he gave the order that changed everything.

"No one takes the highway."

A heartbeat later...

The lead security vehicle exploded.

To be continued...