Blood never sleeps
1017 Words
The storm returned just before sunset.
Dark clouds swallowed the sky above the Romano estate, and the wind howled through the towering pine trees surrounding the mansion. Inside, Isabella paced the length of her bedroom, Luca's words replaying in her mind.
"Your mother was murdered."
The sentence refused to leave her.
It had to be a lie.
It had to be.
Her mother had died in a tragic car accident when Isabella was only six years old. That was the story everyone knew. Her father had never suggested otherwise. The police had closed the case years ago.
So why had Luca sounded so certain?
A knock came at her door.
"Come in."
Rosa stepped inside.
"Mr. Romano requests your presence."
"I suppose saying no isn't an option."
Rosa offered a small smile.
"Not really."
Isabella sighed and followed her downstairs.
Instead of leading her to the library, Rosa stopped outside a heavy oak door she hadn't seen before.
"He is waiting inside."
Rosa walked away.
Isabella hesitated before pushing the door open.
The room was unlike the rest of the mansion.
Instead of expensive paintings and antique furniture, it was filled with computer screens displaying maps, security feeds, and scrolling data. Several men and women worked silently at their stations, each focused on a different task.
It looked less like a home...
...and more like the headquarters of a military operation.
Luca stood in front of one of the screens.
"You're here."
"I didn't exactly have a choice."
"No."
He handed her a tablet.
"Look."
She glanced at the screen.
It showed security footage from outside the estate.
A black SUV was parked on a distant hillside, partially hidden by trees.
"The same vehicle has appeared three times in the last twenty-four hours."
"Who are they?"
"We don't know."
"But they're watching us."
"They're watching you."
Her stomach tightened.
"What do they want?"
"If they know who you are..."
He didn't finish the sentence.
He didn't have to.
A sharp voice interrupted them.
"Boss."
One of the security officers turned toward Luca.
"We've intercepted a message."
"What does it say?"
The man swallowed.
"'Phase Two begins tonight.'"
Silence filled the room.
Every face became serious.
Luca's expression hardened.
"Raise security to maximum."
The room exploded into activity.
Phones rang.
Orders were shouted.
Security cameras switched views.
Doors throughout the mansion automatically locked.
Isabella watched in confusion.
"What's happening?"
Luca looked directly at her.
"They're coming."
---
Within minutes the peaceful estate transformed into a fortress.
Black SUVs rolled through the gates.
Armed guards took positions around the property.
Floodlights illuminated every inch of the surrounding grounds.
Even the windows were reinforced with steel shutters.
Isabella had never seen anything like it.
"This is insane."
"It's necessary."
"For one person?"
"For the wrong person."
She folded her arms.
"You still haven't told me why I'm so important."
Luca remained silent.
His phone vibrated.
He answered immediately.
"Report."
A voice crackled through the speaker.
"We've lost visual on the SUV."
"Search every access road."
"Already doing it."
The call ended.
Luca slipped the phone back into his pocket.
"They've disappeared."
"Isn't that good?"
"No."
His gray eyes narrowed.
"It means they're already closer."
---
An hour later, the power suddenly went out.
The mansion fell into darkness.
A second later...
The emergency generators roared to life.
Red security lights illuminated the hallways.
An alarm echoed throughout the estate.
One of the guards ran into the control room.
"Boss!"
"What happened?"
"They cut the main power line."
Luca didn't panic.
Instead, he calmly reached into a nearby cabinet and removed a handgun.
Then another.
He handed one to his head of security.
"Protect the east wing."
"Yes, sir."
He turned to Isabella.
"Stay behind me."
"I don't even know how to use a gun."
"I hope you won't have to."
Another explosion echoed outside.
The windows shook violently.
"What was that?"
"The front gate."
---
Outside, masked men poured through the smoke.
Dressed entirely in black, they moved with military precision.
This wasn't a random attack.
It had been carefully planned.
Inside the mansion, guards exchanged gunfire with the intruders.
Bullets shattered glass.
Marble columns splintered.
The once peaceful estate had become a battlefield.
Isabella froze.
This couldn't be real.
She had only arrived yesterday.
How had her life changed so completely?
Luca grabbed her wrist.
"Move!"
They sprinted through a hidden doorway behind the library.
The passage was narrow and dimly lit.
"You have secret tunnels?"
"My grandfather believed in preparing for everything."
Gunfire echoed behind them.
Someone shouted.
Another explosion shook the walls.
"They're inside," Isabella whispered.
"Yes."
They reached a steel door.
Luca entered a security code.
The door slid open.
Inside was a reinforced panic room stocked with food, water, medical supplies, and surveillance monitors.
"You'll stay here."
"What about you?"
"I'm ending this."
"No!"
She grabbed his arm.
"You can't go back out there alone."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"I'm never alone."
He gently removed her hand.
"For once in your life..."
"...trust me."
Before she could answer, he stepped outside and sealed the heavy door behind him.
The lock clicked.
She was trapped.
---
Isabella rushed to the surveillance monitors.
Camera after camera showed chaos.
Guards fought throughout the mansion.
Masked attackers searched every room.
Then one camera caught Luca.
He moved through the corridors with terrifying precision.
Every movement was calm.
Calculated.
He disarmed one attacker before knocking him unconscious.
Another charged him.
Within seconds, the man lay motionless on the floor.
Luca never hesitated.
Never wasted energy.
He fought like someone who had spent his entire life surviving.
Suddenly...
One of the cameras flickered.
A masked man slipped into the hallway behind Luca.
He silently raised his rifle.
Isabella's heart stopped.
"Luca!"
He couldn't hear her.
The gunman aimed.
His finger tightened on the trigger.
A single shot echoed through the mansion.
The screen went black.
Isabella stared in horror, unable to breathe.
"No..."
Outside the panic room, silence followed.
She didn't know who had been hit.
Only one thing was certain.
Nothing would ever be the same again.
- Writer
