Chapter 3: Hidden Knives
747 Words
Ari sat in the large library of the Romano estate. The room was quiet, filled with tall shelves and the smell of old books. A fire burned gently in the fireplace. She liked this room. It was peaceful—safe.
She had only been here for two days, but already she had learned a lot.
The Romanos were strong.
But they were also careless.
She watched everything. Every guard. Every hallway. Every door that was locked—and more importantly, the ones that weren’t.
Ari wasn’t just here for peace.
She was also here to spy.
Her brother had told her:
> “Be smart. Be quiet. Find out what they’re hiding.”
And she was good at that.
But Dominic was starting to make her job harder.
Because every time she was alone, he showed up.
Like now.
The door opened, and Dominic stepped into the library.
He wore black again—always black. His hair was messy as usual, and his green eyes were alert, watching her carefully.
“Thought I’d find you here,” he said.
Ari didn’t look at him right away. She finished reading the page in her book, then slowly raised her eyes.
She signed: [Why do you always follow me?]
Dominic smiled. “Maybe I like the way you don’t talk.”
Ari narrowed her eyes. She signed quickly:
[Maybe I don’t like the way you do.]
Dominic laughed. “Fair enough.”
He walked over and sat across from her. There was a pause, a heavy silence. But it wasn’t uncomfortable.
Dominic reached into his jacket and pulled out a small notebook.
“I brought something,” he said. “Help me learn.”
He placed the notebook on the table between them. Inside were messy drawings of hand signs, simple words like “hello,” “danger,” “run.”
Ari looked at the notebook, then up at him. She looked… surprised.
He was trying. Really trying.
She tapped her fingers against her chin, then pointed to him: [You. Learn. Fast.]
Dominic raised an eyebrow. “Was that a compliment?”
Ari gave him a small smile.
Maybe.
---
They spent the next hour in the library, facing each other. Ari signed slowly, teaching him basic signs. Dominic watched carefully, copying her hand movements, sometimes messing up, sometimes getting it right.
Every time he got a sign wrong, Ari would give him a look—a mix of teasing and patience.
And every time she smiled, Dominic’s chest felt strange. Warm.
She was beautiful when she smiled. Not just her face—her silence became soft instead of sharp.
He didn’t know what to do with that feeling.
So he didn’t do anything.
---
Later that day, Ari walked through the hallway, alone.
She moved quietly, like a shadow.
She wasn’t going to her room.
She was going somewhere secret.
She had memorized the map of the house already. The kitchen, the library, the private office… and the locked door near the east wing.
That door mattered.
She had seen three guards near it on the first day. None now. Maybe they thought she was too quiet to notice.
She reached the door and pulled a small tool from her coat.
Ari wasn’t just smart. She was trained. Her father had taught her how to pick locks when she was fifteen.
Click.
The door opened silently.
She stepped inside.
It was a storage room. But not for food or clothes.
It was full of weapons.
Guns, knives, crates marked in Russian.
So this was it.
The Romano family’s secret arms room.
She pulled out her phone and snapped two quick photos.
Then—
“Hey!”
A voice behind her.
A guard.
She turned, but before he could call anyone, she moved fast.
Ari stepped in close, elbowed him in the stomach, then hit his knee. The guard dropped with a groan.
She didn’t want to kill him.
But she couldn’t be caught.
She ran out the door, down the hall, and into the kitchen, blending in with the staff like nothing had happened.
---
That night, Dominic sat in his room, thinking about her again.
About how fast her hands moved when she signed.
About how still she could be when watching him.
He wanted to ask her questions. Not about the families, not about the war.
About her.
But he didn’t know if she’d answer.
Still, he was learning.
And he wasn’t going to stop.
- Writer
