Surrounded
1066 Words
The alarm screamed through the bank.
Everyone froze.
"They've surrounded the building," the manager repeated, his face ghostly pale.
For one terrifying moment, nobody moved.
Then Adrian did.
"How many?"
The manager swallowed hard.
"At least eight cars."
Luca whistled softly.
"That's excessive."
Marco looked out through the small office window.
"It's more than eight."
Everyone looked at him.
"Try twelve."
Silence.
"That's even more excessive," Luca muttered.
Izzy's stomach dropped.
Twelve cars.
Twelve.
For her.
For a girl who worked in a bookstore and spent most of her life trying to stay unnoticed.
Her life had officially become insane.
"What do they want?" Gabriel asked.
No one answered.
Because they all knew.
Her.
Thomas looked pale.
"They came for the ledger."
"And for her," Adrian added.
Silence.
The room suddenly felt very small.
Very crowded.
Very dangerous.
Luca rubbed his face.
"So… I hate this."
"Join the club," Marco said.
Adrian's gaze remained fixed on the window.
"They knew we'd come here."
The words settled heavily over everyone.
Someone had tipped them off.
Again.
The realization made Izzy's blood run cold.
"There's another leak."
No one argued.
Because it was obvious.
No one should've known they were coming to the bank.
No one.
"We need to leave," Marco said.
"How?" Gabriel asked.
The younger man had a point.
The building was surrounded.
There wasn't exactly a secret tunnel.
Or so she hoped.
Luca suddenly looked at the manager.
"Please tell me there's a secret tunnel."
The manager blinked.
"No."
"Darn."
The man looked even more confused.
Adrian turned toward the bank manager.
"Is there another exit?"
"Loading dock in the back."
Marco nodded.
"I saw it."
"Can we get to it?" Thomas asked.
The manager swallowed.
"Maybe."
Maybe wasn't a very comforting answer.
Then—
A knock echoed through the bank.
Everyone froze.
Another knock.
Then a calm voice.
"Adrian."
Silence.
"I know you're in there."
A chill raced down Izzy's spine.
She knew that voice.
Vincent Moretti.
Again.
"Open the door."
Nobody moved.
A pause.
Then—
"We only want to talk."
Luca looked offended.
"That's never true."
"No," Adrian agreed.
"It's really never true."
The voice came again.
"You're making this difficult."
Silence.
Then—
"Izzy?"
Her blood turned to ice.
"I know you're in there."
No one breathed.
"I'd like to meet my cousin properly."
The room went completely still.
Cousin.
The word sounded wrong.
Foreign.
"Izzy," Adrian said quietly.
She looked at him.
"Stay behind me."
Her heart skipped.
"You keep saying that."
"Because people keep trying to kidnap you."
Fair.
Another knock.
Then Vincent spoke again.
"I know you have the ledger."
Everyone froze.
"They know."
Thomas looked horrified.
"How?"
Nobody answered.
Because nobody knew.
"Bring me the ledger," Vincent called, "and no one gets hurt."
Silence.
Luca sighed.
"He's definitely lying."
"He is," Adrian said.
"Good. Just making sure."
Izzy looked at the journal in Thomas's hands.
The Moretti Family Ledger.
All of this.
The attacks.
The secrets.
The lies.
Everything came back to this book.
A terrible thought occurred to her.
"What if we give it to them?"
Everyone looked at her.
"No."
Adrian's answer was immediate.
"But—"
"No."
"People are getting hurt because of it."
"They'll keep coming."
Silence.
"They won't stop," he said softly.
"Not after this."
She knew he was right.
She hated that he was right.
The knocking stopped.
A few moments later, Vincent spoke again.
"Very well."
The calmness in his voice was somehow worse.
"If you won't come out…"
Silence.
"...we'll come in."
Everyone's blood ran cold.
Then—
A loud crash echoed through the bank.
Screams sounded in the lobby.
Glass shattered.
The manager nearly fainted.
"They're inside!"
Everything exploded into motion.
Marco pulled out his weapon.
Luca did the same.
Thomas stepped in front of Gabriel.
And Adrian—
Stepped in front of Izzy.
Again.
She looked up at him.
"You always do that."
He didn't look away from the door.
"Do what?"
"Stand in front of me."
Silence.
Then—
"I always will."
Her heart forgot how to beat.
The door to the vault room burst open.
Everyone spun.
A young employee stumbled inside.
"They're coming!"
Another crash.
More shouting.
Then footsteps.
Getting closer.
"Time to go," Marco said.
Adrian nodded.
"The loading dock."
Everyone moved.
Fast.
The manager led them through a maze of hallways.
The sounds behind them grew louder.
Closer.
Someone shouted.
Someone else screamed.
Then—
A gunshot.
Izzy jumped.
Gabriel grabbed her hand.
She looked at him.
He looked just as scared.
For some reason…
That helped.
A little.
They reached the loading dock.
A large metal door blocked their way.
Marco pushed it open.
Sunlight poured inside.
For one beautiful second…
Hope.
Then—
A black SUV slid to a stop outside.
Another behind it.
Then another.
Men climbed out.
Armed men.
"Oh, come on," Luca groaned.
They were trapped.
Again.
Vincent stepped from the front vehicle.
He looked entirely too pleased.
"Hello again."
Nobody answered.
He looked at Izzy.
"You really are difficult to meet."
Adrian stepped forward.
"You need to leave."
Vincent smiled.
"No."
Silence.
"I've waited twenty-eight years for this."
Izzy frowned.
"For what?"
His smile softened.
"For family."
The word hit strangely.
Because somehow…
He sounded sincere.
That was unsettling.
"You don't know me," she said.
"No."
He looked sad.
"But I'd like to."
Silence.
Then—
"You look so much like Eleanor."
The mention of her mother made her chest tighten.
Vincent looked genuinely emotional.
"I missed her."
Nobody said anything.
"She was my favorite cousin."
Silence.
Then he looked at Adrian.
"You've told her nothing, haven't you?"
Adrian's expression hardened.
"I've told her enough."
"No."
Vincent smiled sadly.
"You really haven't."
He looked back at Izzy.
"Did he tell you why your mother left?"
Silence.
"No."
"Did he tell you who ordered her death?"
Everything stopped.
"What?"
Adrian's entire body went rigid.
Vincent's eyes never left hers.
"Did he tell you that?"
"No," she whispered.
The smile disappeared.
"I didn't think so."
She looked at Adrian.
His face had gone pale.
"Adrian?"
No answer.
"Why is he saying that?"
Silence.
"Adrian."
Still nothing.
Then Vincent delivered the words that shattered the world all over again.
"The person responsible for your mother's death…"
A long pause.
"...wasn't a Moretti."
No one moved.
No one breathed.
Vincent looked directly at Adrian.
"It was a DeLuca."
Complete silence.
- Writer
