SHADOWS IN THE SAFE HOUSE
732 Words
Chapter 13
The mansion was quiet—too quiet.
Raina sat on the edge of the bed after Luca left, her fingers brushing the place on her skin where he’d touched her. It still tingled. His words replayed in her mind:
“Don’t be afraid of me. Be afraid of every man who isn’t me.”
A warning.
A promise.
She didn’t know which.
The silence made her uneasy. Luca’s home felt like a fortress, but after everything she’d seen… she knew danger didn’t always knock.
Sometimes, it slipped in.
She stood slowly and walked toward the balcony doors. The city lights glittered outside, distant and safe-looking—like a world she no longer belonged to.
Then she heard it.
A soft click.
Close.
Inside the room.
Her breath froze.
Before she could turn, a hand clamped over her mouth from behind.
Raina screamed into the palm, panic flooding her veins. The man behind her gripped her tightly, yanking her backward. She fought, clawing at his arm, kicking, twisting, but he was strong—too strong.
“Come quietly,” he hissed. “Don’t make it worse.”
Her legs buckled from terror.
How did he get in? How did anyone get past Luca’s men?
“I was paid to take you,” the man whispered, dragging her toward the door. “Alive is preferred. But dead works too.”
Her vision blurred.
“No—STOP!” she cried, her voice muffled.
The man shoved her, and she stumbled into the dresser—pain shot through her arm.
Then—
The door slammed open.
Luca stood there.
Not calm.
Not controlled.
Not composed.
His eyes were pure fire.
“What,” he said slowly, voice deadly and shaking with rage, “are you doing… in her room?”
The intruder tightened his hold on Raina. “You stay back, Moretti, or I’ll—”
He didn’t finish.
Luca moved faster than Raina could blink.
A single gunshot ripped through the room.
The intruder dropped.
Raina collapsed to her knees, trembling violently. Her whole body shook, her breath coming in shallow bursts. She pressed her hands to the floor, trying to steady herself.
Luca crossed the room and knelt in front of her, gripping her shoulders firmly—but gently.
“Raina. Look at me.”
She didn’t. She couldn’t.
“Raina,” he said again, his voice breaking for the first time, “look at me.”
She lifted her eyes.
And there it was—something she never expected to see.
Not cruelty.
Not anger.
Not control.
Fear.
Luca Moretti… was afraid.
“I thought I lost you,” he whispered.
Her breath hitched. “H-how did he get in?”
Luca cursed under his breath and pulled her into his arms—tight, protective, desperate. She stiffened at first, but the moment she felt the warmth of his body, the strength in his grip, she collapsed against him, sobbing into his chest.
His hand slid into her hair, holding her head close. “I swear on my life,” he murmured against her temple, voice raw, “no one touches you again. No one lays a hand on you. They will all die before they get near you.”
Raina clutched his shirt, trembling uncontrollably. “I was so scared…”
“I know,” he whispered. “I know.”
He pulled back slightly, cupping her face in both hands. His thumbs brushed her tears away with a tenderness she didn’t expect from a man like him.
“Raina…” He looked into her eyes, completely undone. “…I can’t lose you.”
Her heart pounded. Her breath caught. Their faces were inches apart. The tension between them—fear, adrenaline, emotion—wrapped around them like fire.
He leaned closer.
Then stopped.
His forehead touched hers, his breath warm against her lips. “Tell me to stop,” he whispered, voice trembling. “Tell me, and I will.”
Raina didn’t speak.
She couldn’t.
Her silence… was an answer.
Luca’s breath stilled.
Then—
A knock shattered the moment.
“Boss! Emergency downstairs!”
Luca clenched his jaw, fury flashing in his eyes. He stood, pulling Raina gently to her feet.
“You’re coming with me,” he said, gripping her hand. “I’m not leaving you alone again.”
And this time…
She didn’t let go.
- Writer
