Safe Between Monsters

CHAPTER 15

WINTER POV

The house didn’t feel like a house anymore.

It felt like a target.

Every shadow stretched too long. Every sound felt too sharp. Even the walls seemed thinner—like danger could slip through if it tried hard enough.

Marcus disappearing wasn’t relief.

It was worse.

Because Marcus didn’t disappear.

Marcus planned.

And now… we didn’t know where he was.

“No signal. No transactions. No movement.”

Luca’s voice cut through the room, tight with focus as his fingers moved quickly across the keyboard.

“He didn’t just go dark,” he continued. “He erased himself.”

Kai leaned back against the table, jaw tight. “Nobody just erases themselves overnight.”

“He had help,” Dante said.

Of course he did.

My stomach twisted.

“From who?” I asked.

Dante’s eyes flicked to me.

“That’s what we’re about to find out.”

Hours passed.

No one left the room.

No one relaxed.

Security doubled.

Then tripled.

Every camera feed stayed up.

Every door locked.

But still—

Something felt off.

Like we were missing something obvious.

Something right in front of us.

“You’re thinking too hard.”

Kai’s voice came from behind me.

I turned slightly. “Excuse me?”

He stepped closer, crossing his arms. “You’re trying to predict him like he’s logical.”

“He is logical.”

“No,” Kai said, shaking his head slightly. “He’s obsessed. That’s different.”

I frowned.

“Explain.”

Kai tilted his head, studying me.

“He doesn’t want to disappear forever,” he said. “He wants to disappear long enough for you to panic.”

My chest tightened.

“He wants you off balance,” Kai continued. “Wants you looking over your shoulder. Waiting.”

“He already does that,” I muttered.

“Not like this,” Dante said quietly.

We all looked at him.

“He’s changing tactics,” Dante continued. “Before, he chased. Now—”

“He’s making us come to him,” Luca finished.

Silence.

Heavy.

That made sense.

Too much sense.

“So what do we do?” I asked.

Dante’s gaze darkened.

“We stop reacting.”

Kai smirked slightly. “Finally.”

“And start forcing him out.”

“How?” I asked.

Dante didn’t answer right away.

Which meant I wasn’t going to like it.

Finally—

“We bait him.”

My stomach dropped.

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No,” I repeated, sharper this time. “Absolutely not.”

Kai raised a brow. “You didn’t even hear the plan.”

“I don’t need to. If it involves me being bait, the answer is no.”

Silence.

Then—

“It involves you,” Dante said.

Of course it did.

My chest tightened.

“I’m not doing that.”

“You don’t have a choice.”

Anger flared instantly.

“There it is again,” I snapped. “You don’t get to decide that for me.”

Dante stepped closer.

Calm.

Too calm.

“He’s already hunting you,” he said. “We’re just choosing where it happens.”

“That’s insane.”

“That’s strategy.”

“That’s using me.”

“That’s protecting you,” he shot back.

I let out a sharp breath.

“By putting me in danger?”

“You’re already in danger,” Kai cut in. “This just gives us control.”

I shook my head. “No. This gives him exactly what he wants.”

Luca stepped in then, voice softer.

“Not exactly.”

I looked at him.

“He wants you alone,” Luca said gently. “Unprotected. Desperate.”

His eyes held mine.

“That’s not what this would be.”

I hesitated.

Because that…

That was true.

Still—

“It feels wrong,” I admitted quietly.

“It is wrong,” Dante said.

That caught me off guard.

“What?”

“This entire situation is wrong,” he continued. “But we don’t get to choose clean solutions.”

Silence.

Then—

“You said you don’t want to run anymore,” he added.

I swallowed.

“I don’t.”

“Then this is how we stop running.”

The words settled deep.

Uncomfortable.

Heavy.

But real.

“What’s the plan?” I asked finally.

Kai’s smile was slow.

“There she is.”

“Don’t push it,” I muttered.

Luca turned the laptop toward me, pulling up a map.

“We leak your location,” he said. “Not here. Somewhere controlled.”

“A trap,” I said.

“Yes.”

Dante stepped closer beside me.

“Security will be everywhere,” he said. “Hidden. Armed. Ready.”

“And you?” I asked.

“Closer than anyone else.”

My heart skipped slightly.

“Always.”

I looked at the map.

A quiet place.

Too quiet.

“He’ll come?” I asked.

Kai laughed under his breath. “For you? Without hesitation.”

That didn’t feel good.

It felt…

Heavy.

“But what if he doesn’t?” I asked.

Dante’s voice was steady.

“He will.”

No doubt.

No hesitation.

And somehow—

That scared me more than anything.

Later…

When everything was set—

When the plan was in motion—

When there was no turning back—

I stood in my room, staring at my reflection again.

Same face.

Same eyes.

But something had changed.

Not just fear anymore.

Not just survival.

Something sharper.

Something that matched them.

A knock came at the door.

I didn’t have to ask who it was.

“Come in.”

Dante stepped inside.

Alone.

Of course.

“You ready?” he asked.

“No.”

He nodded once. “Good.”

I blinked. “Good?”

“Means you understand the risk.”

I let out a quiet breath.

“Do you ever get scared?”

The question slipped out before I could stop it.

Dante paused.

Then stepped closer.

“Not for myself.”

My chest tightened.

“For them?” I asked.

His gaze locked onto mine.

“For you.”

The air shifted.

Again.

Too intense.

Too real.

“Why?” I asked softly.

A pause.

Then—

“Because you’re the only variable I can’t control.”

My breath caught.

Before I could respond—

He stepped even closer.

Too close now.

His hand lifted.

Brushed my hair back gently.

“You stay close to me tonight,” he said quietly.

“Always.”

My heart was racing again.

Not from fear.

Not anymore.

“Okay,” I whispered.

For a second—

Just a second—

It felt like he might lean in.

Like he might finally cross that line.

But instead—

He stepped back.

Control snapping back into place.

“Let’s go.”

Outside…

The car waited.

Engine running.

Tension thick.

Kai leaned against the door, eyes scanning everything.

Luca stood nearby, already on his phone, coordinating security.

The night felt heavy.

Like it knew something was coming.

I stepped forward.

No turning back now.

Kai opened the car door for me, a smirk playing on his lips.

“Ready to play bait, princess?”

I rolled my eyes. “Don’t call me that.”

“Noted,” he said, clearly not noting it at all.

I got in anyway.

Dante slid in beside me.

Close.

Too close.

The door shut.

The car pulled away.

And just like that—

We drove straight into the trap.

But in the back of my mind…

One thought wouldn’t go away.

Marcus wasn’t stupid.

Marcus wasn’t predictable.

Which meant—

What if this wasn’t our trap?

What if…

It was his?