She Signs
1114 Words
Sofia
The call didn't reconnect. I stared at the "Call Ended" message on my screen for a few seconds before shoving the phone into my pocket.
"Stay here," I said to Dante. I didn't wait for him to agree. I was already moving toward the door.
The guard in the hallway stepped aside before I even reached for the handle. He didn't look surprised to see me rushing out. He looked like he had been briefed on exactly how this would go. I hurried down the long, quiet hallway, my heart thumping against my ribs. By the time I hit the sidewalk and waved down a taxi, my hands had stopped shaking, but my head was spinning.
Nina never hung up like that. She was the kind of person who talked until you had to force her off the phone. That silence hadn't been an accident. It had been an interruption.
"Russo Street," I told the driver.
Every red light felt like it lasted ten minutes. I watched the meter click, refusing to check my phone again. If something was wrong, I would know soon enough. When the cab finally pulled up to my house, everything looked exactly the same. The sun was out, the street was quiet, and the front door was unlocked.
I pushed it open and stepped inside. "Mama?"
No one answered.
"Nina?"
Still nothing. My chest felt tight, but I didn't call out a third time. I walked through the living room and checked the kitchen. It was spotless. There were no knocked-over chairs or broken plates. That didn't make me feel better; it made me feel sick. If someone had taken them, they had done it professionally.
I walked to the back of the house and pushed open Nina’s bedroom door. She was sitting on her bed, leaning against the headboard and scrolling through her phone. She looked completely bored.
"Nina," I said, leaning against the doorframe.
She looked up, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Oh. You’re back early."
"Why did you call me?"
She caught the edge in my voice and frowned. "I didn't call you."
"You didn't just call me two minutes ago?"
"No," she said, holding up her phone. "I've been watching videos all afternoon. Why?"
I pulled out my own phone and showed her the call log. Her name was right there at the top. She shrugged, looking back down at her screen. "I don't know what to tell you, Sof. My phone has been right next to me."
I scanned the room. Everything was in its place.
"You're sure you didn't leave the house?" I asked.
"Positive. What is wrong with you?"
I let out a long breath. "Nothing. Just stay inside, okay?"
"I am inside," she muttered.
I walked back to the kitchen. My mother was standing by the sink, looking out the window. She didn't turn around when I walked in.
"You went out?" she asked.
"Yes."
She didn't ask where. Instead, she kept staring at something across the street. I moved to her side and followed her gaze. A black sedan was idling at the curb. The windows were tinted, and the engine was running. It wasn't trying to hide. It was just sitting there, watching our front door.
I realized then that the call hadn't been a glitch. It was a demonstration. Dante didn't have to hurt Nina to win. He just had to show me that he could get to her, trigger her phone, and stand outside our house without anyone noticing.
"Where are you going now?" my mother asked as I headed for the door.
"To finish this," I said.
She didn't try to stop me. She just kept watching the car.
The same sedan drove me back to the glass building. The same driver held the door. When I walked back into the office, Dante was in the exact same chair, as if he hadn't moved an inch since I left.
"You came back," he said.
"I'm signing."
I didn't wait for him to speak. I walked to the desk where the folder was still waiting. I picked up the pen and opened the contract to the signature page. I didn't read the rules again. I already knew I was trapped. My hand didn’t shake as I held the pain and that scared me more than anything.
"This doesn't mean you're right," I said, looking him in the eye.
"It means you're practical," he replied.
I signed my name. The ink looked dark and permanent on the white paper. I set the pen down and pushed the folder toward him. "It's done."
Dante closed the book. He didn't look happy or victorious. He just looked satisfied, the way a man does when a machine starts working correctly. "Yes. It is."
He stood up for the first time. "Go home and pack. One bag."
"That's all?"
"That's all you'll need. My staff will handle the rest."
"You planned this," I said. "The call, the car outside my house. All of it."
"Yes," he said.
I nodded once, turned, and walked out. No one stopped me this time.
Back at the house, the rooms felt smaller. I moved through my bedroom, throwing clothes and basic necessities into a duffel bag. I didn't take any photos or keepsakes. Those things belonged to the person I was yesterday.
My mother stood in the doorway, watching me zip the bag shut. "I'll call you," I promised.
"If they let you," she said. Her voice was flat, devoid of hope.
Nina came in a moment later. She saw the bag and her face fell, but she didn't ask the questions I was afraid of answering. "You're leaving for the whole year?"
"Yes."
"Okay," she whispered.
I hugged her, then my mother, and walked out the front door. The black car was already waiting at the curb. I got into the backseat and looked at the driver through the rearview mirror. He was older, with a scarred jaw and sharp eyes.
"I'm Marco," he said, though he didn't look back at me. He put the car in gear and pulled away.
I watched my house disappear as we turned the corner. I wasn't a daughter or a sister anymore. I was a contract.
We drove for ten minutes in silence before I noticed a silver SUV trailing us. It stayed three car lengths back, matching our speed perfectly. Every time Marco turned, the SUV followed.
"Are we being followed?" I asked.
Marco’s eyes flicked to mine in the mirror, then back to the road. "Yes."
"Is that a problem?"
He shifted gears, his expression unchanging. "That depends on who wants you."
- Writer
