DON GAVINO'S OBSESSION

011 : The Escape Attempt

✓✓✓

Neza

✓✓✓

The guards at the door had fortunately decided to drink all through because Gavino wasn’t going to be around for three days. I decided to use the opportunity. I’d been watching them since morning, pretending to be quiet and obedient, but my mind was already running a thousand miles ahead. If I stayed here any longer, Gavino would come back and I wouldn’t get another chance.

I asked one of them earlier to let me call my friend, to tell her I wouldn’t be coming to work for a while. He didn’t see any harm in that. They all thought I was too scared to try anything stupid. So I called Brian while the guards watched, their lazy eyes barely focusing on me. They didn’t understand a damn thing anyway. They were all Italians, and Brian was Chinese. I’d learned a few phrases from him just to make sure I could talk freely when I needed to. He still spoke English, but when it came to danger, we used his language. It was safer that way.

“Just say it naturally, don’t pause,” Brian had told me once, “so they don’t suspect.”

So that’s what I did. I told him I needed his help, that I couldn’t stay any longer, that Gavino would be back in three days and if he found out I tried to contact anyone, I was done for. Brian didn’t even hesitate. He just said, “Okay, I’ll come tonight.”

That night, the guards were drunk beyond sense. They’d opened bottles after dinner, and the smell of beer filled the hall. I stayed quiet in my room, waiting. I could hear them laughing, playing cards, cursing in their heavy accents. The laughter made my skin crawl. It reminded me that these were the same men who’d locked me up like an animal just because their boss said so.

When I heard one of them knock on my door to check if I was still inside, I quickly fixed my hair, pretended to look half asleep.

“What do you want?” I asked.

He smiled stupidly, bottle in hand. “You still awake, Miss?”

“Yeah,” I muttered, pretending to yawn. “I just remembered my friend said he’d send me pizza later. You can let him in when he gets here, right?”

He laughed, stumbling a little. “Pizza? Sure, sure. You tell him to come.”

“Thank you,” I said softly, forcing a smile. “You’re sweet.”

That did it. His ego was satisfied enough for him to stumble away, laughing again with his buddies. i***t.

An hour later, I heard the faint knock. Three short taps. That was Brian’s signal. I opened the door carefully. The hallway was dim, but I could see one of the guards passed out on the chair beside the TV. Another was snoring on the couch. The third? I didn’t even care where he was. I just needed to get out.

Brian was dressed in a black hoodie and jeans, his backpack slung low, eyes sharp. “You ready?” he whispered.

“More than ready,” I whispered back, grabbing the small bag I’d packed earlier.

We moved fast but quiet. My heart was pounding so loud I was scared it would wake them up. I’d never done something this risky in my life. But staying here, waiting for Gavino to come back and decide what punishment I deserved, was even worse.

As we reached the back door, one of the guards stirred. I froze. Brian caught my wrist and pulled me behind him. The man groaned, shifted, then settled back into his drunken sleep. My breath came out in a shaky exhale.

Outside, the night air hit me like freedom. Cold, sharp, real. For the first time in days, I could breathe without feeling watched.

Brian started the car he’d parked a few blocks away. We didn’t speak until we were far enough from the house that I couldn’t see the gates anymore. My hands were shaking.

“You did good,” he said, glancing at me.

“I almost died back there,” I muttered. “If one of them had woken up—”

“But they didn’t,” he said firmly. “You’re out. That’s what matters.”

I leaned back against the seat, still trying to process the fact that I’d actually escaped. Gavino would lose his mind when he found out. The thought sent a mix of fear and satisfaction through me. I wanted him to know what it felt like to lose control for once.

We drove straight to Brian’s loft downtown. He lived above an old bookstore, quiet and out of sight. The place smelled like coffee and paper. It was small but clean, his computers lined up against the wall, screens flashing codes and images I didn’t understand.

“You can stay here for now,” he said, locking the door behind us. “But not for long. If he’s half as dangerous as you’ve described, he’ll look for you.”

“I know.” I dropped my bag on the couch. “I just need time. Enough to figure out what really happened to my parents. I can’t let him bury that truth again.”

Brian nodded, typing fast on one of his laptops. “I already started digging. You mentioned Blodwyn, right? I checked their system. Some files were wiped, but not all. There’s something about a ‘project Raven’ connected to your dad’s company.”

My stomach twisted. “You think Blodwyns’s involved?”

Brian looked up at me. “You said your father was tied to Blodwyn before he died, right? Then maybe yes. I just need more time to trace who’s covering what.”

I sat on the couch, hugging a pillow. My head was pounding. I hadn’t slept properly in days. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Gavino’s face, that cold stare, the way his voice dropped when he was angry. The way he could make a threat sound like a promise.

“You okay?” Brian asked.

“Yeah,” I lied. “Just tired.”

He kept typing. The clicking of his keyboard filled the silence.

A few hours later, he turned around. “I think I got something. There’s a journalist. He wrote a story years ago about Blodwyn’s illegal experiments. His name’s Marco Lucci, but his current location’s hidden. He went off-grid after the article was pulled.”

I frowned. “You can find him?”

“I’m trying. Give me a few days.”

“Few days?” I sighed. “That’s risky.”

He shrugged. “You escaped a mafia boss tonight, Neza. Let me handle this part.”

I couldn’t argue with that. I got up and went to the kitchen, opening the fridge. There wasn’t much there…some leftover noodles, a few drinks, a bar of chocolate. I picked what looked edible and started eating straight from the container.

Brian didn’t even look up. He was lost in his screens, probably tracking a dozen things at once. His face was lit by the glow of the monitor, his eyes focused and tired.

“This is the last time I drag you into my mess,” I said softly, sitting back on the couch.

He glanced at me briefly. “You always say that.”

I smiled weakly. “Yeah, but this time I mean it.”

He chuckled, shaking his head. “Sure you do.”

I took another bite, staring at the wall, trying to push away the guilt. I knew what would happen if Gavino ever found out Brian helped me. He’d kill him without blinking. That was how he worked…cold, efficient, merciless.

The thought made my chest tighten.

“Brian,” I said after a long pause, “thank you.”

He didn’t answer, just raised a hand without looking up. “Eat. Rest. You’ll need your head clear tomorrow.”

I nodded, even though I knew sleep wouldn’t come easy. I’d escaped the house, but I hadn’t escaped Gavino. Not really. He’d find me. Nothing gets past that bastard.

Still, for now, I had a roof over my head, a plan, and a chance to uncover the truth. That had to count for something.

I curled up on the couch, listening to the faint hum of Brian’s computer, the steady tapping of his fingers on the keys.