Beneath His Shadows

CHAPTER 4

Her voice echoed down the hallway, turning a few heads as nurses and visitors glanced our way. I raised my hands slightly, palms open, a silent gesture of reassurance. But her panic was already setting in.

"You…why are you here?" she stammered, her breathing ragged as she clutched the cup of water against her chest like a fragile shield.

My gaze softened, the storm inside me momentarily forgotten. "I didn’t mean to scare you," I said, stepping back to give her space. "I just wanted to help."

"I don't need your help!" Her voice wavered, but the steel beneath it was unmistakable. Her hands trembled around the cup, water sloshing dangerously close to the rim.

I exhaled slowly, running a hand through my hair. I shouldn’t have approached her. Not like this. Not when the scent of smoke and blood still clung to me. But seeing her after everything, had loosened something inside my chest, something I didn’t know was locked so tight until now.

"Look...about earlier. I have your cane…"

"I don’t care!" she snapped, the sharpness of her words slicing through me more than they should have. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, her breaths shallow. I could see the walls she’d built around herself, brick by unyielding brick, and I was an unwelcome intruder standing at the gates.

"Hey...just breathe," I said softly, taking another cautious step forward. She tensed but didn’t retreat. "You’re safe. No one's going to hurt you."

Her lips pressed together in a thin line as if holding back the words she wanted to say. Her fingers clutched the paper cup so tightly that I feared it might crumple.

I wanted to say more—to explain, to reassure—but footsteps echoed down the corridor.

"Sofia!"

Her head turned toward the familiar voice of her mother, who hurried toward her with quick, anxious strides.

"Mama..." Sofia's voice cracked, her shoulders sagging as if the weight of the moment had finally caught up with her.

"What are you doing here all alone? I told you to wait in the waiting room!" Her mother’s gaze flicked to me, surprise and suspicion flickering in her eyes. "Who are you?"

"Zain Ricci," I answered, offering a polite nod. "I…uh…helped Sofia earlier. She dropped her cane, and I was about to return it."

"Ricci?" The name seemed to catch her attention. Her brows drew together slightly as if trying to place it.

"Thank you for your help, Mr. Ricci," she said, though her tone was guarded. She stepped closer to Sofia, placing a protective hand on her daughter's shoulder.

Sofia's grip on the cup loosened as her mother gently took it from her.

"Come, cara," she said softly, guiding Sofia away.

Sofia hesitated for a fraction of a second, her lips parting as if she wanted to say something, but the moment passed. She turned and walked away, her mother leading her down the corridor until they disappeared around the corner.

I stood frozen, the echoes of their footsteps fading into silence. My pulse still thundered beneath my skin, but for the first time in hours, it wasn’t from rage.

It was her.

Something about Sofia Rossi had slipped beneath my skin.

And somehow, I knew this wasn’t the last time our paths would cross.

I didn’t sleep that night.

Between the attack on my men and the image of Sofia’s frightened face burned into my mind, my thoughts refused to quiet.

By morning, Adrian had found her.

"Sofia Rossi," he confirmed, standing in my office with his phone in hand. "Daughter of Alessandro and Elena Rossi. Nineteen years old. Lost her eyesight in a car accident three years ago. Her parents are well-known philanthropists, clean in the public eye, but there are whispers of connections beneath the surface. Nothing confirmed, though."

I leaned back in my chair, fingers steepled beneath my chin as I absorbed the information. The Rossi name wasn’t unfamiliar, but until now, they’d existed on the edges of my world, distant, irrelevant.

Until Sofia.

"Where does she study?"

"Riverside University. Sophomore. Majoring in music composition."

Music. Of course. Something about her presence had that same quiet, haunting beauty.

"And her schedule?"

"Mostly predictable. Classes, campus library, occasional social events. Nothing out of the ordinary. But...there's a pattern. She doesn’t stay long at public gatherings. Leaves early, often alone."

I frowned. "Alone? Even after what happened last night?"

Adrian shrugged. "Seems like it. Either she’s stubborn or doesn’t like to rely on others."

Both, I thought. Definitely both.

"Anything else?"

Adrian hesitated. "There’s one more thing. Her father, Alessandro, he's recently been in talks with the Falcone family."

I stiffened, my pulse spiking. "Falcone?"

"Yeah. Small-time compared to us, but...ambitious. Rumors are they’re looking to expand their influence. Not enough to be a threat yet, but it’s something to keep an eye on."

Falcone.

The name stirred something dark inside me. I didn’t like the sound of it.

"Keep digging," I ordered, rising from my chair. "And make sure someone watches her. Discreetly. I don’t want her hurt."

Adrian paused. "You're really going down this road, huh?"

I met his gaze, unflinching. "I don't walk away from what I want, Adrian."

And I wanted her.

*********

Over the next week, I kept my distance. I told myself it was better that way.

But fate, fate had other plans.

It was a Friday afternoon when I found myself near Riverside University. The air was crisp, tinged with the promise of autumn, and students moved through the campus grounds, their laughter and chatter echoing through the air.

I shouldn’t have stopped. I should’ve driven past, ignored the pull tightening in my chest.

But then I saw her.

Sofia stood beneath the golden canopy of a maple tree, her hands lightly brushing the braille pages of a book resting on her lap. Her long, dark hair cascaded over her shoulders, catching the sunlight like strands of silk.

Unaware of the world around her, she tilted her face slightly toward the breeze as if listening to a melody only she could hear.

And just like that...I couldn’t look away.

I approached without thinking, my footsteps light against the grass. I didn’t stop until I stood just a few feet away, watching her fingers glide gracefully across the page.

"What are you reading?" I asked, my voice breaking the stillness between us.

She startled, her fingers freezing mid-sentence. Her head turned slightly, her brows drawing together as she tried to place the voice.

"...You," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

I swallowed the lump rising in my throat. "Yeah. Me."

A silence settled between us. Not awkward, but weighted with things unsaid.

"You didn’t return my cane," she finally said, her tone flat but not unkind.

I exhaled a soft laugh, more at myself than anything else. "No, I didn’t."

"Why?"

"Because...I wanted to see you again."

Her breath hitched ever so slightly.

I took a slow step closer, careful not to startle her. "Sofia...I know I probably shouldn’t be here. I know you don’t need saving, and you sure as hell don’t need some stranger hovering around you. But...I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you. Since that night. Since I saw you standing there, surrounded by people who didn’t see you the way they should have."

Silence.

Then, she closed the book on her lap, her fingers brushing the worn cover. "Why me?"

The question held a thousand meanings.

I stepped closer until her shoulders tensed slightly from my nearness. Carefully, I reached out and took her hand, the one not holding the book, my fingers brushing against hers with deliberate gentleness.

"I don't know," I admitted. "But I want to find out."

Her lips parted, a soft breath escaping as if she couldn’t decide whether to pull away or hold on.

Her walls were still there. I could feel them beneath my fingertips, sharp and unyielding.

But for the first time...I saw a crack.

And I intended to slip through it.

She didn't pull away.

Her fingers rested lightly against mine, hesitant but not rejecting. I held still, sensing that even the smallest movement could shatter this fragile moment.

"Zain," she murmured, my name like a whisper against the breeze. "You don’t even know me."

"I want to," I replied without hesitation. "More than I’ve wanted anything in a long time."

Her lips pressed together as if weighing my words, the rise and fall of her chest betraying the quickening of her breath. But then she stepped back, her hand slipping from mine like a thread slipping through my fingers.

"You shouldn't," she said softly. "People always leave when they realize I'm not what they expected."

Her words hit harder than I anticipated. I took a step forward, closing the distance she’d placed between us.

"I’m not 'people,' Sofia," I said, my voice low but steady. "I’m not going anywhere."

She let out a shaky breath, her fingers curling into the strap of her bag as if holding herself together. "You say that now..."

I wanted to close the space between us again, to take her hand and prove I meant every word. But I knew pushing too hard would only send her retreating further. So instead, I softened my tone, letting honesty bleed through my words.

"Then let me prove it."

Sofia's lips parted as if she might respond, but the distant chime of the campus bell cut through the air. Her head tilted slightly, listening to the sound.

"I should go," she said after a pause, stepping back again. "My class..."

"I'll walk you," I offered instinctively.

Her brow knit in hesitation. I could see the battle behind her eyes—trust versus fear, hope against the weight of disappointment.

"You don't have to," she murmured.

"I know. But I want to."

Silence stretched between us until she gave a small nod, so slight I might have missed it if I weren’t watching so closely. Without a word, I fell into step beside her, careful not to crowd her as her cane tapped against the pavement in a steady rhythm.

The hum of campus life faded into the background, and for the first time in a long time, I felt like I was exactly where I was supposed to be.