Chapter 3: Hunted
1145 Words
The feeling began the next morning.
It was subtle.
Almost invisible.
Yet impossible to ignore.
Ariana Castillo stood at the crowded bus stop, clutching a paper cup of coffee while checking the time on her phone.
7:42 A.M.
She had barely slept.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the cold gray eyes of the man in the black suit.
“You’re imagining things,” she whispered to herself.
The bus arrived with a loud hiss. Ariana climbed aboard and found a seat near the window.
As the bus pulled away, something caught her attention.
A black SUV.
It was parked across the street.
Its windows were heavily tinted.
She frowned.
When the bus turned the corner, the SUV pulled out behind it.
Ariana’s grip tightened around her coffee.
Coincidence.
It had to be.
She tried to focus on the passing buildings, but every time she glanced through the window, the same SUV remained several cars behind.
When she finally reached the Grand Celestia Hotel, the vehicle drove past without stopping.
She let out a shaky breath.
“See? You’re just paranoid.”
But the uneasy feeling stayed.
“Morning, sleepyhead.”
Nicole Reyes handed Ariana a cup of hot chocolate as soon as she stepped behind the reception desk.
“You look terrible.”
“I barely slept.”
Nicole raised an eyebrow.
“Nightmares?”
Ariana forced a smile.
“You could say that.”
Throughout the morning, Ariana struggled to focus.
She entered the wrong room number twice.
Forgot to hand a guest their receipt.
Nearly dropped a tray of glasses.
“You’re definitely distracted,” Nicole teased.
“You should take a vacation.”
“I wish.”
Her phone vibrated.
An unknown number.
She answered cautiously.
“Hello?”
Silence.
Only faint static.
“Hello?”
The call ended.
She frowned.
A few minutes later…
Another unknown number.
Again, no one spoke.
By lunchtime, she had received five mysterious calls.
Nicole peeked over her shoulder.
“Secret admirer?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Block the number.”
“I did.”
Her phone buzzed again.
Different number.
Same silence.
A chill crawled up Ariana’s spine.
Across town…
The executive conference room at De Luca Holdings was silent.
Several men in expensive suits stood around a massive digital screen displaying Ariana’s daily routine.
Photographs.
Addresses.
Work schedule.
Favorite café.
Bus route.
Everything.
Luca Romano clicked a button, bringing up a map.
“Our surveillance teams have confirmed her movements.”
Damien sat at the head of the table, listening without expression.
“She’s unaware?”
“For now.”
“And the phone calls?”
“Just enough to make her nervous.”
Damien folded his hands.
“Good.”
One of the younger men frowned.
“Boss… why not eliminate the witness now?”
The room instantly fell silent.
Damien slowly looked at him.
The young man swallowed.
Damien’s calm voice was somehow more terrifying than shouting.
“I didn’t ask for your opinion.”
“I’m… sorry, Boss.”
Damien stood.
“No one touches the girl.”
The order surprised everyone.
Even Luca.
Instead of explaining himself, Damien adjusted the cuff of his suit.
“I want her watched.”
“Twenty-four hours.”
“Yes, Boss.”
That evening…
Ariana stepped off the bus and walked toward her apartment building.
The street was unusually quiet.
Halfway home, she heard footsteps behind her.
Tap…
Tap…
Tap…
She turned.
No one.
Only an elderly man walking his dog.
She laughed nervously.
“I’m really losing it.”
She continued walking.
The footsteps returned.
This time faster.
Her heart pounded.
She spun around.
Nothing.
A black sedan rolled slowly past before disappearing around the corner.
Ariana hurried the rest of the way home.
Dinner was peaceful.
Her father told stories from his younger days.
Sofia complained about school.
Her mother laughed while serving another bowl of soup.
For a little while…
Everything felt normal.
Until Ariana noticed something outside the apartment window.
Across the street…
A black SUV.
The same one from that morning.
Parked beneath a broken streetlight.
Its headlights were off.
Its windows completely dark.
She blinked.
When she looked again…
It was gone.
“Ariana?”
Her mother smiled.
“You haven’t touched your food.”
“I’m sorry.”
She forced herself to eat.
But her appetite had vanished.
Near midnight…
The apartment was silent.
Everyone was asleep.
Ariana couldn’t.
She sat on the living room sofa, scrolling through job listings on her phone, trying to distract herself.
Suddenly…
Click.
A faint sound came from the kitchen.
She looked up.
“Mom?”
No answer.
Maybe the refrigerator.
She returned to her phone.
Creak…
This time it came from the hallway.
Her pulse quickened.
“Dad?”
Silence.
Ariana slowly stood.
Every instinct told her something was wrong.
She picked up a small flashlight from the table and walked toward the kitchen.
The back window…
Was open.
Her breathing stopped.
She distinctly remembered locking it before going to bed.
The curtains swayed gently in the night breeze.
Then she noticed something else.
A muddy footprint.
Right beneath the window.
Someone had climbed inside.
Her heart slammed against her ribs.
“No…”
She backed away.
Another sound echoed from her bedroom.
A drawer opening.
Someone was still inside.
Ariana covered her mouth to stop herself from screaming.
Without making a sound, she rushed to her parents’ room.
“Dad,” she whispered urgently, shaking Miguel’s shoulder.
“Dad… wake up.”
He opened his eyes.
“What is it?”
“I think…”
Her voice trembled.
“I think someone is in the apartment.”
Miguel immediately stood, grabbing a baseball bat he kept beside the bed.
“Stay behind me.”
The family gathered in the hallway as Miguel carefully searched each room.
One by one.
Kitchen.
Bathroom.
Living room.
Finally…
Ariana’s bedroom.
The window was wide open.
Cold air rushed inside.
Her closet doors stood ajar.
Every drawer had been pulled out.
Clothes, books, and personal belongings were scattered across the floor.
But nothing had been stolen.
Not her laptop.
Not the cash she had hidden inside a jewelry box.
Nothing.
Whoever had broken in…
Hadn’t come to rob her.
They had come looking for something.
Or…
Someone.
Far away, inside a black SUV parked at the end of the street, a man lowered his binoculars.
He spoke quietly into an earpiece.
“Boss.”
A pause.
“She’s frightened.”
On the other end of the line, Damien De Luca stared out from his office window, the city lights reflecting in his cold gray eyes.
His reply came without hesitation.
“Keep watching.”
Then, after a brief silence, he added,
“Don’t let anyone else get to her first.”
The hunt had entered its next stage.
- Writer
