The First Lesson
914 Words
The news of Asher's murder spread through the bunker like wildfire.
Nobody spoke above a whisper.
Nobody trusted anyone.
Every glance felt suspicious.
Every conversation felt dangerous.
Amara sat quietly in the corner of the kitchen while Luca, Antonio, and several senior members of the organization discussed the situation.
"The traitor had access to security codes," Antonio said.
"And knowledge of the meeting," another man added.
Luca listened in silence.
His expression revealed nothing.
That was what unsettled Amara most about him.
No matter how bad things became, he never appeared shaken.
He was calm.
Always calm.
As though chaos was simply another part of his day.
Finally, Luca stood.
"The investigation begins immediately."
One of the men frowned.
"What about the wedding?"
Amara rolled her eyes.
Of course they were worried about the wedding.
People were being murdered and somehow the wedding was still a priority.
Luca's gaze swept across the room.
"The wedding proceeds as planned."
Several men nodded.
No one argued.
The meeting ended shortly afterward.
One by one, everyone left.
Soon only Amara remained.
She was halfway down the hallway when Luca's voice stopped her.
"Where are you going?"
She turned.
"To my room."
"No."
Amara sighed.
"What now?"
Luca approached her.
"You need training."
She blinked.
"Training?"
"Yes."
"For what?"
Luca stared at her.
The answer was obvious.
"To survive."
Amara laughed.
A short, disbelieving laugh.
"I've survived twenty-two years without training."
"You survived because nobody was hunting you."
That wiped the smile from her face.
Luca continued walking.
"Come with me."
This time she followed.
Not because she wanted to.
Because she was beginning to realize he was usually right.
Unfortunately.
The training room occupied an entire floor of the bunker.
It looked more like a military facility than a gym.
There were punching bags.
Weight racks.
Shooting ranges.
Mats.
Weapons.
Lots of weapons.
Amara stopped walking.
"You people seriously have all this underground?"
Luca glanced around.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because enemies don't announce when they're coming."
Fair point.
She hated that it was a fair point.
Luca tossed her a pair of gloves.
She barely caught them.
"What am I supposed to do with these?"
"Wear them."
"Why?"
"Because I'm teaching you how to fight."
Amara stared at him.
Then laughed.
Then kept laughing.
Luca remained completely serious.
Her laughter slowly faded.
"Oh."
"Exactly."
Amara shook her head.
"No."
Luca folded his arms.
"No?"
"I am not fighting anybody."
"Why not?"
"Because I don't know how."
"That's why we're here."
She groaned.
This man was exhausting.
Twenty minutes later, she regretted every decision that had led her to this moment.
Especially agreeing to train.
"Again," Luca said.
Amara glared at him.
"I'm tired."
"Again."
"I hate you."
"Again."
She threw a punch.
Luca dodged effortlessly.
She nearly stumbled.
The smug look on his face made her want to throw something.
"You enjoy this."
"No."
"You're lying."
"No."
"You definitely are."
The corner of his mouth twitched.
That was practically a confession.
Amara attempted another punch.
This time Luca caught her wrist.
His grip was firm.
Warm.
Steady.
For a moment neither moved.
The sudden closeness caught her off guard.
She could feel her heartbeat quickening.
Could feel his eyes on hers.
Then Luca released her.
The moment vanished.
"Your stance is wrong."
Amara blinked.
"What?"
"Your stance."
He stepped behind her.
Before she could react, his hands gently adjusted her shoulders.
"Keep your balance."
His voice was low.
Close.
Much too close.
Amara swallowed.
Why did she suddenly feel nervous?
This was ridiculous.
She didn't even like him.
Luca moved away.
The strange tension disappeared instantly.
"Try again."
Amara exhaled.
Then punched.
This time her balance held.
Luca nodded.
"Better."
The small praise felt surprisingly satisfying.
She hated that too.
An hour later, she collapsed onto a bench.
Sweat covered her forehead.
Every muscle hurt.
Luca handed her a bottle of water.
She accepted it gratefully.
"You train every day?"
"Most days."
"That's insane."
"It keeps me alive."
There it was again.
Everything in his world came back to survival.
Amara studied him carefully.
For the first time, she wondered what his life had been like growing up.
Had he always lived this way?
Always expected danger around every corner?
Always prepared for war?
Before she could ask, Antonio entered the room.
One look at his face told them something was wrong.
Luca stood immediately.
"What happened?"
Antonio's expression was grim.
"We identified the source of the security breach."
The room went silent.
Amara rose to her feet.
"Who was it?"
Antonio hesitated.
That alone was alarming.
Luca's eyes narrowed.
"Antonio."
"It's not confirmed yet."
"Tell me."
Antonio exhaled slowly.
Then he spoke a name.
A name that made several guards outside the room stop walking.
A name that clearly carried weight.
"Marco Bellini."
Amara frowned.
She didn't recognize it.
Luca did.
His expression darkened instantly.
"Impossible."
Antonio looked troubled.
"The evidence points directly to him."
Luca shook his head.
"No."
For the first time since she'd met him, Amara saw genuine disbelief.
Not anger.
Not calculation.
Disbelief.
"Who's Marco?" she asked.
Neither man answered immediately.
Finally Antonio spoke.
"Marco Bellini is Luca's second-in-command."
Amara's eyes widened.
The room suddenly felt colder.
Much colder.
If Antonio was right, the traitor wasn't just someone inside the organization.
The traitor was one of Luca's most trusted allies.
One of the most powerful men in the empire.
And if a man like that had turned against them...
Then nobody was safe.
- Writer
