The Trap
944 Words
The drive was quiet.
Too quiet.
I sat beside Damiano in the back seat, staring out of the window while the city lights passed us.
I had called my brother again before leaving the house.
Straight to voicemail.
I tried once more.
Nothing.
My chest felt tight.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
Damiano didn’t answer immediately.
“An old warehouse.”
I turned toward him.
“A warehouse?”
“That’s where his phone was found.”
My stomach twisted.
“And you’re sure he’s there?”
“No.”
That answer scared me more than anything else.
“Then why are we going?”
“Because whoever took him wants me there.”
I looked at him.
“You said this might be a trap.”
“It is.”
“And you’re still going?”
“Yes.”
I shook my head.
“You’re insane.”
“Probably.”
I looked back out the window.
For some reason, I wasn’t as afraid of Damiano anymore.
I was afraid of what would happen if he wasn’t there.
The car eventually turned away from the main road and into an industrial area.
The streets were almost empty.
Most of the buildings were dark.
My fingers tightened around the seat.
“How many people are coming with us?”
“Three cars.”
I looked behind us.
There were two black SUVs following.
“Security?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
Damiano glanced at me.
“You’re getting used to this.”
“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it.”
He looked forward again.
“You shouldn’t.”
The car stopped.
Damiano opened his door.
Before he could step out, I grabbed his sleeve.
He looked down at my hand.
“Be careful.”
Something softened in his eyes.
“I will.”
He got out.
I followed.
“Elena.”
“I’m not staying in the car.”
He sighed.
“I knew you’d say that.”
We walked toward the warehouse.
The large metal doors were slightly open.
Damiano stopped.
His men immediately moved ahead.
One of them checked the entrance.
“It’s clear.”
Damiano looked at me.
“Stay behind me.”
I nodded.
We stepped inside.
The warehouse smelled like dust and oil.
There was a single light hanging from the ceiling.
“Hello?”
My voice echoed through the building.
Nothing.
Then I heard something.
A faint sound.
I froze.
“Damiano.”
He looked at me.
“What?”
“Listen.”
We both stood still.
There it was again.
A noise coming from somewhere deeper inside.
“Elena!”
I recognized the voice.
My heart jumped.
“That’s my brother.”
I started moving, but Damiano caught my arm.
“Wait.”
“That’s him!”
“I know.”
He signaled to his men.
Two of them moved ahead.
A few seconds later, one shouted,
“There’s someone here!”
I pulled away from Damiano and ran.
My brother was tied to a chair near the back of the warehouse.
His face was bruised.
“Oh my God.”
I rushed toward him.
“Daniel!”
He lifted his head.
“Elena?”
I dropped to my knees beside him.
“Are you okay?”
He nodded weakly.
“I think so.”
I started trying to untie the rope.
“Who did this?”
He looked past me.
“Elena…”
“What?”
“Get away from here.”
I froze.
“Why?”
His eyes widened.
“Because they’re still here.”
A gunshot rang through the warehouse.
I screamed.
Damiano grabbed me and pulled me behind a large metal container.
Another shot followed.
His men immediately returned fire.
Everything happened so quickly.
People were shouting.
Glass shattered somewhere behind us.
I pressed myself against the wall, shaking.
Damiano crouched beside me.
“Are you hurt?”
“No.”
“Stay here.”
He started to move.
I grabbed his hand.
“Don’t go.”
He looked at me.
For the first time, I saw something in his eyes that looked like fear.
Not for himself.
For me.
“I have to.”
“Damiano—”
“I’ll come back.”
Then he disappeared into the darkness.
I stayed behind the container, trying to control my breathing.
My brother was still tied to the chair.
I couldn’t leave him.
I crawled toward him.
“Daniel.”
He looked at me.
“Elena, listen to me.”
“What?”
“You can’t trust him.”
I frowned.
“Who?”
“Damiano.”
I stared at my brother.
“What are you talking about?”
“He isn’t the one you should be afraid of.”
A cold feeling moved through me.
“Then who?”
Before he could answer, the lights went out.
Everything became completely dark.
I heard footsteps.
Someone was walking toward us.
Slowly.
My brother grabbed my wrist.
“Don’t move.”
I held my breath.
The footsteps stopped.
Then a man’s voice came from the darkness.
“Elena.”
I knew that voice.
It was the same man who had called me the night before.
“You really should have listened.”
I couldn’t see him.
But I could hear the smile in his voice.
Then the lights came back on.
And the man standing across from us wasn’t a stranger.
He was someone I had seen at the Romano dinner.
Someone who had smiled at me across the table.
My blood ran cold.
Because suddenly, I understood.
The enemy wasn’t outside Damiano’s family.
He was already inside it.
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD