Episode 7: The Traitor's secret
845 Words
The safe house was supposed to be secure.
That was the entire point.
No visitors.
No unnecessary communication.
No digital trails.
Just distance and secrecy.
Yet Luca Moretti couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.
He stood on the cabin's porch as dawn painted the lake in shades of gold and silver.
The air was cool.
Quiet.
Peaceful.
Too peaceful.
His instincts hated it.
Years of experience had taught him that danger often arrived when people felt safest.
And right now, Sophia felt safe.
That worried him.
Inside the cabin, Sophia woke to the smell of coffee.
For a moment, she forgot everything.
The threats.
The k********g attempt.
The fear.
Then reality returned.
She sighed and climbed out of bed.
When she entered the kitchen, she found Luca standing at the counter.
A mug sat waiting for her.
She blinked.
"Is that mine?"
"Yes."
Sophia eyed him suspiciously.
"You made coffee?"
"I know. Shocking."
She took a sip.
Then froze.
"Wow."
Luca raised an eyebrow.
"Bad?"
"No."
She looked genuinely surprised.
"It's actually good."
"I'll try not to let the compliment go to my head."
Sophia laughed.
The sound felt lighter than it had in days.
For a few moments, they almost looked like two ordinary people sharing breakfast.
Not a mafia princess and the bodyguard protecting her from unknown enemies.
Back in the city, Marco DeLuca stared at a computer screen.
The investigation into the traitor was moving faster than expected.
And the results were troubling.
Very troubling.
The office door opened.
Don Alessandro entered.
"What do you have?"
Marco handed him a folder.
The Don read silently.
His expression darkened with every page.
"No."
Marco nodded grimly.
"That's what I thought."
The evidence pointed toward someone who had served the Romano family for years.
Someone trusted.
Someone respected.
Someone who had access to sensitive information.
Alessandro closed the file.
Slowly.
Carefully.
As if afraid it might explode.
"Are we certain?"
"Not yet."
The Don's gaze hardened.
"Then get certain."
Because if the evidence was correct, betrayal had been living inside his organization for a very long time.
At the safe house, the afternoon passed quietly.
Sophia sat on the dock overlooking the lake.
A novel rested in her lap.
Though she wasn't reading.
Her thoughts kept drifting elsewhere.
Toward Luca.
Which was annoying.
Very annoying.
Because he wasn't her type.
At least that's what she kept telling herself.
He was too serious.
Too guarded.
Too frustrating.
And yet...
She had never met anyone who made her feel safer.
The realization unsettled her.
A footstep sounded behind her.
Luca.
Of course.
"You should be inside."
Sophia rolled her eyes.
"There it is."
"What?"
"The bodyguard voice."
He sat beside her.
"Bodyguard voice?"
"Everything sounds like an order."
A pause.
Then surprisingly:
"Fair."
Sophia laughed.
"You're admitting I'm right?"
"Don't get used to it."
She smiled.
He almost smiled back.
Almost.
Miles away, in an abandoned warehouse, the enemy leader received a phone call.
His expression remained calm as he listened.
"The location is confirmed?"
A voice answered.
"Yes."
The leader smiled.
The safe house.
The Romanos' secret refuge.
No wonder they felt protected.
No wonder they believed they had escaped.
The leader hung up.
One of his men stepped forward.
"When do we move?"
The answer came instantly.
"Tonight."
The man hesitated.
"Are you sure?"
The leader's smile vanished.
"Every second we wait increases the chance they'll discover the traitor."
Silence.
Then he added:
"And I can't allow that."
That evening, rain returned.
Heavy rain.
The kind that drummed against windows and swallowed distant sounds.
Sophia sat near the fireplace.
Luca was reviewing security reports.
The atmosphere felt surprisingly comfortable.
Almost normal.
Then his phone rang.
Marco.
Luca answered immediately.
"What is it?"
Marco didn't waste time.
"We identified the leak."
Luca straightened.
Sophia immediately noticed the change.
"Who?"
A long pause.
Then Marco gave the name.
Luca's expression froze.
For the first time since Sophia had met him, genuine shock appeared in his eyes.
"No."
"That's what I said."
Sophia stood.
"What happened?"
Luca lowered the phone slowly.
His mind raced.
The suspect wasn't just someone inside the organization.
It was someone close.
Dangerously close.
Someone who had access to nearly everything.
And if the information was correct...
The Romanos were in far greater danger than they realized.
Before Luca could explain, every light in the cabin suddenly went out.
Darkness swallowed the room.
Sophia gasped.
The fireplace became the only source of light.
Luca was already moving.
His hand went to his weapon.
Every instinct screamed.
Danger.
Outside, thunder crashed.
Then came another sound.
A distant engine.
Several engines.
Approaching fast.
Luca crossed the room and peered through the window.
His blood turned cold.
Headlights.
Multiple vehicles.
Coming down the isolated road.
Too many.
Far too many.
Someone had found them.
The safe house had been compromised.
Sophia saw his expression.
Her heart dropped.
"What is it?"
Luca looked at her.
The answer was simple.
The enemy wasn't hunting them anymore.
The enemy had found them.
And they were coming.
Fast.
- Writer
