A Call Into Darkness
707 Words
The night air outside the estate was colder than Alessia expected.
She stepped onto the stone balcony, wrapping her arms around herself as the wind brushed against her skin. The city lights flickered far in the distance, glowing like scattered stars beneath the dark sky.
For a moment, she closed her eyes.
Her mind replayed the argument with Matteo over and over again.
You used me as bait.
The words still echoed painfully inside her chest.
She hated how much his silence had hurt more than his explanation.
He said he protected her.
But protection built on lies was still betrayal.
Her fingers slipped into the hidden pocket inside her coat. Slowly, carefully, she pulled out a small black phone.
A burner.
One she had kept hidden since the day she arrived at the estate.
Insurance.
She stared at it for a long moment.
If Matteo knew she had this, he would not like it. Not after discovering her investigation files.
But she needed answers.
And there was only one person who might give them.
Her brother.
The screen glowed softly as she turned the phone on. The number was already memorized. Her thumb hovered above the call button.
Once she pressed it, there would be no pretending.
No more uncertainty.
The line began to ring.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Then a click.
A calm voice answered.
“Alessia.”
Her breath caught.
Her brother always sounded composed, always controlled, but tonight something about his voice made her stomach tighten.
“You picked up quickly,” she said.
“I always answer when family calls.”
The word family felt strange now.
Cold.
Distant.
She forced her voice to stay steady. “You know where I am.”
It was not a question.
A quiet chuckle came through the phone.
“You are in Matteo De Luca’s estate.”
Her heart skipped.
So he really did know.
“How long have you known?” she asked.
“Long enough.”
The calm certainty in his voice sent a chill through her.
“You tried to kill me,” she said bluntly.
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Then he sighed softly.
“You always did jump to conclusions.”
Alessia’s fingers tightened around the phone.
“There was an assassin in that room. Someone targeted me.”
“Yes,” he replied smoothly.
“And you knew about it.”
Another pause.
Her pulse pounded.
Finally he spoke again.
“You are safer where you are.”
The words froze her completely.
“What does that mean?”
“It means exactly what I said.”
Her mind raced.
If he wanted her dead, why say she was safer there?
Unless something worse was happening.
“You could come home,” he continued calmly. “We could fix this situation.”
Home.
The word felt wrong now.
Like a trap wrapped in nostalgia.
“Fix it how?” she asked.
“You know how our world works,” he said quietly. “Sacrifices must be made.”
A knot formed in her stomach.
“Was I the sacrifice?” she whispered.
Her brother did not answer.
Instead he asked something that made her blood run cold.
“Has Matteo touched you yet?”
Her breath caught sharply.
“That is none of your business.”
“It is very much my business,” he replied coolly. “Everything about you is my business.”
The possessive tone made her skin crawl.
“I am not your pawn,” she snapped.
“We will see.”
The line went silent for a moment before he spoke again, softer now.
“Come home, Alessia.”
Her chest tightened.
“No.”
Another pause.
Then his voice lost all warmth.
“You will.”
The call ended.
Alessia slowly lowered the phone, her heart pounding violently.
The wind brushed through her hair as she stared out into the dark forest beyond the estate walls.
Something felt wrong.
Very wrong.
Behind the gates, headlights suddenly flashed in the distance.
Security alarms began echoing faintly through the estate grounds.
Someone had been caught near the perimeter.
Watching.
Waiting.
And Alessia had the terrible feeling that the danger she thought she escaped had only just begun.
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