Chapter 5: The Feast of Vultures
1263 Words
Dario
The office smells of leather and power. Seated in my armchair, I watch the surveillance screens. Isabella is finally asleep. Her peaceful silhouette deceives me for a moment, but I know too well the storms lurking behind her apparent calm.
Last night reminded me of an essential truth: she belongs to me, body and soul. Even her attempts at rebellion are merely passing episodes in the immutable narrative of our relationship.
My phone vibrates. Alessio. The name appears like a provocation.
"Dario. We need to talk."
His voice is too calm, too controlled. I can sense the trap from miles away.
"Talk."
"I have information that might interest you. Concerning your port activities."
A chill runs down my spine. No one should know those details.
"Where are you going with this, Alessio?"
"The Grand Hotel. Tonight. Come alone."
The line goes dead. I hurl the phone against the wall. It explodes into pieces. Alessio knows. But how?
My men rush in, alerted by the noise.
"Everything alright, boss?"
"Get out."
I stand and walk to the window. The view of the sea should soothe me, but today, the waves look like blades ready to s***h my throat.
Isabella. It can only be her. Only she has had the opportunity these past few days. Anger rises in me, burning and black.
Isabella
I'm having lunch with Leo when Dario enters the dining room. His gaze pierces through me, and I know immediately that he knows something.
"Maria, take Leo."
His voice is dangerously calm. The nanny obeys quickly, taking my son who throws me a worried look.
As soon as the door closes, Dario rushes towards me. His hand twists in my hair, forcing my head up.
"What have you done, Isabella?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
His slap is so violent that my head snaps to the side. The taste of blood fills my mouth.
"Alessio. How did he get information about my business?"
My heart races. How did he find out so fast?
"I... I don't even know that man."
"Liar!"
He pushes me against the table, dishes shattering around us. His face is so close to mine that I can see the madness in his eyes.
"You think you can betray me? After everything I've done for you?"
"What you've done for me? You imprisoned me! You stole my son!"
My voice has become a scream. For the first time, I no longer hide my hatred.
He steps back, a cruel smile on his lips.
"Perfect. Finally the truth. Now, you're going to see what happens to those who betray me."
Dario
I drag her to the basement. She struggles, scratches me, bites me. Her resistance only fuels my rage.
The room is Spartan, windowless. I tie her to a chair. Her eyes shine with tears and defiance.
"Talk, Isabella. Tell me what you told Alessio."
"Go to hell."
I take out my knife. The blade glitters under the cold light.
"Do you know how many people have regretted defying me in this room?"
"You won't scare me, Dario."
"It's not you I'm going to make suffer."
I see understanding, then terror in her eyes.
"Leo. Please, not Leo."
"Then talk."
Isabella
I watch the blade gleam. My mind races. If I talk, we die. If I stay silent, Leo will suffer.
"I... I took Marco's phone. I called Alessio. I offered him a deal."
The words come out in a sob. Dario listens, his face a stone mask.
"What deal?"
"Documents... in exchange for our protection."
He laughs, a horrible, humorless sound.
"You think Alessio would protect you? You're just a pawn to him. Like you are to me."
"At least I would have tried!"
"Tried to destroy our family? Our life?"
"What life? I've been your prisoner from the start!"
Suddenly, the door opens. Marco enters, pale-faced.
"Boss, Alessio is here. With men."
Dario
Alessio. Here. In my house. The audacity of it leaves me speechless for a moment.
I throw one last look at Isabella.
"This conversation isn't over."
I leave, locking the door behind me. In the hall, Alessio waits for me, smiling, surrounded by his guards.
"Dario. What a charming house."
"How dare you come here?"
"Your wife invited me."
The blow is struck with surgical precision. I feel rage blinding me.
"Isabella doesn't invite anyone. She belongs to me."
"Belongs? That's an interesting word. Do you know what the law says about kidnapping?"
I laugh. The law. In our world, the law is merely a suggestion.
"Get out of my house, Alessio."
"Not without Isabella."
The silence that follows is heavier than all the screams in the world. He wants to defy me in my own home. For a woman.
Isabella
I hear muffled voices from upstairs. Alessio came. Earlier than planned.
I struggle against my bonds, but they're too tight. Fear grips me. If Dario wins, Leo and I are dead. If Alessio wins, I simply pass from one jailer to another.
Suddenly, the basement door opens. It's not Dario. It's not Alessio.
It's Viktor.
His smile is worse than anything I've seen today.
"Isabella. What a delicate situation."
"Viktor? How..."
"I have my contacts. And it seems your little game has created the perfect opportunity."
He approaches and cuts my bonds. His hand is cold against my skin.
"Come. While the two dogs fight over the bone, we're going to retrieve what really matters."
"Leo!"
"Exactly."
He pulls me towards a hidden exit I didn't even know existed. In the corridor, Maria is unconscious, and Leo is crying in a corner.
"Mommy!"
I hug him tight. Viktor pushes us forward.
"Hurry up. The show won't last forever."
Dario
I face Alessio, my men behind me. The hall looks like a battlefield before the assault.
"Last chance, Alessio. Leave."
"I won't leave without her."
Suddenly, Marco whispers in my ear.
"Boss, Viktor is here. He has Isabella and the child."
The world stops spinning. Viktor. The most dangerous of us all.
Alessio sees my expression change.
"What is it, Dario? A problem?"
I look at him, and for the first time, I see not a rival, but a man who has been manipulated just like me.
"Viktor. He has Isabella."
Understanding crosses his face. In an instant, we are no longer two men fighting over a woman. We are two protectors facing a predator.
"Where?" asks Alessio.
"The tunnels."
We rush towards the stairs, our men behind us. The war can wait. Isabella and Leo are in danger.
Isabella
Viktor drags us through passages I never suspected existed. Leo cries against my shoulder.
"Where are you taking us?"
"Away from here. You'll be much more useful with me."
His voice is honeyed, but his eyes are dead.
Suddenly, hurried footsteps echo behind us. Viktor turns, gun in hand.
Dario and Alessio appear at the end of the corridor, side by side. The image is so surreal that I think I'm hallucinating.
"Let her go, Viktor," Dario growls.
"I don't think so. She's just chosen her side."
"She hasn't chosen anything at all," Alessio retorts. "She's just trying to survive."
Viktor laughs and pulls me closer to him. His gun is now pressed against my temple.
"The question is: how much is she worth to you?"
Leo screams in terror. In the corridor, I see the two men I hate most in the world become, for an instant, my only hopes.
And I understand that I've just gone from being a pawn to a queen in a game where failure means death.
- Writer
