The Fortress
681 Words
The figure disappeared.
Amelia stared at the rooftop, her pulse pounding in her ears.
Had she imagined it?
No.
She knew what she had seen.
A man dressed in white.
A mask that reflected the lightning.
Watching.
Waiting.
Her fingers instinctively tightened around the old photograph.
She said nothing.
If that really was the White Mask, telling Dante now wouldn't change anything.
For all she knew, someone in his organization could be feeding information to the enemy.
She wasn't ready to trust him.
Not yet.
"Amelia."
Dante's voice pulled her back.
She turned, carefully hiding the unease on her face.
"We're leaving."
She simply nodded.
The convoy pulled away from the abandoned street, leaving behind flashing police lights and the unanswered questions that seemed to multiply by the minute.
The Romano Estate stood at the highest point in Blackridge.
Massive iron gates slid open as the convoy approached.
Armed guards lined the driveway.
Security cameras rotated with mechanical precision.
The mansion itself looked less like a home and more like a fortress built to survive a war.
Amelia looked through the window.
"You're expecting an army."
Dante didn't look at her.
"I already have one."
She didn't know whether he was joking.
The gates closed behind them with a heavy metallic sound.
Something about that sound made her stomach tighten.
It didn't feel like she had arrived somewhere safe.
It felt like she'd just been locked in.
A butler opened the SUV door.
"Welcome back, Mr. Romano."
Dante stepped out before turning to Amelia.
"Come."
"I can walk by myself."
"I know."
His calm answer somehow annoyed her more than if he'd argued.
Inside, the mansion was breathtaking.
Crystal chandeliers hung from ceilings so high they disappeared into shadows.
Marble floors reflected every light.
Paintings of generations of the Romano family watched silently from the walls.
Beautiful...
Yet strangely cold.
A middle-aged housekeeper smiled kindly.
"Miss Hayes, we've prepared a room for you."
"I'm not staying."
The woman glanced at Dante.
He remained expressionless.
"You'll stay until it's safe."
Amelia crossed her arms.
"And who decides when that is?"
"I do."
Her jaw tightened.
"So I'm a prisoner."
"No."
"Really?"
"If you were a prisoner..." Dante said quietly, "...you wouldn't be arguing with me."
She opened her mouth to reply
but stopped.
He wasn't threatening her.
He was simply stating a fact.
That somehow irritated her even more.
A guard stepped forward.
"Boss, we recovered Mr. Marino's case files from the vehicle."
Amelia's eyes snapped toward the folder.
"I'll take those."
The guard hesitated before looking at Dante.
Dante picked up the file.
His gaze lingered on it.
"This file is why people are dying."
"Exactly," Amelia replied, stepping forward. "Which is why I'm keeping it."
Their eyes locked.
For a long moment, neither moved.
Finally...
Dante handed the file back to her.
"Don't lose it."
Amelia blinked.
She had expected an argument.
Instead, he'd trusted her.
Or perhaps...
He wanted her to think he had.
Either way, she wasn't lowering her guard.
Hours later...
The mansion had fallen silent.
Moonlight spilled across Amelia's bedroom floor.
She sat on the edge of the bed, Victor Marino's file open in front of her.
Inside were court documents, handwritten notes, and one page that immediately caught her attention.
A list of names.
Most had been crossed out.
Only three remained.
One name had been circled in red ink.
Before she could read it, footsteps echoed outside her door.
She quickly closed the file.
The footsteps passed.
Then faded.
She exhaled slowly.
"This place is driving me insane."
She walked to the window.
Beyond the gardens...
Beyond the gates...
Freedom.
Or so it seemed.
She glanced at the file.
If Dante knew her father...
If the White Mask wanted this file...
Then trusting either side could get her killed.
"No," she whispered.
"I'll find the truth myself."
She slipped the file into her backpack, changed into dark clothes, and quietly opened her bedroom door.
Tonight...
Attorney Amelia Hayes wasn't waiting for someone else to save her.
She was going to escape the Romano Estate.
- Writer
