Chaper 1-Part 3
1675 Words
For half a second, Alessia Vale did not react.
Her brain was still catching up to what her eyes had already confirmed.
The man from the café.
The voice from the phone.
Standing inside her apartment.
Holding her wrist.
Hard.
Her pulse slammed once against her ribs.
Then instinct snapped into place.
She twisted sharply, trying to pull free.
“Let go of me—”
Adrian tightened his grip, stepping fully into the apartment and kicking the door shut behind him. The lock clicked with a quiet, final sound that seemed unnaturally loud in the small entryway.
Alessia shoved against his chest with her free hand.
He barely moved.
Up close, he was even larger than she remembered.
Tall.
Broad shoulders beneath the dark coat now damp from rain.
His expression remained eerily calm, as if breaking into someone’s apartment and grabbing them were nothing more than routine.
Which terrified her more than anger would have.
“Let me go,” she said again, her voice sharper this time.
Adrian studied her face for a moment.
Not her body.
Not the room.
Her face.
Like he was memorizing something.
Then he released her wrist.
The sudden freedom almost threw her off balance.
Alessia stepped back immediately, putting the kitchen counter between them.
Her heart was racing, but she forced herself to breathe slowly.
Panic would make her stupid.
And stupid people didn’t survive situations like this.
“Who are you?” she demanded.
Adrian didn’t answer.
Instead he walked further into the apartment, glancing briefly around the room.
Bookshelves lining the walls.
A small couch.
The window overlooking the street.
His movements were quiet and controlled, like someone walking through a place he had already seen before.
Which meant he probably had.
The thought sent a cold wave down her spine.
“You shouldn’t be here,” she said carefully.
Still no answer.
He stopped near the window, looking out at the rain for a moment.
Then he turned back to her.
“You’re coming with me.”
The simplicity of the statement stunned her.
No threat.
No explanation.
Just a fact.
Alessia laughed once in disbelief.
“That’s not happening.”
Adrian tilted his head slightly.
Almost curious.
“You don’t have a choice.”
“Yes I do.”
She took another step backward, her hand sliding quietly along the counter toward her phone.
If she could reach it—
Adrian’s gaze dropped instantly to the movement.
Faster than she expected.
His eyes lifted again.
“Don’t.”
The single word carried a quiet warning.
Alessia froze.
Not because she was obeying him.
Because something about the tone made her believe he meant it.
Her mind raced.
Think.
Options.
Neighbors.
Police.
Scream.
Run.
But every scenario ended the same way.
He was between her and the door.
And judging by the way he moved earlier…
He was stronger.
Much stronger.
Still.
She wasn’t going without a fight.
“You broke into my apartment,” she said slowly. “You grabbed me. You threatened me.”
Her voice sharpened.
“Do you have any idea how illegal that is?”
Adrian’s expression didn’t change.
“Yes.”
That answer caught her off guard.
“You’re aware this is kidnapping.”
“Yes.”
“And you still think I’m just going to walk out with you?”
“Yes.”
Silence stretched between them.
Rain hammered harder against the windows.
Alessia stared at him.
Trying to understand what kind of man stood in front of her so calmly discussing abducting her.
Then something clicked in her mind.
“Wait.”
Her stomach tightened.
“You’re not here for me.”
Adrian didn’t react.
Which confirmed everything.
“You’re here because of my father.”
Still silence.
Alessia felt a cold clarity settle over her thoughts.
Assistant District Attorney Thomas Vale.
The man who had spent the last decade dismantling criminal organizations piece by piece.
The man who had put dozens of powerful people in prison.
The man who had enemies.
Dangerous ones.
And now one of them was standing in her living room.
Using her.
Adrian watched the realization spread across her face.
Smart.
He had known she would figure it out quickly.
“Who sent you?” she asked quietly.
Adrian stepped toward her.
Alessia’s back hit the counter.
“Marcus Valente.”
The name hit her like ice water.
Of course.
The Valente organization.
Her father had been building a case against them for months.
Maybe longer.
She swallowed slowly.
“So this is revenge.”
“No.”
“Leverage,” Adrian corrected.
That word was worse.
Revenge was emotional.
Leverage was strategic.
Which meant this wasn’t about hurting her.
It was about controlling her father.
Alessia forced her breathing to stay steady.
“If you think kidnapping a prosecutor’s daughter is going to end well for you—”
“It won’t,” Adrian said.
The honesty stunned her again.
“But it will work.”
For a moment neither of them moved.
Then Alessia made a decision.
If she couldn’t overpower him physically…
She would stall.
Talk.
Create noise.
Draw attention.
“You’re making a mistake,” she said carefully.
“Probably.”
“You could still leave.”
“No.”
“My father will hunt you down.”
“Yes.”
“You’ll go to prison.”
Adrian considered that for a moment.
“Possibly.”
Her frustration spiked.
“Then why are you doing this?”
For the first time, something flickered behind his eyes.
Not emotion exactly.
More like acceptance.
“Because it’s my job.”
The simplicity of the answer chilled her.
This wasn’t personal.
It wasn’t chaotic.
It was professional.
Which meant he had likely done things like this before.
And succeeded.
Adrian glanced toward the clock on the wall.
“We’re leaving now.”
“No.”
Alessia moved suddenly.
Not toward the door.
Toward the window.
She grabbed the curtain and yanked it aside.
“If you take one more step,” she said loudly, “I scream.”
Adrian didn’t move.
But his gaze shifted to the street below.
Two pedestrians walking past.
A car stopped at the light.
Witnesses.
Alessia lifted her chin slightly.
“Try it.”
For a moment Adrian simply watched her.
Rain ran down the glass behind her, blurring the city lights into soft halos.
Her pulse was racing.
He could see it in the quick rise and fall of her chest.
But her eyes stayed steady.
Defiant.
Interesting.
Most people panicked long before this point.
She was calculating.
Adrian stepped closer.
Slowly.
Alessia’s breath caught.
“I will scream,” she warned.
“I know.”
Another step.
“You think that matters?”
“Yes.”
Adrian stopped a few feet away.
Then he reached into his coat pocket.
Alessia’s heart jumped.
Weapon?
But instead he pulled out a small black device.
He pressed a button.
From somewhere outside the building, a sudden loud crash echoed through the street.
Metal slamming.
Glass shattering.
Car alarms exploded into life instantly.
Pedestrians shouted.
Tires screeched.
Chaos.
Alessia spun toward the window in shock.
Down below, two cars had collided at the intersection.
People were already rushing toward the accident.
Every eye on the street was focused in the opposite direction.
Behind her, Adrian’s voice came quietly.
“No one will hear you now.”
Before she could turn back, his hand closed around her arm again.
She fought instantly.
Elbow.
Kick.
Everything she could manage.
Adrian absorbed the blows with minimal reaction, gripping her wrists and pulling them behind her back in one swift movement.
“Stop,” he said.
“Go to hell.”
She tried to twist free again.
He stepped closer, lowering his voice near her ear.
“If you keep fighting, this will hurt.”
“Good.”
Adrian paused.
Then he pulled a pair of plastic restraints from his pocket.
Alessia felt the cold band snap around her wrists.
Tight.
Secure.
Her stomach dropped.
“No—”
He turned her toward the door.
“We’re leaving.”
Panic surged fully now.
“Someone will see!”
“They won’t.”
“You can’t just—”
The apartment door opened.
The hallway beyond was empty.
Silent.
Adrian guided her forward firmly.
Each step felt unreal.
Like walking through someone else’s nightmare.
At the top of the stairwell she dug her heels in.
“I’m not moving.”
Adrian stopped.
For a moment he simply looked at her.
Then he lifted her.
Effortlessly.
Alessia gasped in shock as the floor disappeared beneath her feet.
“Put me down!”
He carried her down the stairs.
Calm.
Controlled.
Like this was nothing more than moving furniture.
The building door opened.
Rain hit them instantly.
Across the street the accident scene was still chaotic—people shouting, car alarms screaming, flashing hazard lights reflecting off the wet pavement.
Adrian crossed to the black sedan.
Opened the back door.
And placed her inside.
Before Alessia could move, he closed the door and slid into the driver’s seat.
The locks clicked.
The engine started.
She twisted in the seat, adrenaline surging.
“You’re insane.”
Adrian pulled the car into the street smoothly.
“No.”
Rain streaked across the windshield again.
The accident disappeared behind them as the sedan turned onto a darker road.
Alessia’s voice dropped slightly.
“You know my father will burn the city down to find me.”
Adrian didn’t look at her.
“I know.”
“And when he does…”
She leaned forward.
“You’re dead.”
For the first time since entering her apartment, Adrian smiled slightly.
Not amused.
Not cruel.
Just certain.
“Your father won’t find you.”
The car turned again.
Deeper into the rain-soaked city.
And for the first time since this nightmare began…
Alessia realized something that made her blood run cold.
He believed that.
Completely.
The city lights faded behind them.
And Alessia Vale disappeared into the dark.
- Writer
