CHAPTER 2:THE DEVIL'S PRISON
736 Words
Aurora
The first thing I noticed was the silence.
Not the peaceful kind. This silence was heavy, suffocating, like the walls themselves were listening. My eyelids fluttered open, and a crystal chandelier greeted me instead of the damp ceiling of a prison cell. Warm golden light spilled across an enormous bedroom decorated with black marble, dark mahogany furniture, and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking an endless stretch of water.
I frowned. Where the hell was I? The last thing I remembered was the charity gala. The shot..Dante De Luca. Fighting. Then darkness.
I jerked upright, only for pain to explode through my shoulder. "Damn..."A thick bandage peeked from beneath the sleeve of the oversized white shirt someone had dressed me in. Someone had changed my clothes. Rage replaced confusion. The bedroom door clicked open..A woman in her late forties walked in carrying a silver tray.
She smiled softly. "You're awake."
"Who are you?"
"My name is Rosa."
"I don't care." My voice came out colder than I intended. "Where am I?" She hesitated. "The De Luca estate." My blood froze.."No." I threw the blanket aside and stumbled toward the door.
I barely reached it before it swung open. Two armed guards stood outside..Both over six feet..Both expressionless. One look told me escape wasn't happening today. I laughed bitterly. "So this is how he keeps his prisoners."
"You should eat," Rosa said gently. "I'd rather starve." She sighed and quietly left..The guards shut the door. The lock clicked. My fists clenched.
I had failed. Not only had I failed to kill Dante De Luca...I had become his captive.
The clock on the wall struck noon before the door opened again. This time….He walked in. Dante De Luca..Black dress shirt. Sleeves rolled to his forearms. No tie. No jacket. He looked less like a mafia king and more like a man who had walked straight out of my nightmares. His gray eyes settled on me. Cold..Unreadable. "You heal quickly."
I didn't answer..He stepped farther into the room.."You have remarkable aim."
"I missed."
"No." His lips curved into something almost resembling a smile. "You hesitated."
"I don't hesitate."
"You did."
"I'll kill you next time."
"I know." The confidence in his voice infuriated me. I Lunged.My injured shoulder screamed, but I ignored it. My fist flew toward his face..He caught it effortlessly. Before I could react, my back slammed gently but firmly against the wall.
One of his hands trapped both of mine above my head. His body stood inches away.
Close enough for me to catch the scent of cedarwood and expensive cologne. I hated that I noticed. His gaze searched mine..Not with desire..With curiosity.
"Why?" he asked quietly..I spat in his face. His jaw tightened. Very slowly, he wiped it away with his thumb.."I've been called many things," he murmured.."Monster ….Devil. "But people usually wait until after dinner before spitting on me."
I glared.."You murdered my parents.".Silence. His expression changed, something unreadable. Not guilt but confusion. "When?"
"Fifteen years ago." His grip loosened. "I've never seen you before." "You're lying."
"I don't lie."
"You expect me to believe that?"
"I expect nothing from you." He stepped back. "You'll remain here until I discover who sent you."
"I wasn't sent."
"No?"
"I came because I wanted to watch you die." A dangerous smile crossed his lips. "Then we're alike." I frowned. "My enemies usually want the same thing." He turned toward the door. Without looking back, he said, "If I wanted you dead, Aurora... you wouldn't have woken up."
The door shut behind him. I stared after him, my heartbeat refusing to slow. How did he know my name?
Across the mansion...Dante entered his private office. Luca Romano waited beside the fireplace.
"You should've killed her," Luca said. Dante poured himself a glass of whiskey. "Perhaps."
"You've never spared anyone who pointed a gun at you."
"I know."
"So why her?" Dante reached into his pocket.
He placed a small silver pendant on the desk. It had been hidden beneath Aurora's shirt. A pendant engraved with a symbol he hadn't seen in fifteen years. The symbol his father had ordered destroyed. Luca's eyes widened.
"No..." Dante stared at the pendant, his expression darkening…."It can't be." His voice was barely above a whisper. "Find out everything about Aurora Moretti." He paused. "because if she's carrying that pendant..."His gray eyes hardened."..
.then someone lied to me about what happened fifteen years ago."
- Writer
