Chapter Five: Escape ls lmpossible
647 Words
Rain hammered against the windows as black SUVs sped through the dark streets of Rome.
Inside the car, silence suffocated everything.
Elena Carter sat pressed against the door, trying to steady her breathing.
Her hands still trembled.
Gunshots.
Blood.
Dead bodies.
The terrifying image of Damiano Russo pulling the trigger replayed endlessly in her mind.
Yet somehow…
what frightened her most wasn’t his violence.
It was the way he protected her.
The way he looked at her.
Like she belonged to him already.
Elena swallowed nervously and glanced toward him.
Damiano sat beside her calmly, one hand resting against the leather seat while blood stained the sleeve of his white shirt.
He looked completely unaffected by the chaos they escaped from.
“How are you not hurt?” Elena whispered suddenly.
His dark eyes shifted toward her.
“I’ve survived worse.”
The quiet confidence in his voice sent chills through her.
Elena looked away quickly.
“You’re insane.”
A faint smirk touched his lips.
“So I’ve been told.”
The car suddenly turned sharply before entering an underground tunnel.
Elena frowned.
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll be safer there.”
“I don’t need your protection.”
Damiano’s expression hardened instantly.
“You do now.”
The possessiveness in his tone made her heartbeat quicken again.
Elena hated that her body reacted every time he spoke like that.
“I’m not part of your world,” she argued softly.
Damiano studied her silently for a long moment.
Then finally—
“You became part of it the moment you saw me.”
The words settled heavily inside the car.
Because deep down…
Elena knew he was right.
The SUVs finally stopped outside another building hidden far from the city lights.
Smaller than the mansion.
But still luxurious.
Still heavily guarded.
Elena stared in disbelief as armed men surrounded the area immediately.
“Do you always travel with an army?”
“Yes.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“It keeps me alive.”
One guard opened the car door quickly.
Damiano stepped out first before offering Elena his hand.
She stared at it suspiciously.
“I can walk alone.”
“Clearly.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Was that sarcasm?”
“It was observation.”
Matteo snorted from another car nearby.
Elena ignored him and climbed out herself.
The cold night air hit her instantly.
She wrapped her arms around herself, shivering slightly.
Damiano noticed immediately.
Without a word, he removed his black coat and draped it over her shoulders.
Warmth surrounded her instantly.
Elena blinked in surprise.
“You don’t have to—”
“Wear it.”
Again with that controlling tone.
But strangely…
she obeyed.
Damiano’s scent surrounded her now.
Smoke.
Rain.
Expensive cologne.
Danger.
Her cheeks heated slightly.
And she hated it.
As they entered the building, Elena noticed guards watching her carefully.
Whispering.
Curious.
Like they were trying to understand why their feared boss suddenly cared about a woman.
Damiano suddenly stopped walking.
Elena accidentally collided with his chest.
His hand immediately settled against her waist to steady her.
Heat spread through her body instantly.
“Careful,” he murmured.
The softness in his voice completely contradicted the dangerous man everyone feared.
Before Elena could respond, a guard rushed toward them nervously.
“Boss,” he said quickly. “We caught one of the Moretti spies.”
Damiano’s face darkened immediately.
“Where?”
“In the basement.”
Elena’s stomach dropped.
Something dangerous flashed in Damiano’s eyes as he turned toward her slowly.
Then he spoke the words that made fear crawl down her spine again.
“Stay in your room.”
Elena frowned.
“Why?”
Damiano stepped closer.
Too close.
“Because what’s about to happen downstairs…”
His fingers brushed lightly against her chin.
“…isn’t meant for innocent eyes.”
- Writer
