Chapter Four – The Stranger in the Dark
1104 Words
The air in the room shifts.
Not with a breeze, not with movement, but with something deeper—something that slithers beneath my skin, coiling around my ribs like a silent warning.
I am not alone.
The figure stands by the balcony, shrouded in shadows, his presence as suffocating as Leo’s—but different. Colder. Sharper.
My heart pounds against my ribs. My back is pressed against the door, but I already know it won’t open. My only way out is through him.
Who is he? Another one of Leo’s men? Someone worse?
His voice slices through the silence like a blade. “You shouldn’t be here.”
I blink. His tone isn’t mocking like Leo’s, nor is it cruel. It’s a simple, undeniable fact.
I straighten. “Trust me, I didn’t exactly book a stay.”
The man doesn’t laugh. Doesn’t even move. The glow of the fireplace catches his face as he tilts his head, revealing high cheekbones, sharp angles, and eyes as dark as the night outside.
I swallow hard. He’s young—maybe late twenties, but his presence feels… old. Jaded. Like he’s seen things that have hollowed him out from the inside.
He finally steps forward, just enough for me to see him fully.
And the sight nearly knocks the breath from my lungs.
He looks like Leo.
Too much like Leo.
The same cutting jawline. The same jet-black hair. But where Leo is all controlled cruelty, this man carries something else. Something… broken.
Dread snakes up my spine.
“Who are you?” I whisper.
His gaze lingers on me for a moment, then shifts past me—toward the locked door.
He doesn’t answer.
Instead, he steps closer.
I tense, but he doesn’t touch me. Just stops inches away, close enough that I can see the scar cutting across his right brow.
When he finally speaks, his voice is low, quiet.
“You need to run.”
My breath catches.
I shake my head. “I can’t. The door—”
His fingers brush my wrist. A key.
I suck in a sharp breath. “Where did you—”
Footsteps.
Heavy. Confident. Leo.
The stranger exhales, his jaw ticking. Then, before I can react, he yanks me forward.
I let out a startled gasp as he spins me, shoving me against the wall beside the door. His body presses against mine, shielding me from view just as the door swings open.
Leo steps inside.
His gaze sweeps over the room, then lands on the man pinning me against the wall.
Everything inside me goes still.
Leo c***s his head, his lips curling into something that isn’t quite a smile. “Brother.”
Brother.
My mind stutters. What the hell?
The man doesn’t move. Doesn’t speak.
Leo takes another step inside, shutting the door behind him. The air turns thick, electric with something dangerous.
Leo’s gaze flickers to me, and something unreadable passes through his eyes. Then he shifts his attention back to his brother.
“Is this how we’re doing things now?” Leo muses, voice smooth as silk. “Stealing what’s mine?”
I stiffen.
The stranger—Leo’s brother—finally speaks. “She’s not yours.”
Leo chuckles. “She will be.”
His brother tenses, just slightly, but enough for me to see it. Enough for Leo to see it. His smirk deepens.
This isn’t just a conversation. This is a test.
Leo’s gaze flicks to me, slow and deliberate. “Did he touch you?”
My blood turns to ice.
He already knows the answer. He just wants to hear me say it.
I force my chin up. “He was helping me.”
Leo hums, amused. “Is that what we’re calling it?”
His brother’s jaw ticks. “She doesn’t belong here.”
Leo exhales, shaking his head. “You always were the sentimental one.” He takes another step forward, hands in his pockets. “Tell me, brother. What exactly were you planning to do? Sneak her out? Run away with her? You should know by now—no one leaves me.”
The room pulses with tension.
Leo’s brother doesn’t answer.
Leo smiles. “Then again, I should be flattered. You never did have the balls to challenge me outright.”
That does it.
His brother moves fast—too fast. Before I can react, he grips Leo by the collar, slamming him back against the nearest wall.
I gasp.
Leo, infuriatingly, just laughs. “There he is.”
His brother’s grip tightens. “You’re out of control.”
Leo leans in, voice dropping to a whisper. “And you? You’re weak.”
His brother’s fingers flex, his entire body coiled with barely restrained fury. But in the end, he lets go. Steps back.
Leo straightens his shirt, rolling his shoulders like nothing happened. “That’s what I thought.” He turns his attention back to me. “Come, little dove.”
I don’t move.
Leo’s smirk fades. “That wasn’t a request.”
My pulse hammers in my throat. I look at his brother, desperate for some kind of help, but his expression is unreadable.
Leo steps toward me, closing the distance in two strides.
He reaches out—grips my chin between his fingers. Tilts my face up to his.
“There’s no running,” he murmurs. “No escape. You belong to me now.”
I glare up at him, hatred burning through my veins. “I will never belong to you.”
Leo’s lips part, and for a second, just a second, I swear something flickers in his gaze. Something almost... hungry.
Then it’s gone.
He sighs. “So stubborn.”
His thumb brushes over my lower lip, a featherlight touch that sends a shiver through me.
Then, just as quickly, he lets go.
His smirk returns, sharp and taunting. “Fine. Have it your way.”
He steps back. Looks at his brother. “But don’t think this is over.”
Then, without another word, he turns and walks out.
The door slams behind him.
Silence.
My breath comes in ragged gasps as I finally turn to Leo’s brother. “Who the hell are you?”
His jaw tightens. He hesitates, then finally says—
“Matteo.”
My head spins. “You’re Leo’s brother.”
He nods.
I inhale sharply. “Then why did you try to help me?”
Matteo looks at me, something unreadable in his gaze.
Then he exhales, rubbing a hand down his face.
“Because I know what he does to the ones he keeps.”
- Writer
