Chapter Four - Whispers in the dark
744 Words
Darkness clung to her like water, dragging her down. Somewhere in the fog of her mind, Alessia heard voices, low, urgent, male.
“She’s not supposed to be here.”
“You should’ve left her.”
“She’s not Celeste.”
Her eyelids fluttered. The world swam into focus. A ceiling she didn’t recognize stretched above her vaulted ceiling, lined with crown molding. The scent of leather and antiseptic filled her nose. She tried to sit up, but her wrists were heavy.
Restraints.
Panic shot through her veins. She thrashed, gasping.
“Easy.” The voice came from the shadows. A tall figure stepped forward, his green eyes sharp under dark hair, tattoos curling across his forearms. He wore black gloves, a bloodstained rag dangling from his hand.
An underground doctor, Alessia thought, her pulse racing.
He moved closer, checking the bandage at her arm where the needle had struck her.
“The sedative will wear off soon. Try not to fight it.”
Her voice cracked. “Who are you?”
He didn’t answer. Another figure leaned lazily against the window, the moonlight catching the gleam of his headset. Hazel eyes, golden-brown curls, lips curved into a grin too casual for the tension in the room.
“Welcome back, bride,” he drawled. “Or should I say… substitute bride?”Alessia froze.
The third man stepped out of the corner silent, broad-shouldered, with a shaved head and silver-gray eyes that didn’t blink. His presence was colder than Killian’s, and yet steady, disciplined.
Three strangers. Three predators.
Her voice rose, shaking. “Take me back. My sister she’s dead. My father thinks I–"
"We know,” the lazy one cut in, flicking his headset off. “We’ve seen the footage.”
Her heart stopped. “What footage?”
The doctor finally spoke, his voice low, steady. “Celeste isn’t dead.”
The words hit harder than the needle. Alessia shook her head violently. “I saw her. She was there with blood. ”
The hacker smirked. “Bodies can be staged. Blood can be borrowed. You of all people should know that nothing in this city is what it looks like.”
Tears stung her eyes. “You’re lying. Who are you? Why are you telling me this?”
The silent one moved at last. He knelt, untying the restraints with a flick of his knife. His touch was unexpectedly careful, but his eyes never softened. “Because you’re not her. And now, whether you like it or not, that makes you useful.”
Her wrists burned as the rope fell away. She rubbed them, chest heaving.“Useful?” she whispered.
The hacker tilted his head. “Let’s just say Celeste had… allies. Enemies. Debts. We were all a little invested.” He tapped the side of his headset. “And guess what? She left you holding the bag.”Alessia’s stomach turned.
The doctor crossed his arms. “Celeste once came to me for help. Disappeared with my trust, left me with enemies of my own. If she’s alive, she owes me. If she’s dead, someone staged it. Either way…” His green eyes flicked over her. “You’re the key.”
Her throat tightened. “I don’t know anything.”
The hacker’s grin widened. “Maybe not. But you’re wearing it.”She looked down at her wrist.
Her bracelet glinted faintly in the moonlight. The one Celeste had fastened on her, the last thing she touched before vanishing.The doctor reached forward, tugging at it. A hidden clasp popped. Metal slid aside, revealing a thin flash drive embedded in the band.
Alessia’s breath caught. “What is this?”The hacker slipped the drive into his tablet. Lines of code exploded across the screen, cascading faster than she could read. His grin faltered. “Well, well… looks like little sister’s been carrying around the family jewels.”
The screen is filled with encrypted files. Names. Bank accounts. Assassination contracts. Blood oaths.
Alessia’s vision blurred. “I don’t understand…”
The silent one spoke at last, his voice low and deadly calm. “You don’t have to understand. You just have to survive.”
Alessia clutched her wrist, staring at the empty space where the bracelet had been. Her world tilted. Celeste’s warning echoed again Don’t trust the De Santis. Don’t even trust me. Now Alessia knows why.
The flash drive wasn’t just evidence. It was a death sentence.
- Writer
