Chapter Two
1551 Words
The Night That Breaks
Sienna’s POV
The sound I heard is slow and deliberate. It was not an accident and it was not random.
My body goes completely still and every instinct in me sharpens at once, like something deep inside is screaming danger.
“Hello?” My voice comes out quieter than I expect.
No answer, then silence stretches, thick and suffocating and then i take another step toward the door, with my heart pounding so hard it feels like it’s trying to break out of my chest. My hand hovers over the handle.
This is stupid. It’s probably nothing. It may be pipes, neighbors or old building noises.
Then i heard the scratch again, closer this time and my breath catches.
That’s not pipes and that’s not normal. Someone is out there.
I stumble back a step, with panic rising fast and sharp. My gaze darts around the apartment, searching for something…anything….I can use.
Maybe a weapon, phone or an exit.
I grabbed my phone from the counter, with my fingers shaking as I unlock the screen. For a second, I hesitate.
Then I press the only name my body remembers before my mind can stop it.
Which was Dominic. It rings once and twice and then suddenly the scratching stops completely. And my breath goes shallow. On the third ring, he answers.
“Sienna.”
My name leaves his mouth like he’s been expecting it.
Relief crashes into me so suddenly and my knees almost give out. “Someone’s outside my door,” I whisper.
A pause follows. Then his voice drops…cold, sharp, and dangerous. “Are you inside?”
“Yes.” inreplied.
“Is the door locked?” he asked.
“Yes.” I replied.
“Don’t open it.” He said.
I let out a shaky breath. “I wasn’t planning to…”
A loud BANG slams against the door suddenly.
I scream, stumbling backward as the entire frame rattles.
“Sienna.” Dominic’s voice cuts through the panic. “Listen to me.”
Then another BANG. This time harder and wood creaks.
“They’re trying to break in,” I choke out.
“I know.” His voice is calm. Too calm. “Go to your bedroom. Lock yourself inside. Now.”
Then another hit and the door shudders violently. My body finally moves.
I run down the short hallway, into my bedroom, slamming the door behind me and twisting the lock with trembling hands. My chest rises and falls too fast and too loud.
“Closet,” Dominic orders through the phone. “Get inside. Stay quiet.”
“What’s happening?” My voice breaks. “Who is that?”
“I’m on my way.”
Another crash echoes through the apartment. Louder and closer. Like something just gave way and it suddenly felt as if my heart stops.
“The front door…” I whisper.
Silence answers me. But not outside, it was inside. They’re in.
A floorboard creaks somewhere in the living room. I heard heavy footsteps slow and unhurried. Like whoever it is knows I can’t escape.
My pulse roars in my ears as I rush to the closet, slipping inside and pulling the door shut just enough to leave a narrow gap.
Darkness wraps around me.
I press a hand over my mouth, trying to steady my breathing.
Then i heard the footsteps closer and closer. A man’s voice drifts through the apartment. “Search it.”
Another voice answers, lower. “She’s here. I saw her go in.”
I felt my stomach drop. Because they know. They know I’m here.
I clutch the phone tighter, pressing it to my ear like it’s the only thing connecting me to reality. “Dominic…” I whisper.
“I’m two minutes away,” he says.
Two minutes… That’s too long. The bedroom door creaks open.
Footsteps enter the room. Slow and measured. I heard the sound of drawers being pulled open and clothes shifting. “They said she’d be alone,” one of them mutters.
“She is,” the other replies. “Doesn’t matter.”
My heart pounds so loudly I’m sure they can hear it, then i squeeze my eyes shut. Don’t move, don’t breathe and don’t make a sound.
The closet door handle rattles and i stop breathing completely, then a pause follows and then…
A loud crash from outside the apartment. I heard shouting and gunfire.
It was sharp and explosive. The men inside my room go still.
“What the….” Another gunshot echoes closer this time.
“s**t. We’ve got company.”
Footsteps rush out of the room fast and panicked.
I don’t move, because i can’t. My body is locked in place, and every muscle felt frozen. I heard more gunfire and shouting. Heavy boots pounding through the apartment. Then…. Silence.
.
My phone is still pressed to my ear. “Sienna,” Dominic says. “Are you hurt?”
“I…I don’t know,” I whisper.
“Stay where you are.”
Footsteps approach again slower this time. Controlled and familiar.
My breath catches and the closet door swings open. And there he is.
Dominic.
Standing over me like something out of a nightmare. Or salvation.
His suit jacket is gone and his shirt sleeves rolled up, revealing the dark tattoo along his arms. There’s blood on his knuckles.
But its not his. His gray eyes scan me quickly, taking in every detail like he’s assessing damage. “Are you hurt?” he repeats.
I shake my head, unable to speak.
Relief flashes across his face….brief, sharp…before it disappears behind control. Then his hand wraps around my arm, pulling me out of the closet.
“You’re coming with me.”
The words snap something inside me. “No.”
Then his grip tightens. “Sienna…”
“I said no!” I yank my arm back, my voice shaking but loud. “You don’t get to do this again. You don’t get to decide where I go….”
“Two men just broke into your apartment,” he cuts in, his voice low and deadly. “And you think this is about control?”
“It always is with you!” I snapped.
Another voice speaks from the doorway. “They’re gone, sir. Two down. One escaped.”
Dominic doesn’t look away from me. Of course someone escaped and of course this isn’t over. My stomach twists.
“See?” I say, my voice trembling. “This is your world. Your enemies. This has nothing to do with me.”
Dominic goes very still. Then he steps closer. Too close. “This has everything to do with you.”
My breath stutters.
“You don’t understand what’s happening,” he continues, his voice quieter now…but somehow more dangerous. “And I don’t have time to argue with you about it.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you.” I hesitated.
A beat of silence and then…
“You don’t have a choice.” He said.
Rage flashes through me. “Watch me…” Before I can finish, his arm wraps around my waist and he lifts me off the ground.
“Dominic!” I struggle instantly, hitting his chest, twisting in his hold. “Put me down!”
“No.”
He carries me out of the apartment like I weigh nothing, ignoring my protests completely.
“Let me go!” I kick, with my heel catching his leg, but he doesn’t even flinch.
The hallway is chaos. Men in dark clothing. Weapons and blood on the floor.
My stomach turns. “What did you do?” I breathe.
“What I had to.” He said and doesn’t slow down and doesn’t hesitate.
We reach the stairs, then the exit, and the cold night air hitting my face as he carries me outside.
A black car waits at the curb. The same one I saw earlier.
My heart drops.
“I told you,” Dominic murmurs against my ear as he pulls the door open. “You don’t know what’s out here.”
He pushes me inside and the door slams shut and locked.
I lunge for the handle immediately, but it doesn’t open. Of course it doesn’t.
Dominic slides in beside me, his presence filling the space, suffocating, and inescapable. “Drive.”
The car pulls away fast. Then i turn to him, fury and fear colliding in my chest. “You can’t just take me…”
“Yes, I can.” The words are quiet, certain and terrifying and my breath catches. “This isn’t protection,” I whisper. “This is kidnapping.”
Then his gaze locks onto mine. Cold and unyielding. “No,” he says.
The city lights blur past the window as the car speeds into the night. “This,” Dominic continues, his voice dropping into something dark and final…
“is the only reason you’re still alive.”
My heart slams against my ribs and something deep inside me realizes the truth. That this isn’t over. It’s just beginning. The car doesn’t slow down and it doesn’t stop. And as the gates ahead begin to open…. I understand one terrifying thing, that I’m not going home and I’m going back to him.
- Writer
