Chapter 5 - The Cage Tightens

This house was a prison and Luca was the warden.

The worst part?

A small dark part of me wanted the chains. To be bound by them.

I quickly shoved the thought away, got to my feet and started pacing the room with my fists clenched.

There had to be a way out, there had to. There always was.

No guards at the door, windows left unlocked.

A trap dressed up like freedom.

I grew impatient with each passing minute. I had to do something.

I got up and tested the balcony first.

Second floor. High enough to break something if I jumped.

I looked below, towards the gates. It had armed guards patrolling like clockwork.

Escape was definitely not happening tonight.

The mansion stayed quiet. Too quiet.

Seconds turned to minutes and minutes turned into hours and still, nothing. By the time I heard footsteps again the moon was high in the sky, casting silver across the marble floors.

Yet I stayed hidden by the window, watching

Then I saw him.

Luca

Gosh, I hated him. And I hated how my heart raced at the sight of him.

I slipped back inside and returned to pacing again.

Minutes later, I heard a knock. I ignored it.

The door opened anyway.

“You’re restless”. He said. His voice calm, infuriatingly steady

“Oh my, your observation skills are on point. Shall I give you an award” I shot back

Luca stepped inside, closing the door behind him. He leaned casually against the wall

“Couldn’t sleep” if he was asking or simply stating, I wasn’t quite sure.

I crossed my arms chin high, guard up “What do you want?"

His eyes drifted over me slowly, deliberate “You looked ready to climb out that window earlier”

I felt heat crawl up my neck.“ Are you watching me now?”

“Always”

That one simple word, landed heavily between us.

I should’ve been terrified. I was. But at the same time, treacherous heat pulsed low in my stomach again.

“Leave” I ordered. It came out weaker than I intended.

Luca straightened and took a slow step closer. Then another until I was backed up and felt the window frame hit my spine.

“You...you....you said you wouldn’t touch me” I stammered stupidly, heart hammering.

His eyes burned into mine; Hungry and dark.

“I haven’t” he said. His voice low enough to make my knees weak “But you’re thinking about it”

I opened my mouth to argue.

Nothing came out, not a sound.

He smiled, amused “I told you cara mia, time would tell”

With that he turned and walked out. Closing the door behind him. Leaving me breathless, shaken and feeling more trapped than ever.

The air in the room seemed to collapse as the door clicked shut.

Breathing heavily, I pushed both palms against the window frame behind me, locking my knees. I stared at my reflection in the glass. My image gazed back at me with wild eyes, flushed cheeks, and defiance that was just about to give out.

What in the world was going on with me?

This was a place I hated. More than this place, Luca was someone I detested. And yet I couldn't stop thinking about how his eyes seemed to bore into the very depths of my soul and his voice? His voice continued to reverberate in my chest, low and possessive, curling like smoke through my mind.

I balled my fists at my sides.

No!!! I can't give in to these thoughts.

Luca didn't know me if he believed that I would break easily.

Barely 2hours later I heard a knock. The knock was loud this time. No slow taps. Just sharp hits.

Two men were at the door big, tall, all in black. I could not read their eyes, but knew what they meant.

"The boss needs you now," one said, his tone sharp, all business.

I took a deep breath, hating that I had to do this. Yet, I walked with them.

I made sure to note each turn, each door, and each spot to hide as we went through the long, softly lit hall that was littered with costly art.

They brought me to the main floor, by the big stairs, through doors I'd not seen before.

This room had dark wood, leather, and harsh lines. It was clear: this place was about power and old riches.

He was already there. Luca.

He stood by a long table, his men in suits by him. All conversations stopped as soon as I came in.

"Sit," Luca said, and waved me to a seat near him.

I stood there too long. One of his big men moved a bit. I got the message.

I sat down.

The table was a mess. There were papers, maps, and what could be spy shots, everywhere. A small computer screen showed vague live shots. Some had views of the yard, some of the house. More of places I did not know.

I felt a sinking feeling settle in my stomach. Cold fear maybe?

"Business," Luca told me, low. "You're in this now, whether No way out."

I just glared, stayed still.

The talk went on. I did not get all of it, but heard enough. Plans to move things, fights over who owns what, guns slipping by cops at the docks. They kept saying one name with hate.

"Russo," a man hissed. "If he gets in our way, he's dead."

Then, a door opened. A young guy was pushed in, bloodied and scared.

The wall to the right was made of glass. We saw in, but we could not be seen. A one-way partition.

"He was near the docks," one of Luca’s men said. "Russo's spy."

Inside the glass walled room, the guard moved like a hunter. He had gloves, a knife bright in the sharp overhead light.

"A message," Luca said calmly.

The guard hit fast.

The first punch broke the boy’s nose, blood spraying across the floor. Then, a hit to the ribs. I heard something crack. I flinched, very visibly.

The young man cried and begged. It didn't matter. Not in here.

The guard cut him, face, then arm, slow, mean slices. His shirt was now dark with blood.

I looked off. Yet not in time.

The guard put a gun to the boy's head.

A loud shot rang out. He fell, just a pile now.

I whimpered in my seat.

No one by me batted an eyelid. Like it was nothing. He was nothing.

The conversation went on as if they didn't just sit there and watch someone die.

No, tortured. He didn't die, he was murdered.

Monsters. They were monsters.

Time went on. My heart raced. Never Slowed. Not for a minute.

When the meeting finally ended, Luca dismissed everyone with a flick of his hand. Leaving me and him alone.

He looked at me, eyes cold. "You see what we do to rats," he said simply.

"And what happens to prisoners?" I shot back before I could stop myself.

Luca smirked, that infuriating almost smile. "Depends on how clever they are."

That was my breaking point.

I had to get out. I couldn't stay one more day.

Suddenly, his phone rang.

I crept out the door as soon as he turned, preoccupied with his phone. Pulse roaring loudly in my ears.

The house was enormous but I had committed the exits to memory. I moved silently and quickly, my heart pounding.

I all but ran through the corridors. Down the stairs to the service room.

I ducked low, slipping past undetected as voices echoed nearby.

I arrived at the back entrance.

locked.

"Great. Just my luck."

"Think Ciara, think." I whispered, looking around for other options.

A window next to the pantry. Cracked open a little.

I had a rush of adrenaline .

My palm scraped the frame, but I ignored the sting and pushed it wider. Squeezing through, I landed hard on the gravel outside.

With long shadows cast by the moonlight, the garden towered over me. Ahead, the gates stood guarded.

The fence by the east wall, though? Lower. Not as obvious.

I ran. Like my life depended on it. Because it did.

Even though my legs hurt and my breath burned, I kept going. I didn't stop. I couldn't stop.

The fence felt cold under my fingers. I ignored the jagged edge that cut my thigh as I clambered up.

I jumped over and fell to the brush outside.

Freedom.

I didn't pause to take in it. I took off running.

Into the night. I didn't know where I was going but I had to get away.

Away from that monster, Luca.

Away from the chains that were being tightened around me.

At least, for now.