The Name You Didn’t Expect

“Who knows you’re with me?”

Dante asked the question without raising his voice.

They were standing in the safe house living room. Morning light slipped through the narrow windows, soft and almost deceptive. Outside, everything looked calm. Inside, the air felt tight, heavy with something unsaid.

Aruna hugged her arms. “No one.”

“That’s not an answer,” Dante said. “That’s fear talking.”

She lifted her chin. “I didn’t call anyone. I didn’t text anyone. I didn’t tell anyone where we were.”

“I believe you,” he replied.

That surprised her.

“Then why do you look like that?” she asked.

“Because belief doesn’t erase facts.”

He walked to the table and placed his phone down. The screen lit up with a paused security feed. A grainy image. The front gate. A shadow near the trees.

“They were watching this place before we arrived,” Dante said. “Which means someone told them where you would be.”

Aruna’s breath grew shallow. “That’s impossible.”

“No,” he corrected calmly. “It’s inconvenient.”

She shook her head. “I barely know anyone. I don’t have friends like that.”

Dante’s gaze stayed on her face. “Think carefully.”

She closed her eyes.

Faces flickered through her mind. Girls at the bar. Men who never bothered to remember her name. People who disappeared as easily as they came.

Then one name surfaced.

Her eyes opened slowly.

“No,” she whispered.

Dante noticed immediately. “Say it.”

“It doesn’t make sense,” she said quickly. “She wouldn’t do that.”

“Who?” he pressed.

Aruna swallowed. “Lina.”

Dante tilted his head slightly. “The bartender.”

“She helped me,” Aruna said. “She warned me about clients. She covered my shifts when I was sick. She knew about my mom. About my debt.”

Dante’s expression remained unreadable. “She knew too much.”

“That doesn’t mean she betrayed me.”

“In my world,” he said, “it usually does.”

Aruna’s voice trembled. “You don’t understand. She was the only one who treated me like a human being in that place.”

Dante stepped closer. “That is exactly why she is dangerous.”

She looked at him, hurt flashing in her eyes. “Not everyone is like you.”

“I know,” he replied quietly. “Some are worse.”

A knock echoed through the house.

Both of them froze.

Dante lifted a hand, signaling silence, and reached for the gun at his side. He moved toward the door with controlled steps, checking the monitor first.

“It’s Marco,” he said.

The door opened moments later. Marco stepped inside, his expression grim.

“We confirmed the leak,” Marco said. “It came from the bar.”

Aruna’s heart dropped. “You’re guessing.”

“No,” Marco replied. “We traced a call made last night. Burner phone. But the voice matches someone on staff.”

Aruna took a step forward. “Who?”

Marco glanced at Dante.

“Say it,” Dante ordered.

“Lina,” Marco said.

The name hit her like a slap.

“That’s not possible,” Aruna whispered. “She wouldn’t.”

“She sold information,” Marco continued. “Not just about you. About Dante’s movements.”

Aruna shook her head, tears burning. “Why?”

Marco’s tone hardened. “Money. Protection. Or fear. It’s always one of the three.”

Aruna looked at Dante. “You’re going to kill her.”

It was not a question.

Dante did not answer immediately.

“Yes,” he said.

The word felt final.

Aruna’s chest tightened. “She saved me more times than I can count.”

“And she nearly got you killed,” Dante replied.

“I don’t want her blood on my hands,” Aruna said. “I already carry too much guilt.”

“You don’t carry this,” Dante said. “I do.”

She stepped closer, her voice breaking. “You say you protect me. Then listen to me.”

His eyes locked onto hers. “Careful.”

“Don’t do this for me,” she said. “Do it because you choose to be better than them.”

Silence stretched between them.

Marco shifted uncomfortably. “Boss, this is not the time for mercy.”

Dante did not look away from Aruna. “Leave us.”

Marco hesitated. “Dante.”

“Now.”

Marco left without another word.

Aruna exhaled shakily. “You don’t have to do everything with blood.”

“In my world,” Dante said softly, “blood is what keeps promises.”

She wiped her tears. “Then what does love keep?”

The word hung between them.

Dante’s jaw tightened. “Don’t use that word unless you understand its cost.”

“I’m starting to,” she said. “That’s what scares me.”

He reached out, gripping her wrist firmly, not hurting, but not gentle either.

“You want her spared,” he said. “Then you will never speak to her again. Never look for her. Never defend her.”

Aruna nodded. “If it means she lives.”

Dante’s grip tightened briefly before he released her. “I will consider it.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“It’s the only one I give.”

Before she could respond, Marco’s voice echoed from outside.

“Dante,” he called sharply. “We have another problem.”

Dante turned. “What now?”

“They’re not coming for you,” Marco said. “They’re coming for her.”

Aruna’s blood ran cold.

“Who?” she asked.

Marco’s eyes met hers. “The people who paid for your mother’s surgery.”

Dante’s expression darkened.

“Looks like,” Marco continued, “you were never just collateral.”

Dante looked at Aruna, his voice low and deadly.

“They don’t want your body anymore,” he said.

“They want you alive.”