The Ghost

The Ghost

"You should be dead."

The words echoed through the corridor.

Nobody moved.

Nobody breathed.

The laughter coming from Alessio's phone sent chills down my spine.

It wasn't normal laughter.

It wasn't amused.

It was the kind of laugh that belonged to someone dangerous.

Someone unstable.

Someone who enjoyed watching other people suffer.

Alessio's jaw tightened.

For the first time since I'd met him—

he looked shaken.

Not afraid.

Never afraid.

But shocked.

Genuinely shocked.

Roman noticed it too.

His face darkened immediately.

"Who is it?" Roman demanded.

The voice laughed again.

"You sound older, Roman."

My stomach twisted.

The caller knew Roman.

Personally.

That wasn't good.

That was very, very bad.

Roman's expression hardened.

"No."

The word came out barely above a whisper.

Almost like he was talking to himself.

The voice chuckled.

"Oh yes."

A horrible silence followed.

Then Roman spoke a name.

A single name.

And suddenly every guard in the hallway went pale.

"Matteo."

My pulse stopped.

The name meant nothing to me.

But clearly it meant something to everyone else.

Something terrible.

Alessio slowly lowered the phone.

His gray eyes had become ice.

Pure ice.

"Impossible."

The voice laughed again.

"I've always hated that word."

My stomach clenched.

Who was this man?

And why did he sound so confident?

So certain?

Like he already knew he'd won.

Alessio finally spoke.

"I watched you die."

The hallway fell silent.

The voice became softer.

More dangerous.

"Apparently not."

A chill ran down my spine.

The line went dead.

Nobody moved.

The silence afterward felt suffocating.

Then—

Alessio smashed the phone against the wall.

The device shattered instantly.

Pieces scattered across the floor.

I jumped.

Nobody else did.

Which told me this wasn't unusual.

At least not for him.

Roman dragged a hand across his face.

A rare sign of frustration.

"This changes everything."

"Tell me who he is."

My voice came out stronger than I expected.

Both men looked at me.

Neither answered.

I folded my arms.

"No."

Roman blinked.

"No?"

"No more secrets."

I was done.

Done being protected.

Done being lied to.

Done being treated like a child.

Bianca was missing.

My family was under attack.

Someone wanted me badly enough to start a war.

I deserved answers.

Roman exchanged a look with Alessio.

Then sighed.

"Matteo Romano."

I froze.

Romano.

The same last name.

My eyes widened.

"Family?"

Roman nodded.

The tension in the hallway immediately doubled.

"He was my eldest son."

Silence.

I stared at him.

My brain struggled to process the information.

"Eldest son?"

Roman looked older suddenly.

More tired.

More human.

Something I had never seen before.

"He was supposed to inherit everything."

A terrible feeling settled in my stomach.

Supposed to.

Past tense.

Meaning something had happened.

Something horrible.

Alessio's voice turned cold.

"He betrayed the family."

Roman nodded once.

"He sold information."

The pieces started fitting together.

Slowly.

Dangerously.

"Mafia information?"

"Everything."

The answer came immediately.

"Shipments. Alliances. Locations."

My pulse quickened.

"He got people killed."

The hallway fell silent.

Roman's eyes darkened.

"Many people."

I swallowed hard.

Now I understood.

At least partly.

If Matteo betrayed the family...

then why wasn't he dead?

That question clearly showed on my face.

Because Roman answered before I asked.

"He was executed."

Executed.

The word sent chills through me.

Not arrested.

Not imprisoned.

Executed.

Mafia justice.

"But..." I hesitated.

"He's alive."

"Apparently."

Nobody looked happy about that fact.

Especially Alessio.

His face looked carved from stone.

I looked between them.

"Why does he want me?"

Neither answered.

Again.

I nearly screamed.

"Seriously?"

Roman sighed.

Alessio cursed under his breath.

Finally Roman spoke.

"Because of Alessio."

The words hit me like a truck.

I froze.

"What?"

"You're leverage."

The realization made me sick.

Not because I didn't understand.

But because I did.

Perfectly.

Matteo wanted Alessio.

Couldn't reach him directly.

So he took someone Alessio cared about.

Bianca.

And now he wanted me.

The room spun slightly.

Alessio's jaw tightened.

He looked furious.

Not at me.

At himself.

Which somehow felt worse.

My heart squeezed painfully.

Because I suddenly realized something.

This wasn't just my problem.

Alessio blamed himself.

Completely.

And judging by the look on his face—

he was already planning revenge.

The deadly kind.

Roman turned toward him.

"We need a plan."

"I have one."

That response came too quickly.

Roman frowned.

"I don't like it already."

Alessio ignored him.

Instead—

he looked directly at me.

And my stomach dropped.

Because I recognized that look.

Determination.

Absolute determination.

"No."

The word left my mouth instantly.

His eyebrow lifted.

"I haven't said anything."

"I already know."

The corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

Not amusement.

Resignation.

"You always do this."

"Do what?"

"Try to sacrifice yourself."

The words hit harder than they should have.

Because they were true.

Alessio looked away briefly.

Which was answer enough.

My pulse quickened.

"You want to trade yourself for Bianca."

Silence.

Roman groaned.

"Of course he does."

Alessio ignored him.

Again.

I stared.

Actually stared.

Was he insane?

Matteo clearly wanted him dead.

Why would he willingly walk into that?

Because Bianca was innocent.

Because Alessio protected people.

Because underneath all the danger—

he cared more than he wanted anyone to know.

And somehow that realization terrified me more than the guns.

"No."

His gaze snapped back to mine.

"No?"

"No."

For once, I sounded exactly like him.

Firm.

Certain.

Unmovable.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"Lucia."

"No."

"You're not involved."

I laughed.

Actually laughed.

The sound shocked everyone.

Including me.

"Not involved?"

I pointed toward the shattered phone.

"The kidnapper wants me."

Then toward the ballroom.

"My father got shot."

Then toward the mansion.

"Our families are under attack."

I stepped closer.

"How exactly am I not involved?"

Alessio opened his mouth.

Then closed it again.

For once—

he had no answer.

Good.

Because I was tired of being treated like fragile glass.

A guard suddenly rushed down the hallway.

Breathing hard.

Panicked.

"Sir!"

Everyone turned.

The guard stopped in front of Alessio.

"We found something."

The atmosphere changed instantly.

Hope.

Fear.

Urgency.

All at once.

Alessio stepped forward.

"What?"

The guard handed over a small flash drive.

"We found it in Miss Bianca's room."

My stomach twisted.

Bianca's room?

Why there?

Alessio took the drive.

Roman frowned.

"Play it."

Minutes later, we were gathered inside a security office.

The flash drive connected to a monitor.

The screen flickered.

Static appeared.

Then—

video.

My heart stopped.

Bianca appeared.

Alive.

Thank God.

Alive.

Relief hit me so hard my knees nearly gave out.

But something felt wrong.

Very wrong.

Bianca wasn't crying.

Wasn't struggling.

Wasn't screaming.

She looked terrified.

But she was staring at something off-camera.

Someone.

Then the camera shifted.

And my blood ran cold.

A man stepped into view.

Dark hair.

Cold eyes.

A familiar face.

Too familiar.

I recognized him instantly.

Because I'd seen his photograph before.

Years ago.

In one of my father's old family albums.

Standing beside Uncle Marco.

Smiling.

Alive.

The room went completely silent.

Roman went pale.

Alessio cursed.

And I whispered the name before I could stop myself.

"Matteo."

The man smiled directly into the camera.

Like he could hear me.

Like he knew I was watching.

Then he spoke.

And the words that came out of his mouth shattered my world completely.

"Hello, Lucia."

My blood froze.

He knew my name.

The smile widened.

And then he said:

"Ask your father why he murdered your uncle."

The screen went black.