Twenty-Four Hours

The silence after the call didn’t feel real.

It felt staged.

Like the world itself was holding its breath, waiting for us to move first.

Bianca’s voice still echoed faintly in my head.

“Alessio…”

Broken.

Terrified.

Alive.

And then Matteo’s voice right after.

Calm.

Smiling.

“You have twenty-four hours.”

That part wouldn’t leave me.

Twenty-four hours wasn’t just a threat.

It was a countdown.

A death timer.

Alessio stood completely still in front of the phone, as if even blinking might break something inside him.

Roman was the first to move.

“Trace it,” he ordered one of the guards.

The man nodded and rushed out.

But Alessio didn’t react.

Not immediately.

His hand was still curled around the empty space where the phone had been.

Like he could still feel her through it.

Then slowly, he lifted his head.

And when he looked at me—

something inside my chest tightened.

Because I’d seen him angry.

I’d seen him cold.

I’d seen him dangerous.

But I had never seen him like this.

Still.

Too still.

Like a storm that hadn’t started moving yet.

“Bianca is alive,” I said softly.

It wasn’t a question.

It was something I needed to say out loud to make it real.

Alessio nodded once.

Barely.

“Yes.”

Roman exhaled sharply behind us.

“But not safe,” he added.

That word changed the room again.

Not safe.

I swallowed.

“What does Matteo want?”

No one answered immediately.

Alessio finally turned away and picked up the shattered pieces of his phone from the floor.

One by one.

Slow.

Controlled.

Like violence was being contained inside his hands.

Then he spoke.

“Me.”

Roman shook his head.

“That’s not enough anymore.”

Alessio’s jaw tightened.

“He’s escalating.”

“And Lucia?” I asked suddenly.

Both men looked at me.

That silence was louder than words.

My stomach dropped.

“No,” I whispered. “No, don’t start that again.”

Alessio stepped closer.

“You’re involved.”

“I already know that.”

“Lucia—”

“No.” My voice rose. “I am not staying behind walls while you two decide my entire life like I’m a chess piece.”

Roman sighed.

“This is not a debate.”

“Everything is a debate when my sister is kidnapped!”

That shut the room up instantly.

For a second, I regretted raising my voice.

But only for a second.

Because fear makes people obedient.

And I refused to be obedient anymore.

Alessio watched me carefully.

Not interrupting.

Just observing.

Like he was trying to understand where my breaking point was.

Then finally he said, quieter:

“You’re not going alone.”

That was the problem.

I wasn’t going alone.

I was going with him.

Which somehow felt more dangerous.

Within twenty minutes, the mansion turned into a war room.

Maps spread across tables.

Phones buzzing nonstop.

Men moving in and out like shadows.

I stood near the edge of it all, watching.

Listening.

Trying to make sense of the chaos.

Matteo had sent a location hidden inside Bianca’s video.

A secondary signal.

A clue.

A safety deposit box in Manhattan.

That was where everything was supposed to connect.

Proof.

Truth.

Maybe even Bianca’s location.

Alessio was already putting on a jacket when Roman stopped him.

“You can’t walk into this blind.”

“I’m not blind,” Alessio said coldly.

“You’re emotional.”

That word snapped something sharp in the air.

Alessio turned slowly.

“Say that again.”

Roman didn’t back down.

“I said you’re emotional.”

A dangerous silence followed.

I stepped forward before it escalated.

“We don’t have time for this,” I said quickly. “He’s counting down.”

Both men paused.

That was the truth none of them could argue with.

Alessio finally looked away first.

“Car is ready.”

The ride to Manhattan felt too long.

Too quiet.

Too tense.

I sat in the back seat opposite Alessio, watching him instead of the city outside.

His eyes were fixed on the window.

But I knew he wasn’t seeing anything.

His mind was somewhere else entirely.

“Do you think he’ll hurt her?” I asked quietly.

Alessio didn’t answer immediately.

That scared me more than a yes would have.

Finally—

“He already is.”

My fingers tightened around the seat.

“And me?”

That made his gaze shift to me instantly.

“Matteo doesn’t hurt people randomly.”

“That doesn’t help me feel better.”

A faint exhale left him.

“You shouldn’t be here.”

“I didn’t ask to be kidnapped into this life,” I snapped.

His jaw tightened slightly.

“No,” he admitted. “You didn’t.”

That honesty caught me off guard.

Silence returned.

Then softer, almost reluctantly:

“But you’re stronger than you think.”

I looked at him.

“You don’t even know me.”

His eyes met mine.

For a moment, something unguarded flickered there.

“I know enough.”

That didn’t feel like comfort.

It felt like warning.

The Manhattan building was old.

Too old.

The kind of place people walked past without looking twice.

Which made it perfect for hiding things.

Alessio led the way inside without hesitation.

Of course he knew exactly where to go.

We passed through a lobby that looked almost abandoned.

The guard at the desk didn’t even look up.

Inside, everything changed.

A private elevator.

Fingerprint access.

Security codes.

Alessio handled it like he’d done it before.

Which meant he probably had.

I followed closely behind him as the elevator descended.

Deep underground.

The air got colder.

Heavier.

More suffocating.

“You’ve been here before,” I said quietly.

He didn’t deny it.

“Yes.”

That single word made my stomach tighten.

“Why?”

The elevator stopped.

The doors opened.

And Alessio stepped out first.

“Later.”

Always later.

Always secrets.

The hallway was narrow.

Concrete walls.

Soft lighting.

And silence that felt wrong.

We reached a steel door.

Alessio entered a code.

The lock clicked.

He pushed it open.

Inside was a small secured room lined with deposit boxes.

Rows upon rows.

All identical.

All locked.

All hiding something.

“This is it?” I asked.

“Yes.”

He walked straight to one of the boxes without hesitation.

That alone made me uneasy.

“How do you know which one?”

He paused.

“Because my father kept nothing random.”

That didn’t sound reassuring.

It sounded like history.

Like memory.

Like pain.

He pulled out a key.

The same silver one my father had given him.

My heart skipped.

“This connects to my family too?” I asked.

Alessio glanced at me.

“Everything connects to your family.”

That answer hit harder than I expected.

He inserted the key.

The box clicked open.

A faint mechanical sound echoed in the room.

Then—

he pulled it out.

A black envelope.

No markings.

No name.

Just sealed.

My breath caught.

“That’s it?”

Alessio didn’t answer.

He opened it carefully.

Inside—

a single USB drive.

And a folded note.

My hands went cold.

“That’s too simple,” I whispered.

Alessio’s expression darkened.

“It’s never simple.”

He plugged the USB into a small device brought by one of his men.

The screen lit up instantly.

Static.

Then—

video.

Bianca appeared again.

Tied.

Tears in her eyes now.

My chest tightened painfully.

“Lucia…” she whispered.

Alessio leaned forward slightly.

Bianca continued:

“If you’re watching this—don’t trust—”

The video cut.

Instantly.

My stomach dropped.

“What?” I whispered. “What did she say?”

Alessio frowned.

“Replay it.”

They did.

Same result.

Cut off before the warning finished.

Something was wrong.

Very wrong.

The system beeped.

A new file appeared.

Not video.

Audio.

Alessio clicked it.

A voice came through instantly.

Matteo.

Close.

Too close.

“Good.”

Alessio froze.

The voice continued.

“You found it.”

My blood ran cold.

Because that meant—

this wasn’t a discovery.

It was a setup.

Alessio grabbed my arm instantly.

“Move.”

“What?”

“Now.”

But it was too late.

The lights in the room flickered.

Once.

Twice.

Then went completely red.

An alarm blared.

Metal doors slammed shut behind us.

The exit sealed.

My heart dropped.

“What’s happening?”

Alessio’s face hardened instantly.

“We’re trapped.”

And then—

Matteo’s voice came through the speakers.

Everywhere.

Laughing.

“You’re right on time.”

A pause.

Then softer—

“Lucia.”

My stomach turned to ice.

“You didn’t really think I only wanted Bianca, did you?”

Alessio pulled me behind him instantly.

But Matteo’s voice continued, calm and amused:

“This room has one exit.”

A pause.

“And it just locked itself.”

The lights above us shifted again.

And that’s when I noticed it.

The faint hiss in the air.

Alessio noticed it too.

His expression changed instantly.

“Gas.”

My breath stopped.

And Matteo’s final words came through the speakers:

“Let’s see how long it takes you to choose between love… and survival.”

The air around us began to thin.

And Alessio grabbed my hand tightly—

as the room started to fill.