Semua Bab The Mafia's Little Raven: Bab 61 - Bab 70

LEILA .. When it was time for lunch, later that day, the maid came in, her usual quiet presence a familiar part of the routine. Just as she was about leaving.She placed the tray on the small table, a simple meal, bread, some cold cuts, a piece of fruit.Just as she was about leaving, turning her back to slide the door shut, Misa gave the smallest, almost imperceptible nod.My heart leaped into my throat, a sudden, violent flutter.My hand shot out while the movement felt so fast and in a more desperate way, grabbing the dull silver knife from the breakfast tray.It wasn't sharp, not like a real weapon, but it would look convincing enough.The maid paused, alerted by my sudden movement, and started to turn back.Before she could fully face me, I was behind her. My arm went around her neck, clumsy and awkward, pulling her back against me.The knife, cool and smooth against my trembling fingers, went to her throat.I held it there, pressing just hard enough for her to feel the co

LEILA ..I knelt there on the floor of his immaculate room, my voice raw from begging, tears still tracking hot paths down my face.Gerald just stood above me, quiet, watching.The silence stretched, thick with my desperation and his unspoken thoughts.I watched his face, searching for any sign, any crack in the constructed facade of control.And then, it happened.His gaze softened while the shift in his expression felt so slight and in a more hopeful way for me, just a fraction, a fleeting glimpse of something other than the cold neutrality he usually wore.His eyes dropped from mine to my tear-streaked face, to the trembling of my shoulders, to the sad, crumpled heap I made on his floor.He saw my state. Really saw it and I guess something shifted within him.He let out a slow breath, a sound almost swallowed by the silence of the room.He didn't say he would help immediately.Not in so many words.But his next words, his tone, the set of his jaw, told me the impossible had ha

LEILA ..The soft, distinct click of the door made my eyes snapped open, wide and immediate in the darkness.My entire body went rigid beneath the blanket.The door creaked open while the sound felt so loud and in a more terrifying way in the absolute quiet of the room, a sound that seemed to tear through the stillness like a physical thing.A sliver of dim corridor light spilled into the room.A guard.I could make out his silhouette in the doorway, a bulky shape, his head tilting slightly as he peered into the gloom, checking if we were sleeping, if everything was quiet, normal.I held my breath, every muscle in my body screaming with the effort of remaining still.My heart hammered against my ribs, a frantic, terrified drum that I was convinced he must be able to hear from where he stood and I squeezed my eyes shut again, forcing my breathing to remain even, shallow, slowing it down with force of will.Just look like you’re asleep, I told myself, a silent, desperate mantra.Ju

LEILA ..I looked out the window of the car while the blur of the passing city felt so unreal and in a more hopeful way.The streetlights, the buildings, the occasional late-night traffic it all seemed part of a different world, one we had just clawed our way back into.The compound, that terrifying fortress, was receding behind us, becoming just another dark mass against the pre-dawn sky. The feeling of movement, of actual forward motion away from that place, was intoxicating, a heady mix of freedom and sheer, adrenaline-fueled terror.Misa sat beside me, quiet now, her gaze also fixed on the passing landscape, her hand still resting lightly on my arm.We drove for what felt like a long time, putting miles between us and the compound, between us and Damien’s inevitable discovery.The city eventually thinned out, the buildings giving way to wider roads, darker stretches of highway bordered by trees and open fields.We were moving into the countryside, leaving the urban sprawl of

LEILA ..The car came to a stop on a quiet, tree-lined lane that looked like it belonged in a postcard from another century.The air here was different, clean and crisp, smelling of pine needles and damp earth.The sounds of the city were long gone, replaced by the gentle rustle of leaves and the distant chirping of birds.It felt utterly deserted, miles away from the world, from the compound, from Damien.Gerald killed the engine, the sudden silence immense after hours of driving.He opened his door and got out.“This way,” he said, his voice low, calm as ever, his cap pulled low, obscuring his eyes. He didn’t wait for us, just started walking further down the gravel path while leading down the path felt so peaceful and in a more deceptive way, gesturing for us to follow with a slight tilt of his head.Misa and I exchanged a look, a mix of exhaustion, relief, and nervous anticipation. We got out of the car, stretching our stiff limbs, our sneakers crunching softly on the gravel.