A firm hand clamped over my mouth, jolting me awake from a dead sleep. My eyes flew open in terror, meeting Luka's grim visage in the dim glow of the bedside lamp.
"Shh..." he murmured, a finger pressed to his lips. "Get dressed. We have to move."
My heart thundered in my ears as I scrambled out of bed, every instinct screaming at me to run, to question what was happening. But the urgency in Luka's eyes brooked no argument.
Sarah, my personal assistant, slipped into the bedroom looking just as shaken. She thrust a small overnight bag into my hands, her own already slung over her shoulder.
"What's going on?" I managed in a harsh whisper once we were in the hallway, pulling on my coat with shaking hands.
Luka's jaw was set in a hard line. "no longer safe here."
A cold knot of dread formed in the pit of my stomach. So the turf war had officially reached our doorstep, the viper striking at last. Part of me wanted to argue, to demand answers about why I was being kept so deliberately in the dark.
But the urgency of the situation allowed no time for that. I could only nod mutely and follow Luka's lead.
We hurried down the back service stairs in tense silence, ears straining for any sound that might indicate a threat. Sarah stayed glued to my side, her eyes wide with barely-contained panic.
At last we reached the garage, where one of Luka's men waited by an idling black sedan. He opened the rear door, eyes alert as he scanned our surroundings for any signs of danger.
Sarah and I slid into the backseat, and Luka joined us a beat later. He barked an address to the driver, and we peeled out into the night.
I clutched the small bag in my lap like a lifeline as the city streets flew by outside the tinted windows. My mind raced, trying to process everything.
A safe house, Luka had said. But safe from what exactly? How could things have escalated so rapidly without any warning that we were being hunted like animals?
Sarah's hand found mine in the darkness, her slim fingers trembling as she gave it a reassuring squeeze. The poor girl looked like she was barely holding it together.
"It'll be okay," I lied through a tight smile, more for my own benefit than hers. "Luka always has a plan."
I caught his reflection in the rearview mirror, his expression unreadable in the passing glow of streetlights. For the first time, I realized I had no idea what that plan actually entailed.
All I could do was cling to Sarah and watch the city disappear behind us, being swallowed whole by the encroaching darkness. We were in flight now, from enemies both known and unknown.
And I couldn't shake the feeling that no matter where we ran, we would never truly be safe again.
The crisp mountain air should have been invigorating, but instead it felt stifling, like invisible walls were closing in all around us. I watched Sarah stare wistfully out at the vast, untamed wilderness surrounding our rustic cabin refuge.
"I wish we could go explore out there," she said softly. "It looks so peaceful."
I managed a strained smile, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Me too. But you know the rules - we can't risk leaving the safe house grounds until..."
Until what?
Until this whole nightmare blew over? Fat chance of that happening anytime soon.
Luka's absence was a leaden weight, his usual commanding presence sorely missed. After getting us safely tucked away in this remote location, he had to return to the city to handle the escalating turf war with the Castellanos.
The thought of him out there, undoubtedly staring down the threat of violence and betrayal at every turn, made my chest constrict painfully. At least here, isolated as we were, Sarah and I could avoid being caught in the crossfire.
"I'm going stir-crazy cooped up in here," Sarah admitted, worrying her bottom lip. "How long are we supposed to stay?"
I shook my head, the truth burning like acid in my throat. "As long as it takes."
We both knew that was an answer devoid of any certainty or hope. For all we knew, we could be captives in this beautiful yet suffocating paradise indefinitely.
The guards Luka had posted were a constant reminder of the threats lurking just outside our refuge. They patrolled the grounds with watchful eyes, weapons never far from reach. I tried not to dwell on what might happen if our location was compromised.
Instead, I focused on keeping Sarah's spirits up as best I could. We passed the interminable hours taking long hikes along the pre-approved trails, playing cards, and watching old movies together to escape from our grim reality, if only for a little while.
But the idyllic mountain setting seemed to mock us with its beauty and freedom that remained permanently out of reach. We were birds trapped in a gilded cage, with no idea if or when we might finally be released to stretch our wings.
At night, I would lie awake listening to the haunting echoes of wolves howling in the distance. I couldn't help wondering if they could sense our own captivity, calling out to the kindred spirits forced into an existence of confinement.
With each passing day separated from Luka, from my old life, it became harder to cling to hope that any of this would ever be resolved. We were in limbo, the world continuing to turn around us while our lives were frozen in an endless, suffocating stasis.
All I could do was hold Sarah close, reminding myself that no matter how dire our circumstances, at least we still had each other to lean on. It was a small comfort, but one I had to grasp tightly before the isolation and fear swallowed us both whole.
YOU ARE READING
Roller Skates [Yandere Mafia x Reader]
RomanceA girl defies convention by wearing roller skates to her job, sparking intrigue among her colleagues. Little does she know, she's caught the eye of the enigmatic Mafia, who becomes inexplicably drawn to her unconventional charm. As she navigates the...