Twisted Loyalties

48

We'd been to every goddamn warehouse Lorenzo owned, and Sabrina wasn't in any of them.

The emptiness of those places, the lack of her presence, was eating me alive.

I couldn't sit still. I couldn't think straight.

Matteo leaned back in the driver's seat and exhaled. "Shit," he muttered, breaking the silence.

My head snapped toward him. "What?" My voice was sharp, demanding.

He ran a hand down his face and looked over at me. "I think I know where she might be."

"Where?" The word came out like a growl, raw and impatient.

Matteo hesitated, glancing at Val in the backseat. "It's about an hour out of town," he said finally. "Lorenzo used to use it to store stolen shipments. It's not a warehouse—it's a house. Old, isolated, middle of nowhere. It'd be easy to keep someone there without anyone noticing."

"Then drive," I said, my voice hard as steel.

Val leaned forward, her voice softer. "Julian, wait. It's getting dark. Shouldn't we wait until tomorrow? Make sure we know what we're walking into? Sabrina might not even—"

"No." I cut her off sharply, my eyes locking onto hers in the rearview mirror. "We're going now."

"Julian—"

I turned fully in my seat to face her, my frustration boiling over. "She's been missing for more than a day, Val. She could be there right now. She could be hurt. Terrified. You think I'm gonna sit around and plan this out while she's suffering? No. We're not waiting."

Val looked away, her lips pressing into a thin line. She didn't say anything else, but she didn't need to.

She knew I wasn't backing down.

Matteo shifted the car into gear and sighed. "Fine. We'll go now. But you need to keep it together, Julian. We don't know for sure she's there."

"She's there," I said through gritted teeth, the certainty in my voice leaving no room for doubt. I didn't care if it was blind faith or desperation—I knew. "Now, drive."

As the car sped down the darkening roads, my mind raced with every possible scenario. I didn't know what we were walking into, but it didn't matter.

If Lorenzo was there—if anyone had touched her—they wouldn't make it out alive.

The blade was cold against my skin as Lorenzo pressed it against my chest, just above my heart.

I tried to keep my breathing steady, but it felt impossible. His eyes burned into mine, filled with a sick kind of satisfaction, like he was enjoying every second of my terror.

"You know," he said, his voice calm and almost conversational, "I could end this all right now. One quick move, and it's over."

I swallowed hard but didn't say a word. My silence seemed to frustrate him.

He smirked and dragged the blade down, tracing the top of my chest near my bra.

My skin crawled as the tip moved lower, and I clenched my fists behind me, biting back a scream.

When the blade stopped directly over my heart, Lorenzo tilted his head. "Maybe I should just go ahead and do it," he said, pushing the point just enough to sting but not break the skin.

I stayed quiet, even as my pulse pounded in my ears. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of a reaction.

"You don't have anything to say?" he sneered, pulling the blade back slightly. "Not even a plea for your life?"

I stared at him, refusing to give him what he wanted.

Lorenzo's smirk faded, replaced with a dark scowl. He moved the blade lower, dragging it across my stomach.

This time, he pressed harder, and I felt the sting of the blade cutting into my skin.

A sharp gasp escaped me before I could stop it.

Blood trickled from the fresh wound, warm against my skin. I fought back the tears threatening to spill as he leaned closer.

"Hurts, doesn't it?" he murmured, his voice low. "Maybe now you'll start talking."

I still didn't say a word, even though I felt like I was breaking.

Every part of me ached—my body, my heart, my hope.

I wanted to believe someone was coming for me, but I didn't know how much longer I could hold on.

AUTHORS NOTEE

Lorenzo is so disgusting.

I think it's so cute that Sabrina won't tell Lorenzo anything even tho he's hurting her.

Sorry short chapter!!

Next one will make up for it!