Submitting To The Devil - The Devil's Snare - Book 2

Chapter Forty Nine

Niko

A profound sense of connection envelops us, and a look of mutual respect passes between our eyes. We've worked together long enough to know how each other thinks, which can only be helpful for the pair of us.

In the background, I hear Bianca let out a soft sigh, drawing my attention back to her. She remains frozen in place, her expression a mix of tension and confusion. What is troubling her so profoundly that she feels compelled to stay anchored there, motionless?

"I need a favour," I whisper.

"What is it?"

"I need you to go down to the Western to collect whatever Luca has just sent over." I showed him the phone, and a one-word message from Luca remarked, 'Done.'

"You owe me," Sven chuckles dryly before picking his weapons out of the bag, ensuring they are full before he turns to the door, his hands on the chain, it hanging open between him and the door when suddenly, a sharp knock echoes through the room, jolting Bianca out of her reverie. She springs up, darting to my side, her eyes wide with alarm. Ever vigilant, Sven swiftly draws his gun, the metallic click of the mechanism echoing ominously in the silence but in the same instance drops the chain between his fingers. Instinctively, I reach for my own weapon tucked into my waistband, my heart racing with the sudden surge of adrenaline.

Bianca wraps her arms tightly around my waist, and a protective instinct surges within me. However, I reconsider the precariousness of our situation; the door is vulnerably penetrable, and we could easily become targets. Gently, yet firmly, I push her away, my forefinger rising to my lips in a silent plea for her to remain quiet and still as I move her away from the direct line of sight of the door.

I creep silently around the edge of the room, guiding her toward the bed and pushing her to the floor, where she'll be safest and most protected.

With anxiety, I watch Sven move forward to peep through the peephole, his eye almost lining up with the hole in the door. However, the familiar voice of Densel—Don Densel, to be precise—suddenly breaks the stillness, authoritative and commanding, causing him to hesitate. His demand for us to open the door reverberates in the air, sending a shiver down my spine and forcing me to drop to the floor to reassess Bianca's safety.

"Knock knock, little bee," he snarls, his voice dripping with malice.

I glance back at Bianca, my heart tightening at the sight of her trembling form. Fear radiates off her in waves, but even amidst the terror; I catch a glimpse of defiance in her eyes—a flicker of something fierce that ignites a spark of hope within me that she can fight against him, even if he did such a terrible act as taking her virginity as payment to help her father.

With deliberate calm, I press my finger to my lips again in warning, urging her to remain silent. Still, my attention snapped to the door as Sven moved toward the door once again, my pulse racing as he grasped the cold metal of the chain lock, sliding it across with painstaking care in an attempt to make no noise. Every unwanted clink of metal feels amplified, threatening to reveal my presence to Densel just outside, his menacing aura palpable even through the wood of the door.

Time stretches between the three of us and him; my hands tremble ever so slightly, the weight of the situation heavy as Sven forges a barrier—a makeshift shield—between my wife and the threat that is Densel.

Sven turns back to rejoin Bianca and me by the bed, and as I stand, I peep out the small window to my right. My heart races as my eyes dart across the street below, searching frantically for a way to get Bianca down and into another building safely, away from the danger lurking just beyond that door. Each hotel looks inviting, but just as with this one, its buildings are tall and overtly open.

"Not going to answer the door, Niko?" Densel's voice booms, dripping with mockery. I can almost envision the twisted grin on his face as he twirls his gun, the metallic glint reflecting the darkness of his intentions. The threat is unmistakable, hanging in the air like a storm cloud, and I brace myself for what comes next.

Laying on the floor, hoping to crawl out of sight to the balcony door, I move precariously. Climbing the wall, with my back flat against it, I extend my hand toward the door, carefully unlatching it to avoid making a sound that might alert anyone nearby. As the door creaks open, the warm air rushes in, mingling with the tension that hangs thick in the room. This floor is the only one adorned with balconies, a rare escape route that, if we can reach the next one over, might lead us down the fire escape stairs and into the chaotic rhythm of the busy street below, where we can slip unnoticed into another building.

"Surrounded," Densel's voice cuts through the stillness, slick with malice as he taunts from behind. "My men are here for her. Hand her over like a good boy, and I might just let you go home." He delivers the threat mockingly just as I'm about to step onto the balcony.

Bianca bursts from her hiding spot, rushing to my side with such urgency that I can't help but shoot her a fierce glare. She freezes my movements entirely, her fingers digging into my forearm with a grip so intense it feels like a desperate plea for survival. I teeter on the edge of prying her hand away when, with a swift gesture, she taps my chest, the beam of a laser emerging from the window where she had just been concealed. My heart races as my gaze drops to find a solitary red dot blooming ominously above my heart—an unspoken warning that sends a paralysing jolt of fear coursing through my veins.

I find myself captivated by that silent threat. The realisation dawns on me: if I dare to step outside this fragile sanctuary, I might as well seal my fate. However, my wife's capture is guaranteed if we remain here.

As the gravity of our situation sinks in, I drop to the floor, instinctively lowering both myself and Bianca as I lay on top of her. "Niko," she whispers my name, her voice trembling with an urgency that triggers a fierce protective instinct in me. I hastily place a hand over her mouth to silence any further sounds, shaking my head in a frantic attempt to convey the seriousness of our peril. I gently guide her away from the window just as Sven shifts to take a look, his weapon trained on the building across from us, on high alert for any potential dangers lurking in the shadows.

"I take it you've found one of my men," Densel chuckles, his voice dripping with a smug confidence that grates on my nerves. He taps against the door in a calculated rhythm, the reverberations echoing in my skull like the countdown of a ticking bomb, igniting a simmering frustration within me.

"Don't do that again," I hiss into Bianca's ear, my voice low but laced with urgency. "No matter how you feel, you must be willing to let me die to save yourself."

With tears brimming in her eyes, she shakes her head vehemently, and the sight twists my heart in a painful knot just as the lights abruptly go out. I know Sven is responsible, hoping to capitalise on the shooter's potential lack of night vision. Yet, even with the darkness enveloping us, visibility will be perilously low but not indecipherable.

"Now," he demands, his voice sultry and low, the urgency barely audible.

I don't wait to think—instinct overtakes me. I drag Bianca and myself toward the internal door connecting us to a second room. The sobering reality hits me: we never secured that door before Densel arrived. But time is of the essence, and shifting rooms might provide a better shield for Bianca than our current position will ever offer.

With a silent prayer on my lips, I carefully turn the knob, relieved it doesn't creak as I inch the door open. I peer inside, assessing the space—empty and seemingly safe. I hustle through, swiftly chaining the door behind us, then sweep the small bathroom before re-emerging to find Sven gently urging Bianca into the new room as he covers her six. His gear slung over one shoulder, and he, too, crosses the threshold.

He shuts the door and locks it, but that lock will become my worst adversary if Densel decides to unleash chaos upon us in the form of gunfire.