Blade

Chapter 74: Painful Torment

Blade

The car rolls to a stop beside the empty industrial wasteland. The engine rumbles for a few seconds before it fades out, leaving the three of us sitting in silence for a moment before we finally push our doors open and step outside.

From the other vehicles, several of our men climb out, heavily armed and dressed in dark clothing. The headlights are our only source of light since night has already settled over the place, and once they shut off, we pull out our flashlights and switch them on. The doors thud closed behind us, and the cold air rushes over our skin.

"I wonder if what Elio heard was real or if Chiara intentionally fed him that story to draw us out here," Franco murmurs, his gaze moving over the abandoned factories standing like giants of cracked concrete and rotting steel.

The windows are blown out and shattered, and rust streaks run down the walls. The air smells like old machinery and metal left to rot.

"So you think we're walking straight into a bloody trap?" Nico asks as he starts moving forward.

I narrow my eyes at the darkened structures, the beam of my flashlight guiding my steps. "Trap or not, I'm not leaving until I find something that leads me to Sienna."

My phone buzzes in my pocket and I pass my flashlight to Nico since my other hand is gripping my gun. I reluctantly pull the phone out.

Camilla’s name lights up the screen and I swipe to answer, pressing it to my ear while my men spread out just enough to scan the area without drifting too far.

“What is it, Cam?”

“Have you found Sienna yet, and why did you tell Manuelle to stay with me instead of letting me come?” she asks.

“This place is filthy and fucking terrible,” Nico mutters, kicking a piece of debris aside.

I pause mid-step. “You know that isn’t possible, Cam. I don’t want you anywhere near this place. Just stay home with Manuelle where it’s safe.”

She groans, and in the background I catch what sounds like Diego’s sister along with another voice.

“Do you have people over?”

“Yeah, it’s Azzurra and Isabel. They’re really worried about Sienna and stop trying to change the subject.” Her tone sharpens a little.

I let out a breath, tapping my forehead lightly with the gun. "I'm not trying to," I say. "Just stay with Manuelle, don't leave the estate, and don't do anything reckless. I will find Sienna and bring her home safely. I promise."

"Move your ass, you bastard. It's just a fucking rat," Franco calls out from not too far away.

Nico’s voice follows with a sharp huff. "And so? You know how I feel about rats… those filthy, twitchy little demons that always show up exactly where I don’t want them."

Franco mumbles something, but I tune them both out completely.

I hear her speaking faintly to someone beside her, like the phone has shifted away from her mouth, before her voice comes back clearly. "Alright, fine. Be safe, okay? All of you better return in one piece... and don't get shot."

I smile. "We’ll be safe, so try not to worry too much about us, Cam." We say our goodbyes, and I end the call before getting back to the search.

"Here," Nico says, tossing the flashlight toward me. I catch it without effort, and we push deeper into the forgotten district, our steps crunching over gravel and shattered glass.

A thin mist crawls across the ground and coils around our boots like it wants to hold us still, making the whole place even more unsettling.

Franco angles his flashlight up toward a towering warehouse. "Could this be where she was supposed to meet them?"