Chapter 6 6

MARA'S POV

The sirens echoed loudly against the marble walls as if they were bouncing a scream. My spirits fell sharply.

Slowly, he looked out the window, he said in a low voice, "They're here."

The front door shook suddenly from a loud bang.

No. No, no, no-

He turned to me, voice low but commanding. "Go. Hide. Now."

I didn't wait to argue. The movement of my legs came before my mind became aware of it. I sped along and slipped inside the little guest closet just outside the study which always smelt like cedar and leather. I didn't want my frantic heart beats to be heard by them, so I closed the door carefully behind me.

Another bang. This one was louder. Followed by the distinct clang of boots on stone.

Then the door opened.

"Mr. Luca?" a voice said sharply, trying to sound brave.

I couldn't make out everything from the closet, but I caught bits of the exchange-tones more than words. The officers weren't just cautious. They were terrified. Luca's name carried weight, enough to make even armed lawmen tread lightly.

"We have reports you're harboring Mara Ellison," one said. "Ross Larkin informed us she might be here."

Silence.

Then Luca's voice, cold and smooth. "Ross says a lot of things. Doesn't make them true."

"But we still have to-"

"No," Luca snapped. "You don't have to do anything unless you're ready to lose your badge and whatever pathetic pension comes with it."

I held my breath.

"You know who I am," he continued, voice like ice. "You know what I can do. You step further into my home without a warrant, and I promise-Ross will be the least of your problems."

The silence that followed was deafening.

Then I heard retreating footsteps. Doors opening. Then closing. The sirens faded.

I waited. Just a little longer. Then the closet door creaked open.

Luca stood there, gaze unreadable. "You can come out."

I stepped into the open air, heart still racing. "They're gone?"

He nodded once, slowly. "For now."

I stood there looking at him, uncertain how to speak. I felt grateful and almost ready to cry, but the hatred in his eyes made me unable to speak.

"You still want revenge?" he asked suddenly.

The question caught me off guard. "Of course."

He stepped closer, his voice low, dark. "Then understand this-Ross crossed a line coming here. Involving the cops. Playing the victim."

He paused.

"I was willing to help you hurt him, Mara," he said. "But now?"

His smile was bitter. Dangerous.

"Now I'm taking everything he ever had. And you need to make sure... no one ever believes you came from this house."

His voice was calm, almost cold, but his eyes flicked to mine like a warning. Like he knew something I didn't.

I swallowed hard. "You think I would tell anyone?"

"I don't care what you would do," he said flatly. "I care about what might happen if you're caught."

Like I would ever lead Ross back here. I'd rather die.

I didn't reply. There was no point. We had felt the tension rise for days; it was fierce, exciting and left us confused. Sometimes I believed that Luca cared, because I could see a tiny spark of regret and gentleness in his look. Then there were moments like this, where he was pure steel and silence.

I wanted to ask him if he believed Ross's lies. If a part of him still saw me as just a girl running from her own madness. But I couldn't bring myself to say it. Not when I wasn't even sure I could handle the answer.

The rest of the day passed in a fog.

A lot of his time was spent either on the phone or inside his office. Walking aimlessly about, I touched pieces of furniture I didn't know, wouldn't open the windows and the walls seemed to echo my private words to me.

As afternoon turned into evening, I was really ready for fresh air.

I said I was walking to relieve my thoughts, but a feeling pulled me toward the back hall which I had not wandered through much. A thin layer of sunlight was shining through the tall and grimy windows onto the shiny floor of the dim corridor. I was careful in walking, not sure if I was headed the right way.

Then I heard his voice.

Luca.

He was talking to a person over the phone. The little study at the end of the hallway had its door ajar and I suddenly stopped.

I didn't mean to listen. I swear I didn't. I just froze.

Because I heard a name.

"Ellison's shadow."

I couldn't breathe.

I didn't move, didn't make a sound. Luca's voice stayed calm and was very clear on the phone, while the other voice was hard to hear. I pressed my hand flat to the wall beside me, my heart thudding against my ribs.

Ellison's Shadow.

The name burned.

My father never talked much about his past. I knew there were things he kept from me, things my mother avoided bringing up. But I had heard those two words once before. A whisper. A warning. Ellison's shadow.

And now I've heard it again-from Luca.

My mind spun. Was it a coincidence? Was it about someone else entirely?

No. It couldn't be. It felt too specific. Too targeted.

My last name was Ellison. My father's enemies... they never just disappeared. They buried themselves deep, like roaches, only to crawl out when you least expected it.

"She's his daughter," Luca said. My blood went cold. "Of course she's valuable."

A pause.

Another voice, too soft to hear.

Then Luca's response: "But she doesn't know. Not everything. Not yet."

I stepped back quickly, my back hitting the wall, my mouth open in a silent gasp.

What don't I know?

What had my father done-who had he been-that made me the target in a war I didn't understand?

Suddenly, this wasn't just about Ross.

It was bigger. Older. Darker.

And I was smack in the middle of it.

My hand trembled as I wrapped it around the pendant at my neck-my father's. He gave it to me when I turned sixteen, told me to never take it off. I hadn't. Not once.

But now, it felt like a key to something dangerous.

Luca's voice dropped again, and I couldn't catch the next words. But it didn't matter. I had heard enough.