The taxi's engine snarled as it jerked to a stop near Diego's estate, the morning sun blazing through the windows, scorching my skin. Salvador's thigh pressed against mine, his warmth a lifeline after last night's madness. He had dragged me from the mansion,gunshots cracking, glass exploding, his hand a steel grip then pulled me to a diner, his teasing grin over coffee easing my tremors. Now, as the iron gates loomed, twisted and charred, my heart slammed like waves battering a pier.
The lion fountain stood dry, its stone face split, the air thick with ash and a bitter sting, like melted iron. I stumbled out, my heels crunching glass-strewn gravel, the sound snapping like a whip. The mansion was a gutted shell,walls blackened, windows blasted out, one wing collapsed into rubble like a crushed wave. My breath snagged, my knees buckling for a heartbeat before I caught myself, fists clenching, nails biting my palms. This wasn't the home where I had raced Marco as a kid, giggling through marble halls. It was a war zone.
My pulse roared, driving me toward the ruins to tear into the past I had trusted. Sofia's heels stabbed the ground behind me, her voice a panicked shout. "Bella, no!" She lunged, snagging my wrist, her nails digging, her eyes wild under streaked mascara. "It's dangerous!"
I twisted free, my voice cracking like thunder. "Dangerous? Look at it!" I flung my arm at the lawn, where scorch marks clawed the grass and a chandelier lay shattered like a fallen star. Fear coiled in my chest, cold and fierce, my legs wobbling as I fought to stand tall.
Aunt Clara rushed in, her bracelets clashing like a storm, her face pale as moonlit sand. "Bella, stop!" She seized my shoulders, her fingers trembling. "Diego's on it. You can't go in..please!"
"On it how?" I spat, my heart pounding like a tempest against cliffs. I jabbed at the wreckage smoke curling from splintered beams, a lion statue split in two, and a strange, scorched crate half-buried near the gate, its lid pried open. "Is he in trouble?What is going on?"
Sofia's hands shredded her scarf, silk fraying under her grip. Her eyes flicked to the mansion, then darted away, haunted, lingering on the guard who whispered something to his partner, their heads close. "It's… bad, Bella. Wait for Diego."
I scoffed, my heels grinding gravel as I charged the door. The guard loomed, hand snapping to his gun, eyes glinting like ice. He leaned toward his partner again, muttering, "Boss won't like this," before barking, "Back off, Miss Cruz."
My lungs burned, my knees quivered again, fists shaking with nowhere to land. Diego's letter had promised a reunion, but this ruin screamed secrets, danger, a life Mom had prevented me from.
I whirled on Sofia, my voice a blade. " What is really going ? Spill it!" Sofia's lips quivered, silent as a tide pulling back. Aunt Clara's grip tightened, her perfume a choking fog, her eyes begging. "Bella, not now," she whispered, voice fracturing.
Salvador's arm slid around my waist, familiar and firm, his breath warm against my neck. We'd clung together last night, his laughter in the diner a lifeline. His boxer's frame tensed, but those gray eyes met mine with a spark, reigniting the jolt from our dance. He glanced at the guard, then the scorched crate, his jaw tightening before he murmured, "Easy, ocean girl. This place is a mess. Let's not dive in yet."
I leaned into him, my pulse racing, his closeness a comfort amid the chaos. "You felt it too, Sal," I said, my voice low, urgent. "That gunshot, this..." I nodded at the ruins, my sleeve flapping. "What's Diego hiding?"
His eyes flicked to the crate again, a shadow crossing his face, but his hand stayed on my waist, grounding me. "Some nights turn ugly," he said, leaning closer, his lips brushing my ear. "Stick with me, I'll shield you from the fire. My skin hummed, his touch sparking heat, but the wreckage demanded truth. I opened my mouth to push, but a figure cut through the gate, her red dress slashing the sunlight like blood.
Her dark hair was pinned like armor, her eyes cold as a frozen wave, her smile a predator's grin. She stalked toward us, heels clicking like rapid shots, each step a threat. "Isabella Cruz," she purred, her voice smooth but glacial, like ice over deep water. "Be careful"
My fists clenched, my skin prickling like a storm's edge, knees steadying as I faced her. "And you are?" I shot back, my voice firm despite the fear clawing my ribs.
"Valentina," she said, her smile sharpening. "A family acquaintance." Her gaze sliced to Salvador, a challenge flaring, then back to me, lingering on the crate for a split second. "This place devours the unwary, Isabella. Tread lightly."
She pivoted, her heels snapping gravel, disappearing into the ruins' shadows. My heart thundered, her words dropping like anchors.
Salvador's arm tightened, his voice a growl. "She's trouble ignore her," he said, his eyes darting to the guard, then the crate, a muscle twitching in his jaw.
I turned to Sofia and Aunt Clara, my voice spiking. "Who was that? No more stalling!" The charred lawn, last night's bullet hole, Valentina's icy stare, it crashed over me.
Sofia's scarf ripped in her hands, her eyes darting to the guard's whispered huddle. "Bella, please," she whispered, voice shaking. "Come with us."
Aunt Clara tugged me back, her bracelets clanging, her face ashen. "My house, now," she urged, voice tight. "It's safer."
I wanted to storm the ruins, to drag Diego out, to force the truth, but their trembling hands and wide eyes pinned me in place. Salvador's grip lingered, his gaze promising safety but veiling storms, his glance at the crate lingering a beat too long.
I nodded, throat tight, letting them steer me to Sofia's car. The wreckage faded, smoke curling like specters.
As we pulled away, I glanced back. A light flickered in the shadowed garden, quick and eerie, echoing the pier's phantom from Haven's End. It flashed twice, then vanished, swallowed by the ruins.
My heart slammed, my fingers twitching for a brush I didn't have. A sharp, muffled scream pierced the estate, cut off mid-breath, followed by the guard's low curse as he turned toward the sound. Someone was in there, and I was drowning in a current I couldn't fight.