Lila barely slept.
Every time she closed her eyes,the alley returned—flickering lights,dark silhouettes,and the calm voice that had decided whether she lived or died. Morning came softly,sunlight spilling through thin curtains,but it did nothing to chase away the heaviness in her chest.
She sat up in bed,running a hand through her hair, it's over, she told herself...you went home,you survived.
But survival didn't feel like freedom.
She moved through her morning routine on autopilot,brushing her teeth,tying her hair back, pulling on clothes she barely registered.Her phone sat untouched on the table,she hadn't told anyone what happened—not her mother,nor her best friend.....Saying it out loud would make it real and dangerous.
The city felt different outside,sharper and louder as if it had teeth now.
On her walk to campus,Lila caught herself checking reflections in windows,listening too closely for footsteps behind her.Every black car made her stomach twist,every man in a dark jacket held her attention a second too long.
Roman DeLuca had told her to go home but he hadn't said she was safe.
Classes blurred together,words drifted past her ears without meaning,she scribbled notes she wouldn't remember later,her thoughts circling the same question over and over.
Why did he let me go?
Men like him didn't leave loose ends,everyone knew that,and she had been exactly that—a mistake....a witness.
By the time evening approached,her nerves were stretched thin,she packed up her bag and left early,unwilling to stay out after dark again.The sky had barely begun to dim when she reached her building..
She almost missed it,the envelope lay neatly against her door,untouched by dust or wind. Cream-colored paper...Heavy and intentional.
Her name was written across the front,Lila's breath caught she stood there for several seconds,heart pounding,before finally bending to pick it up.The paper was cool beneath her fingers,no return address or stamp.
Inside,there was a single card...Black
The words were printed in deep red ink....."Your silence has a price".
Her knees went weak.
She shut the door behind her,locking it twice before sinking onto the couch.The room felt too quiet,too exposed shee reread the sentence again and again,hoping it would change but it didn't.
Her phone buzzed.
She flinched so hard it nearly slipped from her hands...Unknown Number:
Tomorrow at noon.,bellarose park,sit on the east bench,a second message followed almost immediately.....come alone.
Lila stared at the screen until the words blurred. Fear washed over her first—hot, overwhelming—but beneath it was something else...curiosity,a dangerous,traitorous pull.
She typed,then deleted and typed again.
Nothing she could say would change the fact that he already knew where to find her.
Bellarose Park was busy at noon.
Families walked dogs,children ran across the grass,couples sat close on benches,laughing softly,itt was safe....The public which meant the danger was deliberate.
Lila approached the fountain slowly,scanning the area until she saw him.....Roman DeLuca sat alone on the east bench,perfectly still,dressed in a dark suit that didn't belong in the afternoon sun.He didn't look at her as she approached,but she knew he was aware of her every step.
She stopped a few feet away.
"You asked to see me," she said, forcing steadiness into her voice.
Only then did he look up.
His gaze locked onto hers,unreadable, sharp. "You came."
"I didn't really have a choice."
A corner of his mouth lifted—not a smile. Something colder...You always have a choice. You just didn't like the alternatives."
She crossed her arms tightly,What do you want?
Roman leaned back against the bench, relaxed, as if they were discussing the weather"I want to make sure you understand what happened last night."
I do,she said quickly"I saw something I shouldn't have,I kept quiet,I will keep quiet."
That's not understanding,he replied calmly....That's hoping.
Her jaw tightened....Then explain it to me.
For a moment,he studied her face closely—too closely—like he was reading something beneath her skin.
You are now a liability,he said.....not because you might talk,but because others might think you could.
The words settled heavily between them.
And what does that make me to you?Lila asked.
Roman's gaze darkened...."Mine to manage."
The possessiveness in his tone sent a chill down her spine,I won't hurt you, he continued...but your life doesn't belong solely to you anymore,there will be rules now.
She swallowed....What kind of rules?
Simple ones,he said....You don't disappear,you don't lie to me and above all you don't involve anyone else....and if I refuse?
Roman stood.
The movement was slow,controlled,but it shifted the air around them,he stepped closer,lowering his voice.
"Then I can't protect you."
The word echoed in her chest....protect.
From who?Him—or everyone else?
Lila held his gaze, fear and defiance battling inside her....This isn't fair.
Roman's eyes softened—just slightly....nothing about this world is.
He stepped back,giving her space again....Think of this as a promise,he said...."One that keeps you breathing."
A promise in red.
Lila realized then that walking away had never really been an option.
And the most terrifying part?
Somewhere deep inside her, she wasn't sure she wanted to.