Chapter 129: Riley

Sofia's screams tear through the silence, raw and desperate, and it feels like something inside me is ripping apart. The sound is pure panic, broken and choking on her own sobs, and each cry cuts through me, leaving me feeling hollow and helpless. My hands shake as I stare at the closet door, every instinct screaming at me to get to her, to pull her out, but that damn lighter in Moretti’s hand holds us all hostage.

I can hardly breathe as her cries echo in the room, each one more frantic than the last. It’s like she’s drowning in fear, and I’m stuck here, paralyzed, useless. And then his words sink in, those twisted, cruel words he threw at us. The gasoline, the flames—it’s all too real, too close. And worse, his mocking words about Cole…

Is he in there with her? Is she trapped in that closet with his body, forced to be alone with him like that? Is she hurt? My mind spins, spiraling into every worst-case scenario, each one worse than the last. I can’t shake the image of her, terrified, crammed into that darkness with nothing but her fear and the weight of what he’s done.

"Sofia!" I shout, my voice breaking, desperate to reach her, to let her know we’re here, that we’re coming. But her cries keep coming, frantic, pained, and it shatters something in me.

Moretti tilts his head, a sick smile playing on his lips. "Quite the lover’s scream, isn’t it?” he sneers. “You wanted her, didn’t you? All of you. Thought you could keep her safe. But look at you now. Powerless.”

Every muscle in me strains against the fear, but the panic is overwhelming, crushing.

I shout again, my voice raw, desperate. “Sofia! Hold on, please. It’s going to be okay!”

But Moretti just laughs, that sick, twisted sound echoing in the room. “No, it won’t,” he says, grinning like a madman. “This is the end for all of you.”

He wipes the corner of his mouth, smearing something across his lips, and my stomach turns as he adds, almost in a whisper, “I can still taste her blood from biting down on her belly.”

The words hit me like a punch. He bit her… there? My mind reels, sickened, every thought filled with what she must have gone through, the horror she faced alone in that room with him. How deep? How much pain did he cause?

Before I can move, before I can scream, he flicks his wrist, and I see the lighter start to fall. My heart stops.

But then, like lightning, Nate hurls himself at Moretti, tackling him to the ground with a thunderous crash. They hit the floor hard, Moretti’s laughter splitting the air like the shriek of some twisted animal. The lighter flies from his hand, landing in a puddle of gasoline splashed across the floor, igniting instantly. Fire explodes up, catching onto the curtains, a wall of flame roaring to life and pushing Nate backward with the force of the heat.

I lunge forward, but flames race across the floor, licking up the walls, building into a thick, searing barrier between us and Moretti. Danny tries to get to him, but the fire has already spread, wrapping around the room like a deadly, choking blanket, trapping him on the other side.

The flames grow thicker, the heat suffocating, and I realize with a jolt of horror that Sofia’s screams from the closet have turned to desperate, ragged sobs.

force, each impact echoing with raw, pent-up fury. I push through the thick smoke and searing heat, searching for a way around the flames that have already spread across the floor. My heart pounds as I finally spot a narrow path, just enough space to get past, and I rush in, joining Nate. Together, we take him down, our fists meeting flesh, years of hatred pouring into each blow.

But Moretti, twisted and relentless, manages to push back, shoving me hard. My arm grazes the wall of flame, and a white-hot pain sears through me as the heat sears my skin. I scream, stumbling back, clutching my arm, the agony mingling with rage. But I won’t stop. Not until he’s done.

“Leo! Danny!” I shout, my voice hoarse, barely audible over the crackling inferno. “Get to the closet! Get Sofia out of there!”

Leo and Danny are already moving, weaving around the flames, their faces pale but determined. They reach the closet, Danny gripping the handle and pulling with all his strength, but it’s jammed tight, warped from the heat. I watch, my heart in my throat, as they pound against it, yelling her name, desperate to break through.

Nate goes at Moretti again, landing another brutal punch, but the madman just laughs, a twisted, mocking sound that cuts through the fire’s roar. He’s bloodied, battered, but there’s a look in his eyes—like he’s still enjoying every second of this.

But I don’t care. I’ll see that laughter die on his lips if it’s the last thing I do.

Nate’s voice tears through the chaos, raw with rage as he screams at Moretti, each insult ripping from his throat like it’s been waiting to come out for years. His fists connect over and over, the sound of bone meeting flesh echoing through the smoke-filled room. I can barely feel the pain in my arm anymore as I join him, the two of us consumed with one goal—to end this nightmare.

Together, we lift Moretti, his body limp but defiant, and with a final shout, we throw him into the flames. He stumbles forward, his face contorted with terror as the fire catches, his clothes igniting in seconds, flames licking up his body. He’s engulfed, writhing, his screams piercing the air as he stumbles, rolling, clawing at his skin, trying to extinguish the fire consuming him. The smell of burning flesh fills the room, a sickening scent that clings to everything, turning my stomach.

But I don’t look away. I watch as he collapses, his body still ablaze, his screams fading into silence as the flames eat away the last of his life, leaving nothing but a twisted, charred shell.