Chapter 33: How Brave?

The air outside the airport felt colder than I expected. The kind that bit into your skin and smelled faintly of smoke and rain. Charles took my hand and led me toward the black car waiting at the curb. He didn’t say a word, just opened the door and waited for me to get in.

The drive from the airport was quiet. Streetlights flashed by, washing his face in light and shadow. I kept watching him from the corner of my eye. His jaw was tight, one hand gripping the wheel, the other resting loosely on his thigh.

After what felt like forever, I finally spoke. “Are we really in Chicago?”

He nodded once. “Yeah, we’re here now. From this point, you do what I say. No wandering off, no talking to strangers, understood?”

His tone was calm but it carried weight. I looked down at my hands and nodded. “ I don't even know anyone, I'm sure you won't let me go out but I understand.”

Outside, the window the tall buildings began to thin into quiet neighborhoods. The roads turned darker, smoother. The silence between us stretched again until I couldn’t take it anymore.

“Charles,” I said softly. “What about my parents? You said.."

“They’ll be safe,” he cut in before I could finish. His eyes stayed on the road. “As long as you keep doing what I ask, nothing will happen to them.”

My chest tightened. “You’re still keeping them locked up?”

“They’re fine,” he said. “Well fed and unharmed. That’s more than most people in my world get.”

His world. The way he said it made my skin prickle.

The car turned through a set of tall iron gates that opened automatically. Inside was a massive mansion, bigger than any place I’d ever seen. The building rose like something out of a movie, gray stone walls, windows glowing warm gold, guards stationed at the corners.

Charles parked near the entrance and came around to open my door. “Welcome to Chicago,” he said, almost like a joke, but his smile didn’t reach his eyes.

Inside, the mansion smelled of leather and spice. The floors gleamed, and the chandeliers hung low and bright. Two men in black suits nodded as we passed them. I tried not to stare, but everything here screamed danger dressed as wealth.

Charles led me upstairs to a room that looked too perfect to touch. A four-poster bed, velvet curtains, a balcony overlooking the city.

“You’ll stay here,” he said. “Don’t leave the room unless I say so.”

“Am I your prisoner again?” I asked quietly.

He paused at the door, then glanced back at me. “You’re safer that way.”

When he left, I sat on the edge of the bed and tried to breathe. Safe. The word sounded strange in my head, I hadn’t felt safe since the day I met him.

Later that night, he brought in dinner himself. The food smelled good, but I could barely eat. He noticed. “You’re still thinking about your parents,” he said.

I looked at him. “Of course I am, they’re my family.”

He set his fork down. “And I’m trying to keep you alive long enough to see them again. You have to trust me.”

“I’m trying,” I whispered.

He leaned back in his chair. “You asked about Matteo earlier. You really want to know who he is?”

I nodded slowly.

Charles’s gaze went distant for a moment, like he was remembering something heavy. “Matteo runs the biggest drug line on the East Coast. He used to be part of my father’s network until he broke off and started his own empire. He doesn’t care who dies as long as he makes money. He’s ruthless, worse than me.”

He said it so simply it almost didn’t sound real.

“Why is he after you?” I asked.

“Because I’m in his way. I cut one of his routes, and now he wants to destroy everything connected to me.”

I looked down, tracing a line on the tablecloth with my finger. “So that’s why we’re here?”

He nodded. “He’s got people in Chicago. I need to deal with that before it grows into something bigger.”

The air between us felt thick, I didn’t know what to say. The things he talked about routes, rivals, empires, it was like hearing a different language.

After dinner, he stood. “You should rest, tomorrow will be busy.”

When he left the room again, I didn’t move for a long time. I just sat there, staring at the wall, hearing his words replay over and over.

The idea of another man out there, even more dangerous than Charles, made my stomach twist. But then a thought crept into my mind, quiet and sharp.

What if he wasn’t my enemy?

If Matteo wanted Charles gone, and Charles was the one holding my parents, what did that make me?

I shook my head, pushing the thought away, but it kept coming back. The thought scared me as much as it tempted me.

I lay down on the bed, staring at the ceiling. The mansion was silent except for the faint hum of voices downstairs. I wondered if Charles was still awake, planning his next move, already thinking ten steps ahead.

And me? I was trapped between two monsters.

I closed my eyes, but sleep didn’t come. I remembered how my mistake made me a prisoner, if Charles thought I was just going to sit here and obey, he was wrong.

Maybe I wasn’t faster than my shadow, but I could learn to be and this time he won't catch me, I'll make sure I'm ten steps ahead this time.

What if I could use this? What if I joined hands with Matteo?