Chapter 118 AMBUSHED.
\~~~RAINA.
My heart pounded in my chest as the door clicked shut behind Viktor. His words echoed in my head about Luciano losing his mind, preparing for war, begging me to come back.
I stood there frozen for a second, staring at the empty space where he'd been. Then panic hit me like a wave, crashing over everything. My breath came short and fast.
What if something happened to him? What if this war he was starting swallowed him whole?
I started pacing the living room, my bare feet slapping against the cool tile floor. Back and forth, from the couch to the window, my hands twisting together. I pulled out my phone, fingers shaking as I dialed Luciano's number. It rang once, twice, three times. Straight to voicemail.
“Luciano, please pick up,” I whispered to the empty line before hanging up. I tried again and it was the same thing.
My stomach twisted into knots.
Why wasn't he answering? Was he already out there, doing something stupid?
Alessia watched me from the kitchen doorway, her arms crossed, worry lines creasing her forehead.
She stepped closer, her voice soft but firm. “Raina, calm down. Luciano is tough. He will be fine. Nothing is going to happen to him. He's got Viktor and the others watching his back.”
I shook my head, not buying it for a second. “You don't know that, Alessia. Viktor is scared. He said Luciano is not thinking straight. Drinking, and not sleeping, what if he gets himself killed?’' My voice cracked, and I paced faster, the room feeling smaller, the walls closing in.
She reached out, grabbing my arm gently to stop me. “Hey, breathe. Panicking won't help.”
But it was too late. Guilt flooded me, hot and heavy. I sank onto the edge of the couch, burying my face in my hands. This was my fault. All of it.
The words I'd thrown at him like knives, calling him a monster, a twisted person, and a heartless bastard. Even when he'd shown up at the office, his eyes were raw with regret, and trying to fix things.
I had been the one at fault, hiding my past, and letting secrets build walls between us. But I'd lashed out, let my hurt and fear blind me to his pain.
How must he have felt? Abandoned, betrayed, unraveling because I walked away.
I should've listened, given him a chance. Instead, I'd pushed him further into the dark.
Tears stung my eyes, and I wiped them away angrily.
“I said awful things to him, Alessia. I blamed him for everything, but I was wrong. He came to reconcile, and I shut him out. What if those words are why he is like this now? Losing his mind over me?”
Alessia sat beside me, pulling me into a hug. Her embrace was warm, and steady. “You both messed up. But he loves you, Raina. That is clear. If seeing him will ease your mind, I will take you home. Right now. We can talk to him, sort this out.”
I nodded, sniffling, hope flickering through the fear. “Yes. Please. I need to see him.”
She squeezed my shoulder. “Go grab a coat. It's getting chilly out.”
I hurried back to the guest room, my steps quick and urgent. The coat was hanging on the chair and I snatched it up, shrugging it over my top. My phone was still clutched in my hand, the screen dark. There were still no calls back.
I rushed out, finding Alessia waiting by the front door, keys jingling in her hand.
We stepped outside into the late afternoon sun, the air crisp with the promise of evening. Alessia's car was parked in the driveway, sleek and black. I slid into the passenger seat, buckling up as she started the engine.
The tires crunched over gravel as we pulled out, heading toward the house, the one that used to feel like home but now loomed like a storm cloud in my mind.
The whole drive, I kept dialing Luciano. Ring after ring, voicemail after voicemail. 'Come on, pick up,' I muttered, my thumb hovering over the redial button. The city blurred past trees, buildings, and people going about their normal lives while mine spun out of control.
Alessia glanced over, her hands tight on the wheel. “Stop worrying. He is okay. Probably just busy with whatever mess Viktor's talking about. He will call back.”
But her words felt hollow. I stared out the window, my mind racing with worst-case scenarios. What if Volkov's people had already struck? What if Luciano was out there alone reckless?
Alessia pulled out her phone at a red light, dialing Viktor. It rang and rang, just like mine but there was no answer.
She cursed under her breath, tossing the phone into the cupholder. “These guys. Always disappearing when you need them.”
The estate gates came into view sooner than I expected. Alessia punched in the code, and they swung open with a mechanical whine. We drove up the long driveway, the house coming into sight grandly, imposing, but eerily quiet. No cars in the front, no guards at the perimeter like usual. The lawn looked empty, and the windows dark.
I unbuckled before we even stopped, jumping out as Alessia parked. “Where is everyone?” My voice echoed in the silence.
Alessia followed, her face paling as she scanned the empty space. “This isn't right. Gabriel's car is gone. Viktor's too. And the guards…”
I ran to the front door, banging on it. It creaked open, and the butler appeared, her eyes wide with surprise. “Madam? Ms. Alessia?”
“Where is Luciano?” I demanded, pushing past her into the foyer.
She shook her head, wringing her hands. “They all rushed out a while back. The boss left first. Mr. Gabriel, and half the men went after fully armed.”
My knees weakened and Alessia gripped my arm, her own panic rising.
“This isn't like him. Luciano doesn't just charge into fights like this. He's strategic, not reckless.”
She yanked out her phone again, dialing Viktor.
This time, it connected to the second ring. She put it on speaker for me and heavy panting filled the speaker. “Viktor? What the hell is going on? Why is the house empty? Why hasn't anyone picked up?”
Breathing, ragged and urgent. Then, in the background, a distant shout cut through, “We have been ambushed!”
Viktor hung up, and the line went dead.
Alessia and I stared at each other, the words hanging in the air like smoke.
Ambushed?
My blood ran cold.
Luciano was out there, in the middle of it. Because of me.
Because of us.