Chapter 25 Ren
Ren
She falls asleep slowly.
At first her breathing only softens. Then her fingers loosen around the sheets. The tension leaves her jaw. I wait a few minutes longer to be certain.
When I am sure she is fully asleep, I lean back in the chair and study her.
The light above her bed casts a pale glow across her face. There is a faint mark on her left cheek. I keep my expression neutral, but the sight of it sits badly with me. I have seen her bruised before. I have seen her bleeding before. This feels different. This was not earned in training or in the field. This was personal.
Her father crossed a line.
I stand and walk quietly toward the door, then pause. I look back at her once more. She does not stir. The monitor continues its steady rhythm. The room smells faintly of antiseptic and cold air.
I step outside into the hallway and close the door gently behind me.
The clinic is quiet at this hour. A nurse sits at the far desk, typing something into a computer. She looks up briefly.
“She is asleep,” I say.
The nurse nods. “That is good. She needs it. Her body has been under a lot of stress.”
“I need to step out for a bit. I'm not sure how long I will be away, but I need you to make sure she doesn't try to escape or do something reckless when she wakes up.”
The nurse gives me a small, knowing smile. “Do not worry, Soldato D’Angelo. She will be properly monitored here.”
“Thank you,” I reply.
“I am just doing my job.”
I walk down the hallway and stop near a window that overlooks the courtyard. The compound lights are still on. Security patrols move in slow, predictable paths. Everything appears orderly.
I rest my hand against the glass and allow my mind to return to earlier tonight.
When Matteo called to inform me that Amelia had left the hospital, I do not react. I keep my voice calm because panic never solves anything.
“She left,” Matteo says. “She is gone.”
“How long ago?” I ask.
“Ten minutes. Maybe less.”
“Did anyone visit her before she left?”
“I am not sure.”
“Find out. Request access to the CCTV footage. I want to know who entered her room.”
Matteo hesitates. “You think someone triggered her?”
“Yes.”
Amelia is not reckless without reason. She understands her own limits. If she leaves a hospital bed against medical advice, someone has pushed her.
I stay on the line while Matteo speaks to the hospital staff. I hear doors opening and closing. I hear his footsteps echoing in a corridor. He breathes heavier than usual.
“I am in the security office,” he says. “They are pulling up the footage.”
“Tell me everything you see.”
“There is a man entering her room,” Matteo says after a moment. “He is tall. Slightly broad. Dark hair, slicked back.”
“How long does he stay?”
“About thirty minutes.”
“Zoom in on his face.”
There is silence for a few seconds.
Matteo hesitates. “It was… her older brother, Valentino Russo.”
I guessed as much.
“Continue.”
“After he leaves, she sits still for two minutes. Then she gets up. She changes into casual clothes. She walks out without any help.”
“Does she look unstable?”
“No. She looks angry.”
That's enough.
There is only one place she would go in that state.
“She is heading to the base,” Matteo says quietly.
“Yes.”
“Luca...,” he hesitates. He knows he messed up big time. If he was doing his job properly, Valentino should never had gotten to see her and he also knows to call me Luca when people are within hearing shot. "Look I'm....."
“We will discuss your incompetence later,” I reply, and I end the call.
I leave immediately.
The drive to the base is tense but controlled. I focus on the road and calculate distance and time. If she left ten minutes before Matteo called, she could already be inside the compound by the time I arrive.
At the gates, the guards recognize my clearance and let me through without question. I walk fast but not recklessly. People step aside when they see my expression.
I reach the General’s office. The door is partially open. Voices carry into the hallway.
Amelia’s voice is sharp. “You should have told me he was coming back.”
“I do not need to inform you of my decisions.”
“I am your daughter,” she says.
“You are my officer,” he corrects. “And right now, you are out of line.”
“I deserve respect.”
“You will respect my authority,” he says, his voice rising.
“I will not stand by while you hand everything to him.”
“If you do not leave this office immediately, I will have you forcibly removed.”
“Try,” she says.
I step closer just as the General raises his hand.
The slap echoes against the walls.
Amelia’s head turns sharply to the side. For a moment, the room is silent.
“Amelia,” I say as I move toward her.
She blinks once. Her balance shifts.
“Luca,” she whispers.
Her knees give out.
I reach her before she hits the floor. I catch her against my chest and steady her weight with both arms. Her body is warm but limp.
My furious gaze land on her son of a bitch father. He looks unapologetic and emotionless. How could someone hate his daughter so much.
I wanted to punch him, kick him, have him brutally executed. Do anything to have him removed from Amelia's life because he doesn't deserve her.
The General looks at me without apology.
“She was insubordinate,” he says. Like I asked for an explanation.
“She was badly injured, nearly killed in a raid you most likely authorised,” I reply.
“She disrespected her commanding officer.”
“She is your daughter.”
His jaw tightens. “That is irrelevant in this office.”
I adjust Amelia in my arms. Her head rests against my shoulder. I feel her breath against my neck.
“This conversation is not over,” I say.
I do not wait for permission. I carry her out of the office.
The hallway is lined with soldiers who pretend not to stare. I ignore them. My focus remains on keeping her stable.
At the clinic, the staff rush forward with a stretcher.
“She fainted,” I say. “Check for worsening symptoms.”
They move quickly. Monitors are attached. Lights flash on. Questions are asked. I answer each one clearly.
After examination, the doctor confirms that the impact aggravated her earlier injury. She needs rest. No stress, whatsoever and she needs to be placed on a twenty hour surveillance for possible changes.
I almost laugh at that.
Now she lies asleep in the room behind me.
I push away from the window and walk down the corridor toward the administrative section. I need documentation before morning.
Temporary reassignment requires review. Review requires evidence. Evidence can be challenged. I enter the records office using my clearance. The room is empty at this hour. I log into the system and pull up Amelia’s file.
Commendations fill the screen. Operational success rates. Performance evaluations signed by senior officers. There is no disciplinary history that justifies removal.
I print copies of the most recent assessments and place them in a secure folder. I log out and leave no trace of irregular access.
As I step back into the hallway, I hear footsteps approaching and quickly hide.
It’s just a regular person doing his usual runs. He leaves without seeing me. I wait, hidden in the shadows of the clinic’s emergency entrance, counting my breaths until the coast is clear. When I’m sure I’m alone, I step out.
The air hits my face like a splash of cold water. I inhale deeply, letting it fill my lungs. I needed this — away from the sterile smell of antiseptic, disinfectant, the faint stink of sweat and fear lingering in the hospital. Everything in here feels like a trap. I roll my shoulders, letting the tension slide off, and let my gaze sweep over the quiet courtyard.
Then I sense it. Someone watching.
I turn sharply. Out of the shadows, Matteo steps forward. His presence doesn’t surprise me, but I arch a brow anyway. “What are you doing?” I ask, my voice low.
“Just came to make sure she’s all right,” he says. “How is she?”
I mutter. “Could have been worse.”
“What happened?” His tone is careful, almost hesitant.
I stare at Matteo for a long moment. My jaw is tight. My fists are clenched, but I keep them at my sides. There’s a part of me that wants to throw him against the wall and scream at him for every second he failed to stop this.
“You know,” I say slowly, letting my voice carry, cold and sharp, “I could have killed that son of a bitch tonight.”
Matteo flinches. “Luca—”
“No,” I interrupt. “Don’t. Don’t even start with excuses. You had every opportunity to prevent this. Every. Single. One. And you failed.”
“I—I didn’t know he was coming—”
I step closer, forcing him back a half-step. The shadows fall across his face. “You didn’t know?” I spit the words like venom. “You didn’t check the goddamn security logs before you called me? You didn’t know the man who has hated her since the day she was born was about to walk into her hospital room? You didn’t know?”
He swallows hard. “I—I didn’t think—”
I cut him off again. “Don’t think. Not now. Not ever. You think, you assume, you hesitate, and she pays the price.” My hands shake slightly. I grab the edge of the railing beside me and press down, trying to channel the fire in my chest. “Do you have any idea what it does to me to see her lying there, limp, because someone who is supposed to protect her couldn’t even lift a finger at the right time?”
Matteo is silent. His lips press into a thin line. Good. Let him sit in that. Let him feel it.
I take a slow breath. I need control. I need focus. I can’t lose it here, not in front of him. She’s upstairs, vulnerable. And my anger won't fix that.
“She’s stable,” I mutter finally, still keeping my eyes on him. “For now. But that doesn’t change a thing. Every second she’s in that place, she’s a target. Do you understand that? A goddamn target. Her own father, her own brother, anyone in that office—she’s under fire from every angle.”
Matteo nods, slowly. “I understand. Luca, I—”
I raise a hand. “No. Don’t apologize. Not yet. Not until I decide if it even matters. Right now, we act. We move. She’s not going to wait for permission, and neither am I.”
I pace a few steps, the cold night air cutting through my shirt. I can hear the distant hum of security cameras, the faint footsteps of late-night staff, but it’s all background noise. My mind is on her, on the mark on her cheek, the way her head lolled to the side when she fell. I remember the weight of her body against me. Fragile. Strong. Angry. Defiant. And utterly alone in that moment.
"I should have you punched and beaten for just standing by, doing nothing."
Matteo swallows hard. “I didn’t stand by—”
“You didn’t act. That’s the same thing.” My voice is ice. “I want you to understand the weight of that, because we’re about to make sure she never has to deal with this again. And if you can’t handle being useful, I’ll make sure you understand your role. Do you want to be useful, or do you want to be irrelevant when it counts?”
He nods, slowly. “Useful. I’m useful.”
I lean in closer, just enough for him to feel it. “Good. Because I’m taking her out. Out of this building, out of that office, away from him and his whole army of assholes who think they can control her. And you are going to help me. You follow my orders, no questions, no hesitation. One slip, and I swear, you’ll regret it.”
He swallows. “Yes. I’ll do whatever you say.”
I step back and let the tension settle slightly, though my muscles are still tight.
“Her father slapped her. She passed out.”
His eyes widen. He curses, low and angry. “What the fuck?! He doesn’t visit her in the hospital when she gets shot, but he tries to kill her?”
“You shouldn’t be surprised,” I say, my voice flat. “From what we’ve seen, that son of a bitch hates her. For whatever reason.” I let the words linger. “And don’t pretend you don’t get it. It’s obvious.”
“So… what are you going to do? From your expression, it looks like you have a plan.”
I hum, leaning back against the wall, letting my gaze drift to the ground. “I don’t plan on doing anything. Not yet.”
Matteo blinks, clearly confused. “Wait, what?”
“This place is toxic. Every single person here treats her like crap. Even if she tries to reclaim her position…” I pause, letting a bitter smile cross my face. “…Oh, right. Forgot to tell you. Her brother took over her position. Her unit is gone. Demoted. Valentino Russo will be taking over from her, effective immediately."”
Matteo shrugs. “Expected. His return was suspicious.”
“Suspicious?” I scoff. “Matteo, it’s deliberate. Poison. Designed to hurt her, to humiliate her. And if she ever tries to come back, she’ll walk into a battlefield that doesn’t exist anymore. Her team is gone. Her office is taken. Her authority
stolen. And everyone will treat her like a child who doesn’t belong.”
He snorts, shaking his head. “Good luck getting her out. She’ll rather die than go quietly.”
I grin, cold and sarcastic. “I know. That’s why you’re going to help me pull this off."