Chapter 286 30

Chapter 286 30
Reyna POV

The ropes bite into my wrists every time I move. The chair the masked men strapped me on is hard, metal and bolted to the floor. The warehouse smells of gun powder and rust, the kind of smell that sticks in your throat and makes you want to throw up.

A man in a dark suit and mask leans over me, his cologne strong enough to choke me. His voice is calm, but sharp enough to cut.

"Log in," he says, pointing at the laptop set on the table in front of me. "You know the accounts. You know the codes."

"I don't know what you're talking about," I bite out.

The back of his hand cracks across my cheek before I even see it coming. My head whips to the side and heat stings my skin.

"Wrong answer," he says, crouching so we're eye level. "We know who you are, Reyna. We know what you've hacked before. Our Boss trusted you'd find the weak spots,you'll work for us."

The unknown boss name shoots ice through my veins. My lips part but nothing comes out. So if he's not the boss does that mean he is another person in Dante group betraying him? It could be the reason why they are suddenly masked as others who attacked always showed their faces. They didn't care but these ones do.

Another man steps closer, bigger, with a scar cutting across his neck, its the only visible means of identification. He slams a folder down in front of me. Photos spill out of my family's company headquarters, of my parents at some charity gala. Even a photo of me as a teenager, standing next to Charles, when my parents had introduced me to him for the first time

"You see?" the suited one says softly. "We know everything. And you have to do everything we want it you want to go back home to them still alive.

There's a way he says it. Voice baritone and threatening. My skin turns cold.

I stare at the laptop, my reflection pale in the black screen. My fingers twitch against the ropes. If I play dumb, I'm useless to them. If I cooperate, I'm giving them exactly what they want.

I lick my lips, forcing my voice steady. "What happens if I refuse?"

The third masked man eyes light up like he's been waiting for me to ask. "Then we send your parents a video. Their perfect daughter, tied to a chair, bleeding and we will burn everything they built."

My chest squeezes, rage pushing past the fear. They aren't just after me  they want control, leverage, another way to corner Dante. And they're using me to do it.

I force my voice flat. "Untie me. I'll need both hands to hack."

The suited one nods, pleased. "Smart girl."

The ropes loosen, circulation prickling back into my hands. They shove the laptop closer. I crack my knuckles, buying myself seconds.

As the screen lights up, I spot the corner of the warehouse door, thick steel, chained shut. Two men guard it with rifles, there's no windows so no escape.

My only chance is to stall, leave a trail, something Luca or Dante can follow. My pulse hammers as I type, my eyes flicking to the code blinking across the screen.

They think I'm giving them access. But I'm leaving fingerprints too, flags only someone like Luca would recognize.

And if he doesn't...

I press harder on the keys. I don't let myself think about the "if."

My fingers move fast across the keyboard, the glow of the laptop making my eyes ache, lines of code flick past and I make sure every step I take leaves a mark behind, like bread crumbs.

The man in the suit watches every move. He leans close, his breath hot against my ear. "Don't get clever. We'll know."

I don't answer, I just keep typing. My heart pounds so loud I wonder if they can hear it but I force my face blank, calm, like I'm focused only on the screen.

The scarred neck man circles behind me. His boots scrape against the concrete floor and I feel the barrel of his rifle tap the back of my chair. Just a reminder that if I make one wrong move then it's over.

I pull up another file, and my chest goes tight. The accounts aren't just numbers, they're names of shell companies tied to Francesca, and one of them is directly linked to Alessandro Romano, the manI'm mean to marry. This isn't rumor or speculation anymore ,it's proof. He's probably the one pulling strings now, the one who worked with Francessca to pull off such a large coup against Dante. 

My throat dries, and I swallow hard to cover it.

"Faster," the suited man snaps, impatience creeping into his tone.

"I'm trying," I mutter, forcing my voice low. "You want access or not, this isn't a game."

He narrows his eyes but doesn't hit me again, not yet.

The minutes drag by, the air in the warehouse is heavy and stale. Every keystroke feels like a countdown. I don't know if Luca even knows where I am, if Dante's men are tracking me, if anyone is close. I don't let myself stop, I just keep building the trap in the code, something Luca will see if he finds this.

The guards at the door shift their rifles, talking low in a language I don't understand. Their laughter makes goosebumps appear on my skin.

The suited man checks his watch and steps closer, his voice sharp. "Ten more minutes. If you're not finished, we'll start with your pretty face. That might motivate you."

I keep my eyes on the screen, my knuckles white.

Ten minutes. That's all the time I have left.

The cursor blinks, waiting for my next move, and my hands tremble, but I force myself to type steady.

And then-

A noise cuts through the silence it's distant at first, then closer and next, I hear heavy running boots

The men at the door snap to attention, rifles raised, shouting. The suited man's head jerks up. "What the-"

Gunfire explodes, sharp and violent, echoing through the warehouse. Shouts and chaos follows, the sound of men falling.

My chest seizes, adrenaline tearing through me. I freeze in my chair, eyes wide on the door as the guards are cut down one by one.

The chains on the steel door rattle, snap, and the door bursts open.

And through the smoke and the shouting-

Luca.

His gun in hand, eyes locked on me, his face carved in fury as he storms inside.

And I'm still surrounded.