Chapter 49
Chapter 49
ELENA'S POV
FEAR GRIPPED ME INSTANTLY.
Not the kind of fear that makes your heart race and then disappear, but the kind that claws into your skin and takes hold of your bones. It was cold, paralyzing, and sharp…like invisible hands had reached out and wrapped around my spine, squeezing until I physically trembled.
The second I saw his name flash on the screen, a violent shiver rolled through me, and my breath caught in my throat.
Luca.
Just that name alone sent everything crashing back into my mind. The night before replayed in vivid fragments, chaotic, fast, and terrifying. I could still hear the pounding footsteps, feel the heat of adrenaline surging through my veins, and smell the distinct scent of blood and gunpowder hanging in the air like a curse.
But through all the swirling thoughts and terrifying flashes, one face kept pushing its way to the front.
Conner.
His name echoed louder than Luca’s. His eyes, his voice, his presence during the chaos, it was all burned into me now. A memory I hadn’t processed fully, but one I couldn’t push away no matter how hard I tried.
And just like that, something I’d heard long ago, just a random quote tossed around back then…suddenly bloomed into something painfully meaningful.
“I guess we don’t know what we got till it’s gone...” I whispered those words like a confession, my voice barely audible as they left my lips. My eyes stung, and I wiped away the fog of tears that had unknowingly gathered in them.
And then reality hit me like a truck.
I was standing here, phone vibrating in my hand, frozen between guilt and fear. I wasn’t ready to talk to Luca. Not even close.
A small part of me, a whisper in my head that I had been trying to silence, began to grow louder.
What if Luca knows?
What if Luca had somehow pieced things together? What if he had already discovered what happened to his mafia family member? Or worse...
What if he knew I was involved?
“No, no...” I shook my head sharply, trying to shake off the creeping paranoia. I needed to calm down. I couldn’t afford to spiral now.
Sure, the night hadn’t gone according to plan, not at all…but I had been careful. I made sure every trace of my presence was wiped clean. I had covered my tracks. I took every precaution I could think of. There’s no way my cover could be blown this quickly.
Right?
I stood completely still, staring blankly at my phone as it vibrated again in my hand. The name Luca lit up the screen once more.
But I couldn’t answer, not yet. My thoughts were already racing ahead, but then I paused.
“Conner,” I mumbled his name.
He had been there, too.
What if he hadn’t been as careful? What if he’d left behind something…anything…that could lead back to him? And what if that had already put him in danger?
My stomach dropped.
“Oh, shit,” I whispered under my breath, panic blooming in my chest like wildfire. My fingers moved faster than my brain as I snatched the phone and watched Luca’s call finally stop ringing.
I didn’t wait. I couldn’t. Every second felt like it was costing me something.
Without giving myself time to rethink it, dropping my ego aside and accepting that I messed up, I dove into my contact list and scrolled frantically until I found Conner’s name. I tapped it. My thumb hovered over the green button only for a heartbeat before I pressed it down.
The line rang.
My chest tightened.
Each ring was like a countdown. A small flicker of hope began to stir within me.
At least he hadn’t blocked me. That had to mean something... right?
But the phone rang and rang and then went silent.
No answer.
“Nah... no way.” I shook my head, refusing to accept it. There was no way I was just going to be ignored like that, not after everything that had just happened; we needed to talk.
I pressed redial.
This time, the phone rang, but it didn’t go all the way through. Halfway, it stopped.
Hung up.
He hung up on me.
The words sank in like poison. My breath hitched, and I stared at the phone in disbelief.
“Did he...?” I couldn’t even finish the sentence out loud.
Conner had just ended my call. On purpose.
My heart clenched painfully. My pulse quickened. I felt nauseous. Still, I didn’t stop.
My pride? Shattered. My ego? Forgotten.
I called again. But this time... nothing.
The phone was switched off.
I stared at the screen, disbelief crashing into me like a wave. He had literally declined my call and then turned off his phone so I couldn’t try again.
“Shit...” I muttered, my voice a broken whisper as I lowered the phone and stared blankly at the floor. My shoulders slumped forward.
A part of me sank in that moment. I bent my head, hands still clutching the phone as I tried to process the gut punch of rejection I just experienced.
“I guess... I crossed the line this time.” My voice was hollow, the words barely leaving my lips.
Conner wasn’t the type to get angry at me like this. Not without a reason.
And if he was this mad... if he had gone as far as rejecting my calls and shutting off his phone, then yeah...
I had really, really screwed up.
“Maybe I should just go see him...” I whispered, though even that felt uncertain.
I wasn’t even sure if that was the right move anymore. Maybe I’d only make things worse.
But before I could make that decision, my phone buzzed again, pulling me back to the present.
My fingers moved automatically, answering the call with urgency, my voice still raw with emotion.
“Hello?” I answered too fast, too sharply.
There was a pause. Then a voice.
“Lena...” A male voice, soft and unsteady.
But not Conner.
There was something in the tone, something broken, like the weight of the world was crashing down on whoever was speaking. It held sadness. Desperation.
I glanced at the screen.
Luca.
I swallowed hard; I guess I couldn't run forever; I better just face it now…
“Hey... uh...” he started, hesitating slightly. “I don’t know if you’re busy or anything... but... could we meet up?”
His voice cracked faintly on the last part. “I really need your company.”
I stood there, frozen, my thoughts spiraling in too many directions.
He needed my company?
What exactly did he mean by that?