Chapter 38 Under Attack
Carlos grabbed my hand and rushed through the dark hallway. He was panicked. I was too, but mostly, I was confused about everything.
My mind couldn’t contain what was going on. Why are we under attack, what was that gunshot and most importantly, who is attacking us?
Carlos’s words echoed in my mind as I remembered how many times he had predicted something like this. I never believed it could be real—but it clearly was.
As we hurried down the stairs, another gunshot rang out, sharp and loud. I screamed. Carlos quickly clamped his hand over my mouth.
"Don’t scream. They can’t know you’re here." He said, sharply.
His words made me wonder if they were here solely because of me.
"What’s going on?" I asked, my first trembling with fear.
He looked like he was about to explain, but stopped suddenly when he heard footsteps approaching. Without a word, Carlos pulled me aside and covered my mouth again.
My heart was pounding loudly, beating to the sounds of gunfire. The footsteps grew louder. Carlos leaned close and whispered in my ear.
"Don’t make a noise."
I nodded quickly.
The footsteps circled the area, then slowly faded, as if whoever it was had just come to check and moved on.
Carlos finally let go and stepped back. I turned to him immediately.
"What’s going on?" My voice was clearer than before "I need to know everything, tell me what’s going on."
"This is not the time to ask questions or be stubborn. You need to listen to me carefully."
"Okay," I replied softly.
"We are under attack and they want you. So you need to hide." He said as he looked around briefly. "Hide under the stairs. Stay there and don’t come out, no matter what you hear. Do you understand?"
I nodded.
He reached for a vase nearby, tossing the flowers onto the ground.
"Hold this," He said, handing it to me. "Smash it on anyone who comes close. Don’t wait for them to make the first move."
I nodded again. "Okay." I took the vase from him.
"Now go hide."
I turned to leave but paused and looked back. "Carlos," I called out
He turned to me.
"Be careful."
A small smile began to form on his face, but it vanished as another burst of gunfire rang out.
"Go!" He ordered
I ran to hide. My heart never stopped racing. My mind was tangled with thoughts I couldn’t even begin to understand.
All I could make sense of is Carlos was right…. he was right all along but I foolishly didn’t believe him.
I gripped the vase tightly, hoping no one would come my way.
I don’t think I have it in me to smash someone’s head with a vase or even with anything at all.
As I got lost in my thoughts, another gunshot echoed through the walls. I flinched in fear, my heart racing faster than it should.
Tears were already falling down my face. The fear was overwhelming, and though I knew I shouldn’t cry, it was too hard to stop myself.
The sound of people fighting only made it worse. I was terrified.
I don’t like Carlos, but in that moment, I really hoped he would be okay. Whoever these people were, they seemed far more dangerous than him. I can’t help but wonder what they will do to him. Or worse what they will do to me when they find me.
Carlos told me they are after me. That alone was terrifying. They had already shot so many people. What if I were next?
Suddenly, everything went quiet. There were no voices. No movement as if everything had gone. I wanted to check but before I could, a gunshot rang out.
Then another.
And another.
I heard footsteps and screams. One voice stood out, one I recognized immediately. It was Sophia.
I peeked out and saw her panicking, looking around frantically as if unsure where to run.
"Sophia," I whispered, but she did not hear me. I tried again. "Sophia, over here." Still nothing.
Just as I was about to call again, she ran to the other side. Then a man dressed completely in black appeared out of nowhere. He walked calmly, slowly, with a gun raised, pointing it at every corner he turned.
I froze, pressing my hand against my mouth, trying not to make a sound.
I stayed completely still until the vase slipped from my hand and hit the floor. It made a sound.
His eyes turned to me instantly.
My heart sank as my stomach twisted in fear.
He began walking toward me. I quickly stepped out from under the stairs where I had been hiding and attempted to run but shockingly, he didn’t attempt to chase me. He only stared, like I was something rare that he had been searching for. Then he reached for his two-way radio and spoke into it.
"I found her."
Everything inside me shattered. He had found me. Carlos was right. They are after me.
I immediately turned to run but stopped in my tracks as another man was already behind me pointing a gun at me.
The man started to walk closer to me.
"No, please," I begged, stepping back but he kept moving toward me.
The man behind me was closing in too. I was trapped between them.
More tears filled my eyes, and my heart rate was rising. I had never felt this scared in my entire life.
As they came closer, I kept begging "Please let me go, I did not do anything." But nothing I said mattered
The man in front of me reached out as if to grab me.
Then a gunshot rang out and he suddenly collapsed to the floor.
I gasped.
It was Carlos. He stood there, gun raised. "Do not touch my wife," He growled before turning and shooting the other man.
My eyes widened. I did not know if I was thankful that he was here or horrified that he had just killed two people in front of me.
Carlos walked toward me. "Do you see now. They want you and they will do anything to get you!"
I could not speak. I could only cry. He pulled me into a hug, holding me tightly. "It is going to be fine. We just need to get out of here." He whispered
I pulled away slowly and nodded, my body still shaking.
Carlos grabbed my hand. One of his guards stood behind us as we moved toward the door. The mansion was in chaos. Blood was everywhere. Bodies were scattered on the floor.
We made it to the car. Carlos opened the door for me and I got in. He followed right after. The driver started the engine, and as we were leaving the mansion, I turned to the window. My gaze met a man standing outside. He was the same man I had researched. The mafia king.
The same person I believed is Erica’s father. As I kept looking at him, I couldn’t help but wonder why he’d want to kill me.