Nowhere to Hide

My entire body turns cold the instant the guard says it…Victor is gone. I can’t move. I can’t breathe. The nightmare isn’t done.

Lucian swears beneath his breath and clutches my hand tightly. “How the hell did this happen?” he asks, voice quivering with wrath.

The guard swallows hard. “It was planned. Whoever assisted him knew the layout. Cameras were deactivated. The backup guards were drugged.”

I place a palm on my chest, attempting to calm my hammering heart. “He’s coming for me. He said he would. He always does.”

Lucian looks to me, his expression stern. “I won’t let him get near you, Isabella. I promise.”

“No,” I respond, moving back. “You don’t understand. He always finds a way. He always comes back.”

Lucian goes closer me, laying his hands lightly on my shoulders. “Then we’ll make sure there’s nowhere for him to return to.”

I want to trust him, I truly do. But deep inside, I know Victor. I know how brilliant, dangerous, and desperate he is. He’s not going to quit. Not until one of us is dead.

Lucian takes out his phone and begins yelling commands. He calls for additional guards, greater security, lockdown on all gates, and informs every contact he has. Dante steps in, looking pale and feeble, his head still bandaged from before.

“What happened?” he asks.

“Victor escaped,” I murmur, my voice scarcely a whisper.

Dante’s eyes expand. “How?”

Lucian stares at both of us. “I don’t know, but we’ll find out. Until then, we’re not taking any chances.”

“I need to leave,” I reply quickly.

Lucian and Dante both turn to gaze at me.

“I need to run, to disappear. If I’m gone, he won’t follow you. He’ll just hunt me.”

“No,” Lucian responds promptly. “You’re not running. That’s what he wants. He wants you to feel powerless.”

Dante agrees. “Isabella, we fight together.”

I feel imprisoned, caught between the two of them and the monster hunting me. “Then what do we do? Sit here and wait for him to strike?”

Lucian clenches his jaw. “We set a trap. We finish this.”

Hours later, the home is locked down tighter than a jail. Guards stand at every door and window. Cameras are placed up on every corner. Lucian won’t allow me out of his sight.

Still, I can’t ignore the impression that Victor is already near. Watching. Waiting.

That night, I attempt to sleep, but every noise makes me jump. Every shadow looks like him. My heart won’t stop racing. I stare at the ceiling for hours, listening to the silence.

A faint tap at my door makes me cringe.

“It’s me,” Lucian says quietly.

I open the door and move aside. He steps in and sits on the side of the bed. His eyes are weary. I can see he hasn’t slept either.

“I hate this,” I say. “Living in fear.”  “I know,” he murmurs. “But it won’t be forever.”

I sat alongside him. “I feel like I’m being hunted.”  “You are,” he says. “But we’re not prey. We’re going to turn the tables.”

I gaze at him. “You sound so sure.”  “I have to be.”  We sit in quiet for a time.

“Did you ever kill anyone?” I ask gently.

Lucian doesn’t respond immediately away. “Yes,” he answers ultimately. “But only when I had no choice.”

“Would you kill Victor?”  His eyes meet mine. “In a heartbeat.” I believe him.

The following morning, I wake to the sound of yelling.  I run downstairs and see Lucian chatting to one of the guards. His face is rough, frigid.

“What happened?” I ask.

Lucian turns to me. “Two of the guards are missing.”

“What?”  “Gone. No trace. No indications of a struggle.”  “He’s already inside,” I whisper.

Lucian nods. “Or someone’s helping him from the inside.”  My stomach twists. “What if it’s someone we trust?”

“I already thought of that. I’ve locked everyone down. No one departs, no one enters.”

I back away slowly, my heart thudding.

This is precisely what Victor does…he gets into your psyche, turns people against you, makes you doubt everything.

“We can’t stay here,” I reply. “It’s not safe.”

Lucian thinks for a moment. “There’s a place… off the grid. A safe house. Only I know where it is.”

Dante steps in, still appearing fatigued but awake. “Then we go there. Before he strikes.”

Lucian nods. “Pack what you need. We depart in twenty minutes.”

The trip is lengthy and peaceful. Every automobile we pass makes me uneasy. Every sound outside the window makes me anxious.

Lucian maintains one hand on the wheel and one on a revolver.

Dante rides in the rear, peering out the window. We’re all quiet, immersed in our thoughts, wondering when Victor would strike again.

When we eventually reach the safe home, it’s nothing like I anticipated.

It’s situated deep in the woods, far from any town or road. The home is tiny, silent, surrounded by woods and shadows. It appears tranquil, but I know serenity is an illusion.

“This place is wired,” Lucian adds. “Motion sensors, cameras, alarms. We’ll be secure here.”

I nod slowly, trying to breathe.

Dante walks around the outside, checking the perimeter. I follow Lucian inside. It’s nice, with a fireplace, two bedrooms, and a tiny kitchen.

It feels too tranquil. Like the silence before a storm. That night, I sat by the fire, peering into the flames. Lucian sits across from me, observing me calmly.

“You never asked me,” he replies after a time.  “Asked you what?”  “Why I fell for you.”

I gaze at him, shocked “I always thought you were different,” he continues. “Not just beautiful, but strong. You see through people. You don’t let the world break you.”

“I almost did,” I respond softly,“But you didn’t,” he replies. “You survived.”

I grin a little. “Maybe.”

He rises and walks over to me. “No maybe. You’re still standing. That means you win.”

He kneels in front of me, tenderly moving a strand of hair off my face.

“I don’t know if I deserve you,” he murmurs. “But I want to be the man who protects you.”  Before I can speak, a tremendous boom echoes outside.  We both freeze.

Dante rushes in from the other room. “Someone’s outside!”

Lucian gets his rifle and rushes for the entrance. I follow, heart hammering.  We step out into the cold night air. The woodland is quiet. Too quiet.

Lucian studies the treetops. “Motion sensors didn’t trigger.”  “That means they’re inside the perimeter,” Dante explains.

Lucian murmurs, “Stay close to me.”  We go around the side of the house, carefully. Then we see it… 

A guard. Dead. Throat slit.

I scream.  Lucian pulls me back, his eyes wild. “He’s here.”  Dante curses. “I’ll check the back.”

“No!” Lucian yells. “We stick together!”  But it’s too late. Dante retreats into the darkness.

Lucian pushes me toward the home. “We need to get inside.”  Just suddenly, a voice rips through the shadows.

“Miss me, darling?”

Victor, He steps out from behind a tree, calm and smiling like a demon in the dark.

Lucian raises his gun, but Victor is fast…he throws something at us. A flash grenade.

Light erupts in my eyes. I scream and fall.

When my vision clears, Lucian is gone. So is Victor And I’m alone.

But not for long.  A hand grabs my arm from behind, yanking me to my feet. I spin around, ready to fight.

It’s Dante. Bleeding. Pale.  “They took him,” he gasps. “They took Lucian.”