39

As expected, the streets were quiet, and many of the stores were already closed. I parked the car in the free lot and pulled the hood of my jacket over my head to avoid drawing attention. As I approached the cinema entrance, I noticed Matias was right—the place was empty, with only one employee at the ticket booth.

I went to the side of the cinema, away from the view of anyone who might enter. Leaning against the cold wall, I sent a message.

I’m at the cinema.

It was past midnight; I was late, but so was he. I looked at the dark sky, bathed in stars, and avoided looking beyond the empty parking lot as I heard distant laughter and conversation. I touched the hood, making sure to hide my hair, and stared at my phone screen as I felt it vibrate.

I’ll be there in 10 minutes.

I sighed, hiding my hands in my jacket but smiling knowing that soon I could touch him and calm the voice of my secret addiction. The minutes passed slowly. A few couples came and went from the cinema, some smiling, others too anxious to get home.

I watched a small group entering the parking lot; three guys were talking loudly and joking around. My attention shifted to the black leather jackets, and I lowered my head to my phone when they noticed my silent presence.

Hurry, I’m getting bored!

I sent to Matias just as I heard the sound of a car’s engine roar to life and leave the parking lot. He didn’t reply, and I sighed, feeling the cold night air touch my face. A smile quickly spread across my lips when I heard him approaching.

"About time," I said, pretending to sound irritated, but when I turned toward him, all I felt was a sharp blow to my temple. I hit the ground abruptly, dizzy and breathless.

"Wh..." I tried to say, but my tongue felt heavy, and the headache was intense.

Something grabbed my jacket, and with my blurry vision, I stared into the green eyes and black mask of the guy holding me. Lily.

"Fuck, it’s really him!" said the unknown voice. I tried to move, but my body felt limp, and the more I blinked, the darker the world became.

"We’re taking him, it’s the orders!" declared another voice.

"Fuck you," my words came out slurred and weak.

"Shut up," he shot back, punching me, and my world went dark.

***

The first thing I felt when I woke up was the throbbing pain in my head. I forced my eyes open, facing the dark sky and the yellowish light from the streetlamp. My vision burned from the strong glare. Disoriented, I brought my trembling hand to my head, feeling something warm and wet running down my face.

"Get up!"

A voice I didn’t recognize commanded, and I didn’t have time to react when hands grabbed me and forced me to my knees on the cement ground. I stared at my wet hand, watching the blood stain my fingers. My head throbbed, and I forced myself to look at the shadow beside me. A tall, burly guy was staring back at me, wearing a grin.

"Did you sleep well, Sleeping Beauty?" he mocked, tilting his head. It was his firm hand that kept me kneeling.

"Don’t talk to him."

The guy to my left scolded him, and I turned to face him, finding him still wearing the mask and jacket of Lily.

"Do you think he’ll come? Anton said not to bother him the rest of the night."

The third guy appeared in front of me, wearing dark jeans and a black shirt that was too big for his skinny body.

The burly guy was about to respond when footsteps started approaching from the darkness of the street ahead. I had no idea where we were. All I could see were walls around us and the strong smell of earth and blood.

"What did I tell you?"

The familiar voice demanded, pure irritation in it, but because of the guy in front of me, I couldn’t see his face.

"I asked for 2 hours, 2 hours! What’s your problem?" he criticized, raising his voice.

I almost laughed when the guys exchanged nervous glances, filled with fear.

"We brought him to you," the skinny one forced himself to say, stepping out of my way so Matias could see me.

I saw him freeze when our eyes met. His lips parted in surprise, and for a moment, I could have sworn the color had drained from his beautiful face.

"What is this?" he murmured, not breaking eye contact. "What the hell is this?" he repeated coldly, making everyone uneasy.

They exchanged glances again, and I blinked hard, trying to ignore the throbbing pain that ran down my neck.

"Well..." the burly guy tried, hesitantly.

"You know Gabriela’s orders," replied the masked one, stepping forward. "He’s a Hebi and not just anyone. This is our chance to send a message to Hataki," he declared, making the others agree.

"Nobody messes with Lily," the skinny guy said more firmly, finding courage.

My attention shifted to Matias, to his clenched jaw and distant gaze, lost in his own thoughts. He moved closer slowly, and I felt every intense beat of my heart. It was easy to feel it pulsing in my throat.

"It’s blood for blood, Matias," they said, letting go of me and opening space for their leader. "And you have to do this, you need to show these snakes that they can’t challenge us. This city is ours," he said, showing the baseball bat stained with my blood.

Even though I hated it, I felt my body shudder. I still felt weak, and it was hard to keep myself upright. The place around us seemed deserted. What were the chances that one of mine would find us? What were the chances I could retaliate in this state?

My gaze remained fixed on his, and like every other time, it was impossible to read his thoughts, his emotions. The shock of surprise had disappeared, and the yellowish light made his eyes gleam wildly.

"Matias?" A Lily called, confused by the long silence.

"We can do it if you prefer to watch," the other suggested.

Matias couldn’t just turn his back on me, he couldn’t walk away as if I were nobody. A leader would never do that, not when we’re in the middle of a war and your greatest enemy is bleeding and kneeling at your feet. I knew what he needed to do. To keep our secret, there was no other way, but still, I wished he wouldn’t do it.

"Matias," they tried again.

"Shut the fuck up!" he commanded coldly.

They fell silent and stepped back quietly. I took a breath as Matias grabbed my jacket, still trapped in the brown of his eyes, hearing our irregular breaths and the wind messing with his hair.

"Matias..." the whisper slipped between my lips. I saw his jaw tighten and then his lips move, but no sound came out, and my slow mind couldn’t read them. However, that thought quickly faded, and the first punch left me even more dazed.

I felt myself fall to the hard ground, the weight of Matias on top of me. I heard my flesh tear with the brutality of his punches. I couldn’t breathe, and my mind was a dark void. I heard myself groaning weakly while Matias’s figure above me became blurry and tinted red. The pain devoured my bones; it was agonizing and unbearable.

"Mat..." I forced myself to say, holding his forearm. "Please..." My voice came out muffled, my teeth ached, and my tongue felt like a stone, swollen. "Please," my mind begged, but I don’t know if I managed to say it.

In the distance, I heard his heavy breathing, and I felt him rise quickly. With my vision too foggy and dark, I saw shadows moving and footsteps around us. I felt like I was spinning and shaking. I couldn’t move, and my heart felt like it was about to explode.

"Matias..." I called, but the shadows disappeared, and all that remained was the icy silence of the red night.