Chapter Twenty Two
Chapter Twenty Two
Chapter 22: A Message from the Past
I barely slept.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Alessandro’s face, heard the gunshot, felt the rush of fear. My mind wouldn’t shut off. The weight of everything that had happened pressed down on me.
Then my phone buzzed.
A message.
Unknown Number: You think you know the truth, but you don’t.
My heart pounded. I sat up, fingers tightening around my phone.
I typed quickly.
Me: Who is this?
No response.
I stared at the screen, waiting. Nothing.
A chill ran down my spine. Someone was watching me. And they wanted me to know it.
I jumped out of bed, pacing. This wasn’t random. They knew about tonight. About me.
I called Claire. She picked up immediately. “You okay?”
“No. Someone just texted me.”
She was quiet for a second. “What did they say?”
I read the message out loud.
“Shit.” Her voice sharpened. “Did they reply?”
“No.”
“Blocked number?”
I checked. “Yeah.”
She exhaled. “Someone’s messing with you.”
“Or warning me.”
Silence. Then, “Nicholas needs to know.”
I hesitated. “He’ll overreact.”
“Well, maybe he should.”
Before I could argue, there was a knock at my door.
I froze. It was past midnight.
I moved quietly, grabbed my knife from the nightstand, and stepped closer. “Who is it?”
“It’s me,” Nicholas said from the other side.
I let out a breath and opened the door. His eyes flickered over me, like he was checking for injuries. “Why are you still awake?”
“Could you ask the same question?”
“I had a feeling,” he said. “You’re not okay.”
I stepped back, letting him in. “I got a message.”
His expression darkened. “From who?”
“Blocked number.” I handed him my phone.
He read it, jaw tightening. “When?”
“Just now.”
Nicholas swore under his breath and tossed my phone on the bed. “They’re watching.”
“Obviously.”
He ran a hand through his hair. “This isn’t random. They want you to doubt everything.”
“Well, it’s working,” I admitted. “What if I really don’t know the truth?”
Nicholas shook his head. “That’s exactly what they want you to think.”
I crossed my arms. “And what if it’s true?”
He met my gaze. “Then we find out.”
A sharp knock at the door made both of us tense.
Nicholas grabbed my arm, pulling me behind him. His other hand went to his gun. “Who is it?”
“Claire,” she called. “Open up.”
I exhaled and unlocked the door. She stepped inside, eyes flicking between me and Nicholas. “Got another message.”
I stiffened. “You too?”
She nodded, handing me her phone. The same text.
Unknown Number: You think you know the truth, but you don’t.
I looked at Nicholas. His face was unreadable.
“This isn’t random,” Claire said. “Someone is trying to get in our heads.”
Nicholas paced, thinking. “They want us to be suspicious. Distracted.”
“Or,” I said, “they actually have something to tell us.”
Claire gave me a look. “You can’t trust this.”
“Maybe not. But what if they know something we don’t?”
Nicholas shook his head. “It’s a game. They’re controlling the board, and we’re just reacting.”
I met his eyes. “Then let’s flip the board.”
He smirked. “That’s what I like to hear.”
Claire sighed. “So what now?”
“We set a trap,” Nicholas said. “If they’re watching, let’s give them something to watch.”
I grinned. “Sounds like fun.”
\---
The next morning, we met at Roman’s place. His apartment was one of the safest places we could gather without drawing too much attention. He was already at the table, flipping through a file when we walked in.
“What’s going on?” he asked, not looking up.
“More messages,” Nicholas said, tossing his phone onto the table.
Roman frowned and picked it up. “Same number?”
“Blocked,” Claire answered.
Roman’s eyes darkened. “That’s not good.”
“No kidding,” I muttered.
He leaned back in his chair, thinking. “So, what’s the plan?”
Nicholas crossed his arms. “We set a trap.”
Roman raised an eyebrow. “And how exactly do we do that?”
“We bait them,” Nicholas said. “Make them think we’re falling for it.”
Claire nodded. “Act like we’re scared. Make a move they expect.”
I leaned forward. “But we control it.”
Roman smirked. “Now that I like.”
Nicholas pulled out a map and spread it on the table. “Alessandro’s men are still moving. We need to make them think we’re desperate for answers.”
“Where do we start?” I asked.
Claire pointed at a location on the map. “This warehouse. It’s been abandoned for years, but they’ve used it before for meetings.”
Roman nodded. “I can spread a rumor that we’re heading there.”
“Good,” Nicholas said. “If they show up, we’ll know they’re watching us closely.”
“And if they don’t?” Claire asked.
Nicholas looked at me. “Then we know they have bigger plans.”
I swallowed. “So we go in, make some noise, and see who comes running?”
Roman grinned. “Sounds like a party.”
Nicholas sighed. “Let’s not get carried away.”
I stood. “Let’s do this.”
\---
That night, we arrived at the warehouse. Roman had done his part—word was already spreading that we were desperate for leads. If they were listening, they’d be here.
Claire set up her laptop in the car, tracking any signals nearby. Nicholas and I stayed inside, waiting.
Nothing.
Minutes passed. Then an hour.
I was about to speak when Claire’s voice came through the earpiece.
“Guys, we’ve got company.”
Nicholas tensed. “How many?”
“Two cars. Black SUVs.”
I peeked through the broken window. Sure enough, headlights cut through the darkness.
Nicholas’s voice was low. “Here we go.”
The SUVs stopped. Doors opened. Five men stepped out. They didn’t look like Alessandro’s usual people.
I gripped my gun. “What now?”
Nicholas glanced at me. “We wait.”
One man, taller than the rest, stepped forward. He held up a phone. My phone.
I stiffened.
He dialed a number.
My phone buzzed.
A message popped up.
Unknown Number: You should’ve stayed out of this.
My blood ran cold.
Nicholas’s jaw clenched. “They’re making this personal.”
I swallowed hard. “It already was.”
The man put the phone in his pocket and walked toward the warehouse door.
Nicholas pulled me behind him. “Get ready.”
I tightened my grip on my weapon.
This wasn’t just a warning anymore.
It was a challenge.
And I wasn’t backing down.