Chapter 61

Chapter 61
Sofia's POV

The spotlight blinded me, hot and merciless, locking me to the cliff ledge like a prisoner on display.
Engines roared from the water. The second ship cut through the fog, huge and armed, its hull bristling with rifles, its crew standing ready.
And then—his voice again. Calm, cold, slicing through the air like a knife.
“Your move, Sofia.”
I flinched, my heart pounding against my ribs.
Diego stepped in front of me, shielding me with his body. “Back off!” he shouted into the night. “She’s not yours to command!”
The voice chuckled, low and cruel. “And you think she’s yours? Interesting.”
Luca yanked me to his side, his gun raised though the water still dripped from it. “Point another weapon at her, and I’ll blow this entire ship to hell.”
“Empty threats,” the man said smoothly. “Your bullets mean nothing when you’re already cornered.”
Alessandro stayed still, eyes narrowed, calculating. “What do you want?” His voice was sharp, controlled.
The answer was simple. “Her.”
The spotlight burned hotter, the pressure unbearable.
I shook my head, my voice breaking. “No. I’m not your pawn.”
“Wrong,” the man said. “You’ve always been. The only question is—which side you fall to when the board tilts.”
Luca’s grip tightened. “You’re not touching her.”
Diego snapped, “Neither are you.”
They shoved against each other, my body caught between them again, until Alessandro shoved forward, his voice slicing through. “Enough! Fighting over her like dogs is exactly what he wants.”
The man laughed again. “At least one of you understands.”
Another engine revved. A smaller boat detached from the larger vessel, racing toward our ledge. Armed men stood inside, rifles ready, their faces covered.
Alessandro’s jaw flexed. “They’ll land in seconds.”
“Then we kill them in seconds,” Luca growled.
Diego bared his teeth. “Try not to shoot each other this time.”
I backed against the cliff wall, panic crushing me. “We can’t fight them all!”
“You don’t have to,” Alessandro said calmly. His hand brushed the small of my back—steady, grounding, though his eyes never softened. “Just stay low.”
The smaller boat slammed against the rocks. Men jumped onto the ledge, boots heavy, guns raised.
The first one lunged for me.
“NO!” Luca’s roar ripped through the air. He fired, dropping the man instantly.
Gunfire exploded. Sparks lit the fog. Bullets shattered stone inches from my head.
Diego ripped a gun from one soldier’s hands, spinning it back on him with a brutal shot. Another came from the side—Diego drove an elbow into his throat, sending him crumpling.
Alessandro’s aim was precise, deadly. Every shot landed. No wasted bullets. No hesitation.
“Stay down, Sofia!” he barked.
I dropped flat, my hands over my head, the stone cold and wet under me. Smoke stung my throat, my ears rang with gunfire, but I couldn’t stop glancing up—watching them fight, watching them bleed for me.
Within moments, the ledge was a mess of bodies and blood.
But more soldiers climbed from the smaller boat. Twice as many.
“We can’t hold!” Diego shouted.
“Then we make them bleed for every inch!” Luca fired again, rage carved into his face.
The suited man’s voice carried faint from the larger ship. “Do you see now, Sofia? Do you see how quickly they fall for nothing?”
“Shut UP!” I screamed, my voice raw, my throat burning.
Alessandro grabbed my arm, hauling me upright. “We have to move. Now.”
“To where?” I gasped.
“The caves,” he snapped, pointing toward a dark slit in the cliff wall half-hidden by spray.
Another burst of gunfire cut the air. Stone chipped inches from us. Luca shoved me forward. “Go! I’ll cover!”
Diego was already moving, dragging me with him. “Don’t stop running!”
We sprinted across the slick ledge, my feet slipping, my lungs on fire. Soldiers swarmed behind us, shouting, firing. Luca’s gun cracked behind, Alessandro’s precise shots following.
The cave swallowed us, narrow and black, water dripping from above. Echoes of boots thundered after us.
“This way!” Diego shoved me ahead, his hand never leaving mine.
“No—here!” Alessandro grabbed my shoulder, pulling me left at a fork.
Luca caught up, furious. “Don’t touch her!”
“Focus!” Alessandro barked.
We tore deeper into the dark, the tunnel splitting, twisting. Water lapped at our ankles. The air smelled of salt and smoke. Every step echoed like a drumbeat.
Gunfire followed us into the caves, ricocheting off the walls. Men shouted, closer, closer.
“Keep moving!” Luca roared.
We burst into a wider chamber, jagged rock rising like teeth. For a moment, silence—then shadows moved at the edges. More soldiers waiting.
“Trap,” Alessandro hissed.
The men surged in. Gunfire exploded again. The chamber lit with muzzle flashes, screams, chaos.
I ducked behind a boulder, my hands shaking. “We’re surrounded!”
“Not for long,” Diego growled, tackling one man to the ground, stealing his weapon.
Luca dragged me back, pressing me to the wall. “Stay with me!”
“No—she stays with me!” Diego snapped, yanking at my other arm.
“BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP!” Alessandro shouted, firing into the crowd. “You’ll get her killed!”
The soldiers pressed in tighter. For every one that fell, two more came.
The suited man’s voice echoed through the caves, carried by some hidden speaker. “Tick tock, little dove. You can end this right now. Pick one. I’ll let the rest die clean.”
“Never!” I screamed, my voice echoing through the stone.
He laughed. “Then they’ll bleed until you break.”
Bullets whined past, sparks raining from the rocks. My heart hammered, terror choking me.
Then—something shifted. The stone under us trembled. A deeper rumble echoed through the caves.
Luca froze, eyes snapping up. “What was that?”
Another rumble—louder. The walls shivered. Pebbles rained down.
Alessandro’s face hardened. “He’s not just here to take her. He’s here to bury us.”
The ground cracked. Water surged from the walls, filling fast. The soldiers shouted, stumbling as the floor turned slick.
“It’s flooding!” Diego shouted.
“No,” Alessandro corrected, his voice sharp. “He’s sinking the caves.”
The water rose to my knees, cold and rushing. Panic surged as I clawed at Luca’s arm. “We’ll drown!”
“Not if we move,” he said fiercely. “Stay with me.”
“Stay with me,” Diego echoed, pulling at me again.
Alessandro barked, “There’s an exit deeper in. But we’ll never reach it if you two keep tearing her apart!”
The walls shook harder. A section of the ceiling cracked and fell, smashing into the water with a deafening crash. Soldiers screamed as they were swept under.
“We move NOW!” Alessandro commanded.
The three of them surged around me, dragging me through the rising water, bullets still flying, stone still crashing.
Every step was a battle, the current pulling us down, the soldiers pressing closer, the suited man’s laughter echoing overhead.
The water reached my waist. My chest heaved, my lungs raw.
We stumbled into another tunnel—narrow, rising. Hope flared, thin and desperate.
Then—shadows blocked the exit. More soldiers. Too many.
The suited man’s voice filled the chamber, smooth and final. “Game over.”
The soldiers raised their guns, all aimed at us.
Luca shoved me behind him, rage blazing. “Over my dead body.”
Diego lifted his stolen rifle, teeth bared. “Then over all of ours.”
Alessandro raised his gun too, his eyes steady, calm. “We fight.”
The flood roared louder, water rushing faster, dragging at our legs.
And in the spotlight from the enemy ship pouring through the cave mouth, I saw him.
The suited man himself, stepping forward at last. No shadows, no distance. His face clear, sharp, cold.
And he was smiling right at me.