Chapter 189 – Bring Lila

Chapter 189 – Bring Lila

POV: Lila

The call came just after sunrise.
I almost didn’t pick it up.
My phone had been buzzing all night—messages, updates, fragments of information that never stayed long enough to make sense. I’d barely slept. Dante’s words were still sitting in my chest like something heavy and unfinished.
They’re targeting you.
I told myself I needed a few hours to think.
To breathe.
But the moment I saw Marco’s name flashing across the screen, something in my stomach dropped.
I answered immediately.
“Marco?”
Silence.
Not the normal kind. Not the kind where someone’s gathering their thoughts.
This was different.
Sharp. Tight.
“Lila,” he said finally, his voice low and controlled. Too controlled.
“What happened?”
Another pause.
Then—
“You need to get to the hospital.”
My grip on the phone tightened. “Why?”
“Just get here.”
“No,” I said, my voice firm despite the sudden rush of unease. “Tell me what’s going on.”
I heard him exhale.
Then, quieter this time, “It’s Vivian.”
Everything inside me went cold.
“What about her?” I asked, already reaching for my jacket, my pulse picking up.
“She’s gone.”
For a second, I didn’t understand.
“Gone?” I repeated. “What do you mean gone?”
“I mean,” Marco said, each word careful, measured, “she’s not in her room anymore.”
I froze.
“What?”
“The nurses found the bed empty about twenty minutes ago,” he continued. “No sign of a struggle. No alarm triggered. It’s like she just… disappeared.”
“No,” I said immediately, shaking my head even though he couldn’t see me. “That’s not possible. She was under watch. You said—”
“I know what I said.”
“Then how does someone just walk into a hospital and take her?” I demanded.
“That’s what we’re trying to figure out.”
My heart was racing now, thoughts colliding too fast to catch.
“Where are you?” I asked.
“Already here.”
“I’m coming,” I said, already moving toward the door.
“Lila—”
I didn’t wait for him to finish.
I hung up.
—
The drive felt longer than it should have.
Every red light was too slow. Every second stretched thin, tight with something I didn’t want to name yet.
This doesn’t make sense.
Vivian wasn’t just any patient. She was under protection. Watched. Monitored.
No one was supposed to get near her.
Unless—
I pushed the thought away before it could fully form.
No.
When I finally reached the hospital, Marco was already waiting near the entrance.
He didn’t waste time.
“Come on,” he said, turning immediately toward the elevators.
I followed him, my steps quick, my chest tight.
“What happened?” I asked again. “Tell me everything.”
“We’re still putting it together,” he said. “Security footage is being pulled, staff is being questioned—”
“That’s not what I asked,” I cut in. “What do you know?”
The elevator doors opened, and we stepped inside.
Marco hit the button, jaw tight.
“What I know,” he said, “is that whoever did this knew exactly what they were doing.”
The doors closed.
“What does that mean?”
“It means no forced entry,” he replied. “No alarms. No witnesses who saw anything unusual.”
My stomach twisted.
“That’s not possible.”
“It is if you know the system,” he said.
The same thought from earlier came back, stronger this time.
Inside.
This wasn’t random.
This wasn’t sloppy.
This was planned.
“Dante knows?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“And?”
“He’s on his way.”
The elevator dinged, and the doors slid open.
Vivian’s floor.
The moment I stepped out, I felt it.
The tension.
People moving too quickly. Voices low but urgent. Guards at every corner.
Something was very wrong.
Marco led me down the hallway, stopping just outside her room.
I didn’t hesitate.
I walked in.
And immediately wished I hadn’t.
The bed was empty.
Sheets slightly wrinkled, like someone had been there not long ago. The IV line hung loose at the side, disconnected.
Everything else looked… normal.
Too normal.
“No,” I whispered.
I stepped closer, my eyes scanning the room like I might have missed something.
“This doesn’t make sense,” I said, more to myself than anyone else. “She couldn’t have just walked out. She wasn’t strong enough.”
“She didn’t walk,” Marco said quietly from behind me.
I turned to him. “Then how?”
He didn’t answer right away.
Instead, he nodded toward the bedside table.
“There was something left behind.”
My gaze followed his.
A small piece of paper.
Folded neatly.
My chest tightened.
“Who found it?” I asked.
“A nurse,” he said. “She thought it was just a note at first.”
I stared at it for a second, hesitation creeping in.
Then I reached for it.
Unfolded it slowly.
And read.
Bring Lila.
The words were simple.
Clear.
And they hit harder than anything else.
For a moment, I couldn’t breathe.
“This…” I started, my voice barely there. “This is a joke, right?”
No one answered.
I looked up at Marco, my grip tightening on the paper.
“Tell me this is a joke.”
“It’s not.”
A cold wave moved through me, settling deep in my chest.
“They took her for me,” I said.
Marco didn’t deny it.
“Lila—”
“They took her,” I repeated, louder now, “for me.”
My thoughts started to spin, connecting pieces I didn’t want to connect.
Dante’s warning.
They’re targeting you.
This wasn’t random.
This wasn’t about Vivian.
She was just—
Leverage.
“They knew,” I said slowly. “They knew she was here. They knew she mattered.”
“Yes.”
“And they knew I would come.”
Marco stepped closer. “We don’t know that for sure.”
“Yes, we do,” I snapped, holding up the note. “It literally says my name.”
Silence.
Heavy. Unavoidable.
“What does Dante say?” I asked.
“He hasn’t seen the note yet.”
“Then he needs to.”
“He’s already on his way,” Marco repeated.
I turned away, pacing the room, trying to think.
Think.
This is a setup.
Of course it is.
Everything lately had been leading to this.
The casinos.
Enzo drawing them out.
The council moving in the shadows.
And now—
This.
“They want me to go to them,” I said.
“Yes.”
“Alone.”
“Probably.”
I stopped pacing.
Turned back to him.
“And you’re just standing here?”
His expression hardened. “What exactly do you expect me to do?”
“I expect you to help me get her back,” I said.
“We are.”
“No,” I shook my head. “You’re waiting. Watching. Planning.”
“That’s how we do this without making it worse.”
“She’s already been taken,” I shot back. “How much worse do you think it can get?”
Marco didn’t answer.
Because he didn’t need to.
We both knew the answer.
A lot worse.
“Lila,” he said carefully, “whoever did this—they’re not amateurs. This is calculated. If we rush in without knowing what we’re dealing with—”
“They hurt her,” I interrupted, my voice tightening. “What if they hurt her while we’re standing here talking?”
“They won’t.”
“You don’t know that.”
“They need her alive,” he said. “She’s their leverage.”
“For how long?” I challenged. “Until I don’t cooperate?”
He didn’t respond.
And that silence?
It said everything.
“I’m going,” I said.
His head snapped up. “No.”
“Yes.”
“No,” he repeated, firmer now. “You’re not walking into something like this alone.”
“They asked for me.”
“That doesn’t mean you give them what they want.”
“They already have what they want,” I said, holding up the note again. “They have her.”
“That’s exactly why you don’t go,” he argued. “Because the moment you do, they have both of you.”
I felt my chest tighten.
“I’m not letting them use her like this.”
“And I’m not letting you walk into a trap.”
“It’s not a trap if I know it’s coming,” I said.
“That’s not how traps work, Lila.”
Before I could respond, footsteps echoed in the hallway.
Fast. Controlled.
Dante.
He stepped into the room, his gaze immediately locking onto me.
“You’re here,” he said.
“Of course I’m here,” I replied. “Vivian’s been taken.”
“I know.”
His eyes moved briefly to the empty bed, then back to me.
“Show me.”
I handed him the note without a word.
He read it once.
Then again.
His expression didn’t change, but I saw the shift in his eyes.
Cold.
Focused.
“They’re moving faster than I expected,” he said.
“Dante,” I said, stepping closer, “we don’t have time to analyze this. We need to act.”
“We will.”
“Then let’s go.”
“No.”
The word hit like a wall.
“What?”
“You’re not going anywhere.”
I stared at him. “You cannot be serious.”
“I am.”
“They took her for me,” I said, my voice rising again. “You saw the note.”
“I did.”
“Then you know I have to go.”
“No,” he said, calm but firm. “I know they want you to go.”
“And you think I’m just going to stand here while they—”
“Yes.”
The interruption was sharp.
Final.
I felt something snap.
“You don’t get to make that decision again,” I said.
“This isn’t the same—”
“It is exactly the same,” I cut in. “You’re keeping me out, just like before.”
“I’m keeping you alive.”
“And what about Vivian?” I demanded. “What about her?”
“We get her back,” he said.
“How?” I asked. “Without doing what they’re asking?”
His silence lasted just a second too long.
“You don’t have a plan,” I said.
“I have a plan,” he replied.
“Then tell me.”
“No.”
I let out a disbelieving laugh.
“Unbelievable.”
“Lila—”
“No,” I shook my head, stepping back. “I’m done waiting. I’m done being kept in the dark.”
“You’re not going,” he said again.
I met his gaze, steady and unyielding.
“Watch me.”
For a second, neither of us moved.
Then—
A phone buzzed.
Not mine.
Not Marco’s.
Dante’s.
The sound cut through the tension like a blade.
He looked down at the screen.
And something in his expression changed.
“What is it?” I asked.
He didn’t answer right away.
Just stared at whatever message had come through.
“Dante,” I pressed. “What is it?”
Slowly, he lifted his eyes to meet mine.
“They sent another message,” he said.
My pulse spiked.
“What does it say?”
A pause.
Then—
“They gave us a location.”
The room seemed to shrink around me.
“Where?”
He hesitated.
And that hesitation?
It told me everything I needed to know.
“Dante.”
His voice was quiet when he finally spoke.
“They didn’t just give a location,” he said.
A chill ran down my spine.
“What do you mean?”
He held my gaze.
And said—
“They gave a deadline.”