Chapter 66: Caught Between ghosts and guns.

Chapter 66: Caught Between ghosts and guns.
CHAPTER 66
LUCAS.

I’d barely run a few meters into the woods when I stopped dead in my tracks in my tracks, a harsh realization hitting me. Something was definitely wrong, and I could feel it deep in my guts. There was a strangeness to the way Diego had disappeared, and immediately I knew he was running out of panic, but it was definitely a deliberate act to lead me into an ambush. I began to tread forward slowly, looking over my shoulder and glancing around my surroundings as I carefully made my way through the darkness of the woods. The skies suddenly became darker, thunder rumbling from the clouds and in no time, it began to rain, falling in little droplets and then increasing tempo till it began raining in heavy torrents. I walked on slowly, the rain blurring my vision and leaving me drenched as the ground became slippery beneath my boots. The air was still, and I knew deep down that there was something off about this place, something I couldn't wait to unravel. I suddenly noticed footprints in the muddy ground and I began to follow it, carefully placing one foot after the other on the slippery ground and then I heard the sudden snap of something above me in the trees. A wire triggered beneath my feet, making a springing sound and abruptly I found myself in a net, hanging in the air.

“What the hell?” I yelled in shock, cursing under my breath. Two masked men walked out from behind the trees, walking casually towards me and laughing loudly.
“Well, well, who do we have here?” said one of them, looking up at me with a smirk on his face. “The almighty Lucas Valentini, caught up so easily in a net?”
“How funny! The almighty Lucas Valentini, walking into our trap so effortlessly,” the second man replied laughing. “I can’t even believe it.”

“I told you it was going to take nothing else but time and precision, didn’t I? Well, there you have it!” the first man said, joining in his laughter.
I furrowed my brows at him, puzzled by their American accent. My jaw clenched in rage and I tightened my fist as I glared down at them.
“Who the hell are you? And who do you think you are to have me caught up like this?” I asked through gritted teeth.

“You want to know who we are?” The first man responded, keeping a straight face. “Do you think that would be necessary, Lucas?”
“I don’t think that would be necessary, sir,” the second man said, sneering at me. “Infact, I think the only thing you need to know right now is that you’re now a captive, caught without as much as a fight!”

They burst into a fresh bout of laughter, and I felt my anger spiking as my whole body vibrated with fury. I clenched the ropes tight, shooting them a deadly venomous look and they laughed the more, mocking my helplessness. I took a minute to study them — they weren’t Italian, and their posture and body language felt different. Their gear looked different too, and one thing was certain...they definitely weren’t operatives of Unit 13. It was obviously another group, so who were they, then? And what business did they have with me?

“Your chapter on earth is over, Lucas,” said one of the men as he pulled out his pistol from a small bag hung over his neck. “Say hello to the devil when you get to hell.”

I closed my eyes tightly as a loud gunshot tore through the quiet of the night, expecting to be shot dead. The thud of a body falling to the ground jolted me and I opened my eyes to see Riccardo running towards us through the woods. The second masked man ran and scampered into the bush, disappearing before Riccardo got within reach.

“Get me out of here!” I yelled at Riccardo and he promptly obeyed, pulling out a pocket knife and cutting the rope. The net gave way and I landed on the floor, preventing myself from stumbling. Riccardo held me by the hand, pulling me up.
“Are you alright?” he asked, dusting the mud off my clothes. “Were you hurt?”
“I’m fine,” I replied, breathing hard. “Thank God you came, I’d have been dead by now. Those bastards!” I said, cursing as I stared at the dead man who lay in his own pool of blood.
“These people don’t seem like they were sent by Unit 13,” Riccardo said, studying the man closely. “I think we have another group after us.”

I said nothing in response as I kept my eyes on the dead man, scanning him with thoughts running through my mind. Suddenly, we were distracted by a sound from the surrounding bushes and I turned to Riccardo in alarm. Slowly, we edged closer and found Diego, slumped feebly against a tree and groaning in pain from a broken glass lodged deep in his leg. He looked up at us, frightened and shaking in panic and I charged towards him, willing to kill him instantly.
“You idiot,” I growled as I rushed towards him but Riccardo stepped in between us, stopping me.
“No, Lucas,” Riccardo said, shaking his head. “Remember what I told you.”

He pulled Diego up roughly, dragging him by the collar to the car parked outside the woods and I followed closely, suppressing the anger in me. We got to the car and Riccardo had Diego bound and shoved him into the backseat while I watched silently.
“Let’s go, Lucas,” he said, urging me on. I shook my head and tossed the keys to him.

“Drive,” I said, walking to the passenger seat and climbing in, slamming the door shut as I got in.
Riccardo joined me in the car and we began heading back to the penthouse, both of us silent through most of the drive. The rain tapped against the windshield and Riccardo drove on, his eyes focused on the road while I stared blankly outside the window.

“You’re right,” I said, speaking finally after a long moment of silence, my eyes still fixed outside the window. “Those men weren’t operatives of Unit 13. They sounded American, and everything about them felt different.”

“It was obvious,” Riccardo replied, nodding slowly.
My phone began to vibrate in my pocket and I pulled it out to see another call from an unknown number. I exchanged quick glances with Riccardo before I picked, holding my breath momentarily.
“Hello?” I said, speaking into the phone.
No response.

“Hello? Who’s this?” I asked again, starting to feel irritated.
Then I heard it. It was her voice — soft, unmistakable. “Lucas! Lucas, it’s me! It’s Sofia!”

“Sofia?!” I yelled, my eyes widening in shock and Riccardo slammed his foot hard on the brakes, the tyres making a loud screeching sound on the coal tar.
“Help me, Lucas, please. He has me. He—”

I sat still, feeling my blood go cold. “Sofia? Where are you? Talk to me?”
The call went dead and I turned slowly to stare at Riccardo, cold shivers running down my spine.