Chapter Fifty Seven
Chapter Fifty Seven
Felicia’s POV
The text from Detective Ramirez glowed on Henry’s phone screen, each word a fresh cut: “Dante escaped custody. Transport van crashed—suspect foul play. Stay vigilant.” My breath stalled in my chest, the apartment’s dim light suddenly too harsh, too exposing. He was out there again—free, hunting us.
Henry’s hand tightened around mine, his knuckles still raw from the fight. “We’re not waiting for him to find us,” he said, his voice hard as steel. “We end this—our way.”
I nodded, fear and fury twisting into a knot I couldn’t unravel. Dante had slipped through every net—cops, cuffs, us—and now he was a ghost again, lurking in the shadows he ruled. But Henry was right. Running hadn’t worked. Hiding hadn’t worked. It was time to stop being prey.
“How?” I asked, my voice steadier than I felt. “He’s got the upper hand. Always has.”
Henry stood, pacing the cramped living room, his boots scuffing the worn hardwood. “Not this time. He’s cocky—thinks he’s untouchable. We use that. Draw him out, somewhere we control.”
I leaned forward, elbows on my knees, forcing my brain to catch up. “Like the diner idea? But he already knows we tried that.”
“Nah,” he said, stopping to face me. “Somewhere he won’t expect. Somewhere personal. He’s obsessed with you, Felicia—he’ll come if he thinks he’s got you cornered.”
A chill ran down my spine, but I pushed it aside. “Where, then?”
He hesitated, his jaw working like he was chewing on the idea. “The garage. My old shop on Elm. It’s out of the way, locked up tight. Tommy and the guys can rig it—traps, lookouts. We make him think you’re alone, then we take him down.”
I stared at him, the plan sinking in. It was bold—reckless, even—but it could work. Dante thrived on power plays; he’d jump at the chance to corner me somewhere isolated. And Henry’s crew—Tommy, Jake, Rico—they’d proven they’d have our backs.
“Okay,” I said, standing to meet his gaze. “But we need to move fast. He’s not wasting time out there.”
Henry nodded, pulling out his phone. “I’ll call Tommy. Get the boys on it.” He paused, his thumb hovering over the screen, and looked at me. “You sure about this?”
“No,” I admitted, a shaky laugh escaping. “But I’m sure about you. Let’s do it.”
He gave me a small, fierce smile—the kind that lit something warm in my chest despite the chaos—and dialed. “Tommy, it’s me. Need you at the garage on Elm, now. Bring the crew. We’re setting a trap for Dante.”
I couldn’t hear Tommy’s reply, but Henry’s curt nods told me they were in. He hung up, grabbing his jacket from the couch. “They’ll meet us there in twenty. Grab what you need—we’re not coming back here tonight.”
I didn’t have much—just my phone, a hoodie, the kitchen knife I’d stashed earlier. As I shoved them into a bag, my eyes caught on Henry’s phone, still open to Ramirez’s text. Below it, the email about Sophia lingered like a shadow.
“Henry,” I said, slinging the bag over my shoulder. “What about Sophia? We can’t just—”
“I know,” he cut in, his voice tight. “I’ll call the rehab tomorrow, figure something out. But right now, Dante’s the priority. If he’s loose, no one’s safe—not us, not her.”
The logic made sense, but the strain in his eyes didn’t lie. Sophia’s relapse was eating at him, and piling Dante on top of it was like pouring salt in a wound. I stepped closer, touching his arm. “We’ll get her through this. After we deal with him.”
He looked at me, his expression softening just enough to let me see the cracks. “Yeah. After.”
We locked up and headed out, the night air biting as we climbed into Tommy’s truck, still parked outside. The drive to the garage was tense, the city lights streaking past like warnings. Every shadow felt like Dante, every sound a threat.
When we pulled up to the old auto shop—a squat, brick building with boarded windows and a rusted sign—Tommy, Jake, and Rico were already there, unloading gear from a van. Tommy waved us over, a crowbar in hand. “Place is secure. We’ll set up inside—tripwires, lights, whatever it takes.”
Henry clapped him on the shoulder. “Good. Felicia’s the bait. Make it look like she’s alone. We’ll be ready when he shows.”
Jake raised an eyebrow at me. “You cool with that, Felicia? Playing damsel?”
I forced a smirk, hiding the tremor in my hands. “Not a damsel. A lure. Big difference.”
He chuckled, but Rico stayed quiet, his eyes scanning the street. “He’ll come,” he said, voice low. “Guy like that doesn’t back off.”
“Exactly,” Henry said, unlocking the garage door. “Let’s move.”
Inside, the air smelled of oil and dust, the space cluttered with old tools and car parts. Tommy rigged a tripwire near the back entrance, while Jake set up floodlights triggered by motion. Rico took watch outside, a baseball bat resting on his shoulder. Henry and I worked the main area, staging it—my hoodie draped over a chair, a radio playing low to sell the illusion of me being alone.
As we finished, Henry pulled me aside, his hands on my shoulders. “When he shows, you stay out of sight ’til we’ve got him. Promise me.”
“I promise,” I said, meeting his gaze. “But you be careful too. I can’t lose you.”
“You won’t,” he murmured, pulling me into a quick, fierce kiss. It was over too fast, but it steadied me, grounding me in the storm.
We took our positions—me behind a stack of tires, Henry and Tommy near the front, Jake by the side door. The waiting was torture, every creak of the building setting my nerves on edge. My phone sat in my hand, the bait text ready: “I’m at the garage on Elm. Alone. Let’s end this.”
“Send it,” Henry whispered from across the room.
I hit send, my pulse spiking as the message flew into the void. Minutes stretched into eternity, the radio’s static hum the only sound. Then—
A shadow moved outside the front window, quick and deliberate. My breath caught. Rico’s voice crackled through Henry’s walkie-talkie: “Got movement. He’s here.”
Henry signaled us to stay low, his hand on a wrench he’d grabbed as backup. The door rattled, then swung open with a slow, taunting creak. Dante stepped in, his silhouette sharp against the streetlight glow, a new knife gleaming in his hand.
“Well, well,” he drawled, his eyes scanning the room. “All alone, Felicia? Brave girl.”
I held my breath, crouched behind the tires, as he stepped forward—right into the tripwire’s path. The floodlights blazed on, blinding him, and Henry lunged, tackling him to the ground. Jake and Tommy piled in, a chaos of shouts and fists.
Dante fought like a cornered animal, slashing wildly, but they were too many. Tommy wrestled the knife away, and Henry pinned his arms, snarling, “You’re done.”
I stood, my legs shaky, as they zip-tied his wrists. Dante’s head lolled, blood dripping from a cut on his brow, but he still grinned at me. “You think this stops me?”
“Shut up,” Jake snapped, tightening the ties.
Henry hauled him up, shoving him toward the door. “Cops are on their way. This time, you’re not slipping out.”
As if on cue, sirens wailed closer—Ramirez’s unit, probably, tipped off by Rico. Relief washed over me, but it was short-lived. Dante’s words gnawed at me, his grin a promise of more to come.
The cops burst in minutes later, Ramirez at the lead. “Second time tonight,” he said, eyeing Dante. “You’re a slippery bastard, but not anymore.”
They cuffed him properly, dragging him to a cruiser, his laughter fading into the night. Henry pulled me close, his arm around my shoulders as we watched them go.
“It’s over,” he said, but it sounded more like a question.
“For now,” I replied, leaning into him.
Back inside, Tommy handed Henry his phone. “Missed call from Willow Creek. Sophia’s doc.”
Henry’s face tightened, the weight crashing back. He dialed, his voice low as he spoke. “Dr. Ellis? Yeah, it’s Henry Markov. What’s going on with my sister?”
I watched, my heart sinking as his expression darkened. He hung up, silent for a long moment.
“What?” I asked, dread pooling in my gut.
“She’s gone,” he said, his voice hollow. “Checked herself out this morning. They don’t know where she is.”
The words hit like a punch, and I grabbed his hand, holding tight. Dante was gone, but the fight wasn’t over—not by a long shot.