Chapter 203: Luke and Gina Imprisoned in a Cave
Ethan’s POV
The biting cold of the night air hit my face as I stepped out of my car, my breath forming visible clouds in front of me. The Osorio estate loomed before me like a massive shadow against the ink-black sky, its windows dark save for a few dim lights scattered throughout. The silence was unnerving—no guards, no security checks, nothing but the whisper of wind through the trees and the distant call of nocturnal birds.
My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I pulled it out, my heart racing as I read the anonymous text:
*Stop the car at the entrance. Leave your gun on the hood. I can see you. You'd better do exactly as I say!*
I clenched my jaw, anger and fear battling for dominance in my chest. I had no choice. Lila was in there somewhere. My Lila. The thought of her in danger because of me made my blood run cold.
I placed my Glock on the hood of my car, my fingers lingering on the weapon for a moment before I stepped away.
"I'm following your instructions," I muttered to the darkness surrounding me. "What now?"
My phone buzzed again.
*Now enter the mansion and go to the second floor. Find Benjamin's office. The passcode is your birthday.*
My birthday. What kind of sick obsession was this?
I pushed open the heavy front door, which wasn't even locked, and stepped into the grand foyer. The marble floor echoed my footsteps as I made my way to the staircase, every sense heightened, every muscle ready to react. The mansion was eerily silent, devoid of staff or security—obviously cleared for tonight's trap.
The second floor was a maze of identical doors stretching down a long hallway. I moved cautiously, checking each one until I found what had to be the office. The electronic keypad beside the door glowed with soft blue light, waiting for input.
My fingers hovered over the numbers.
"Using my birthday as your passcode," I muttered as I punched in the digits. "You sick, obsessed bastards."
The lock disengaged with a soft click, and I pushed the door open.
"Jesus, Lila," I whispered, scanning the disturbing collection. "Look at the handsome guy you were so impressed with. What kind of psychopath is he?"
My eyes landed on what appeared to be a massive safe built into the far wall. Except it wasn't just a safe—it was more like a vault door, large enough for a person to walk through. My uncle was likely living inside, hidden away all these years while plotting his revenge.
My phone vibrated again.
*Stop looking around. Go to the vault door. I'll open it for you.*
I approached cautiously, half-expecting to be shot the moment I got close. The massive metal door looked impenetrable, with no visible handle or keypad on this side.
As I reached it, I heard mechanical clicks from inside. The vault door began to swing open on its own, revealing a dark passageway beyond. The only illumination came from the office behind me, casting my elongated shadow into the blackness ahead.
The passage was narrow and completely dark, with rough stone walls that felt damp under my fingertips. I took a step inside, then another. Behind me, the vault door swung shut with a definitive thud, sealing me in darkness.
"Fuck," I hissed, fumbling for my phone to use as a flashlight. Before I could turn it on, I caught the unmistakable scent of blood—metallic and thick, hanging in the stale air.
I froze, listening intently. The silence was absolute for several long seconds before I heard it—movement somewhere ahead of me in the darkness. Shuffling feet. A muffled sound that might have been a sob.
I took another cautious step forward, my hand outstretched in the darkness. The smell of blood grew stronger, making my stomach turn.
A door I couldn't see began to creak open ahead of me, spilling dim light into the passage. I squinted against the sudden brightness, my eyes struggling to adjust.
What I saw made me gasp involuntarily, my body tensing as if I'd been struck.
The room beyond wasn't a room at all—it was a cave, a fucking cave beneath the mansion. The walls were rough stone, glistening with moisture. Primitive light fixtures cast harsh shadows across the uneven floor. It reminded me of something from a medieval dungeon or a horror movie—except this was real.
A simple metal cot stood against one wall. A small wooden table and chair occupied the center of the space. But it was what—who—was chained to the wall that made my blood run cold.
Luke, my brother, hung limply from thick chains embedded in the stone wall. His face was barely recognizable beneath the blood and bruises, one eye swollen completely shut. His expensive suit was torn and stained dark with blood. He was conscious, his one good eye finding mine with a look of desperate relief that quickly shifted to warning.
Beside him, similarly chained but on the opposite wall, was Gina. Her business attire was ripped in several places, revealing cuts and bruises across her skin. Her usually perfect hair hung in matted clumps around her face.
And there, in the center of this nightmare, was Lila—my beautiful, brave Lila—bound to a wooden chair, duct tape across her mouth, her brown eyes wild with fear and fury. When she saw me, she began struggling against her restraints, making frantic noises behind the tape.
Benjamin lounged against a crude wooden table, looking completely at ease in this chamber of horrors. He wore a casual smile, as if we were meeting for drinks rather than in this subterranean torture chamber.
"Welcome, cousin," he said, his voice echoing off the stone walls. "So glad you could join our little family reunion."
But it was the figure standing behind Luke that truly shocked me—Mason, my cousin, someone I'd trusted my entire life, holding what looked like a medieval torture device, its metal surface stained with fresh blood. His expression was blank, emotionless, as if he were performing a routine task rather than torturing a man half to death.
"Mason," I breathed, disbelief washing over me. "What the fuck have you done?"
Benjamin laughed, the sound bouncing unnaturally around the cave. "He's done exactly what he was told to do, haven't you, Mason? Just like he's been doing for years."
Lila's muffled screams drew my attention back to her. There was something she was desperately trying to communicate, her eyes darting between me and something behind me.
Too late, I sensed movement at my back. Something hard connected with the base of my skull, and the world exploded in a flash of pain before fading to black.
The last thing I heard was Benjamin's voice, soft and almost gentle: "Good night, cousin. We have so much to catch up on when you wake."