Chapter 5: Into the Rain
The cold autumn rain hit my face like a handful of needles as I stumbled out into the secluded gravel courtyard. The towering iron estate gates were half a mile down the winding, tree-lined drive, but I didn't have to walk that far.
Idling by the grand stone portico, half-hidden beneath the cascading ivy and the shadows of the massive stone pillars, was a matte-black luxury sedan. Its headlights were killed, but the amber interior glow revealed the faint silhouette of a man sitting in the back seat.
As I hurried past, slipping and sliding on the wet gravel with my duffel bag clutched tightly to my chest, the rear door clicked open from the inside.
The interior light cast a warm, yellow glow over the plush leather seats. The mafia boss sat there, dressed in the same immaculate black suit, resting one arm casually along the back of the seat. His dark eyes met mine through the driving rain.
"You took your time, Olivia," he said, his voice carrying clearly over the patter of the raindrops. "Get in before you catch pneumonia."
I didn't hesitate. I threw my bag into the footwell and climbed into the dry, heated interior, pulling the heavy door shut behind me. The car immediately surged forward, gliding silently down the winding drive toward the estate gates, leaving the towering stone walls and the cold cruelty of the mansion behind us in the dark.
The driver, a silent mountain of a man in a matching black coat, kept his eyes fixed on the wet highway ahead. I sat stiffly on the edge of the leather seat, water dripping from my coat onto the floor mats, shivering slightly from the adrenaline crash.
The mafia boss reached across the console and handed me a dry wool blanket from the opposite seat.
"You're bleeding again," he noted calmly, pointing a gloved finger toward the fresh scrape on my forehead where the guard had nearly cornered me in the hallway.
I took the blanket, wrapping it tightly around my shoulders, and finally let out a long, shuddering breath that I felt like I'd been holding since the moment I stepped into the formal dining room hours ago.
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"They tried to lock the doors," I whispered, looking out the tinted window as the estate gates melted into the rainy mist.
"They always do," he said softly, leaning back against the leather. He turned his head, his dark gaze steady and unyielding. "Now, tell me everything they took from you."
