Chapter 5: The Grip Tightens
You don't notice the chains until you try to run.
Sophia tried to convince herself that the encounter at the café meant nothing. That the man in the suit, the one with cold eyes and a voice like a quiet storm, had only been a passing stranger.
But deep down, she knew better.
Adrian DeLuca was not a man you simply met by chance.
The uneasy feeling lingered as she made her way home, hand gripping the strap of her bag. Liam had offered to walk her, but she refused. He didn't need to know how shaken she truly was.
Besides, she didn't want her paranoia to ruin his night.
She turned the last corner, her apartment building coming into view. Just a few more steps and she'd be inside, safe
The streetlight above her flickered.
Then, a hand closed around her wrist.
She gasped, heart leaping into her throat as she spun around. Adrian.
Standing so close, she could see the slight smirk curling at the corner of his lips. As if he enjoyed her fear.
She yanked her wrist back. "What the hell"
"Shh." His voice was dangerously soft, as if she'd done something to upset him. "Don't make a scene, Sophia."
Her breath hitched. How did he know her name?
Adrian's eyes flickered over her shoulder before he stepped in, forcing her backward into the alleyway. His presence alone consumed the space, suffocating.
"You've been ignoring me."
She blinked, pulse hammering. "Ignoring you? I don't even know you."
Adrian chuckled, but there was no amusement in it. "That's where you're wrong."
His fingers brushed a strand of hair from her face, and she flinched. He noticed and it pleased him.
"I know everything about you, little one." His voice was like silk laced with poison. "What time you leave for class. When you tuck your brother into bed. The way your hands shake when you're scared."
Sophia's blood ran cold.
No.
This wasn't happening. This was a nightmare a cruel, twisted nightmare.
"Leave me alone," she whispered. "I don't know who you are or what you want, but just"
"I want you."
The words slammed into her like a wrecking ball.
He said them so simply, so easily, as if they were inevitable.
Sophia shook her head. "You're insane."
Adrian smiled. A slow, knowing smile.
"You'll understand soon enough."
Then, before she could scream, run, or even breathe everything went black.