IN THE SHADOW OF THE MAFIA

Danie

s the faint smell of lavender. My tiny room

cross it. My body felt heavy, but that wasn't unusual after a restless night. For a fleeting mome

turned

e I'd left it. In fact,

the room. Everything looked exactly the same as

ced by the door. Even the small notebook with my grandfather's inheritance

er packed. As if I'd

open to yesterday's page, the bold red circle around the date staring back at me. It

sign that someone had touched it. Everything was exactly a

tered, my voice br

t like they always were. My heart sank as I realized that whoever had brou

e had to be behind this. Who else wou

my escape. Maybe he'd hired someone to watch me.I had to keep calm, though.

. My mind was racing, but I tried to focus on the simple tasks ahead-mak

an moving around downstairs. I couldn't avoid him forev

down to the kitchen. My heart was poundi

on the screen of his phone. He barely looked up as

ing wa

kfast. His phone buzzed on the table, but he didn't pick it up. Instea

on. He looked distracted, almost worried-like someon

this time he flipped it ov

I asked acting lik

tered, barely

shoulders tensed

plain, which was strange. Damian always had something to say about my

fork and started eating,

eaned up the kitchen. He chewed slowly, staring o

ian filled the room with his complaints

d to snap out of it. He set his fork down, staring a

me, he

said, his

he other end, but whatever they

s fingers drumming impatiently on the table.

said I'll take care of it

bruptly and let out

, rubbing his temples, I couldn't

ng about debts and expenses, though he never ga

His voice had been cold and calculating, just like

cion lingered. Damian had been acting strange for weeks, and no

, I couldn't shake the fe

ut I could feel his presence looming o

appened last night, then he wouldn

't going t

't know when, but I would fin