Page 95 of The Devil's Fire

I looked up just in time to see Damiano’s stormy expression as he strode towards me. His eyes burned with anger as he took in my state. Luca and Antonio ran past me with their guns drawn, and Damiano pulled me towards him, his eyes blazing with fury as he held my face in his hands.

“Who did this?” He was trying to contain his anger as he spoke. I blinked, trying to shake off the confusion that had settled over me like a fog.

“I–He… There was someone… and I killed him…?” I raised my hands in front of me, the stickiness of blood still clinging to my skin. Tears welled up in my eyes, and I scratched my arms violently, desperate to remove the bloodstains. “Please… Get it off…Get it off, get it off!”

“Althaia, look at me. Look at me!” Damiano made me look at him as tears fell down my face. “What happened, baby? Tell me.” His soft voice and gentle hands brought comfort as he wiped away the blood on my face.

“Someone… he came out of our room… he-he chased me and tried to kill me, but I…” I kept stumbling over the words, not able to form a single sentence that made sense.

“Shh, it’s okay. I’ll find out.” Damiano’s arms wrapped around me, providing a sense of safety and security as I continued to cry into his chest. He removed his jacket and wrapped it around me as the sound of footsteps grew louder, and I could feel my palms sweat as I turned to face Luca.

“No one’s there.”

“What? No, that’s not right. He was there, on the floor. With a… knife in him.” I swallowed hard, trying not to get sick at the image. But Luca only shook his head.

Did I imagine him lying on the floor?

“That means I didn’t kill him, right? I–I didn’t...” I looked up at Damiano. I recognized the expression he was wearing; the same one he had before he shot the men in the park. He held me close, his silence making me feel uneasy.

“What else?” Damiano asked. Luca looked at me, hesitating if he should speak in front of me.

“It’s better you see for yourself.” The seriousness in his voice had my heart drop.

“Althaia, get in the car. Luca, stay with her.” Damiano moved away, but I held him tightly.

“Please, don’t leave me here.” I begged him. I knew Luca would do his best to keep me safe, but right now, I felt safest with Damiano.

He scrutinized my face for what seemed like an eternity, weighing the decision of whether or not to leave me here with Luca. He gave a small nod and pulled me closer to him.

“You don’t go inside the room. You’re staying outside with Luca.” Damiano stated firmly to me when we stepped in the elevator.

The blood on the buttons caught his eye, and he held me tightly as we rode the elevator up in tense silence. I could feel myself trembling as I leaned closer to him, fearing that the man would appear out of nowhere and attack us.

As soon as we reached the floor, my eyes darted towards the exact spot where I had left him. He wasn’t there. There was no trace of blood, not even a faint stain on the ground.

“I don’t get it… He was right there.” I pointed to where I saw him last. I stared at my hands, still stained with blood. I definitely didn’t imagine it.

“Someone has covered his tracks. He wasn’t alone.” Damiano stated. The thought that there was more than one had my knees go weak.

We stopped in front of our room, and Antonio stepped out, his eyes immediately landing on me.

“Stay here.” Damiano told me before slipping into the room, shutting the door behind him.

“Is it bad?” I finally dared to ask them. The silence was a dead giveaway that it was. I hugged the jacket closer to my body, trying to feel a sense of safety.

The sudden opening of the door startled me when it banged hard against the wall. Damiano’s eyes blazed with fury as he stormed out of the room.

“I want the area completely searched and get Raffaele to check the security cameras. The fucker better be alive when I get a hold of him.” Damiano spat out orders. They nodded and immediately went into action.

“What is it?” I asked nervously. The rage in Damiano’s eyes was unmistakable as he snapped his head towards me.

“Let’s get you out of here.” He led me to the elevators again, and all I could do was glance back, wondering what was in there that had him reacting like this.

I pulled the jacket closer to my body, and my fingers brushed against something in the breast pocket. It was the keycard. Without a second thought, I slipped under Damiano's arm and sprinted towards the door.

“Althaia!” He shouted after me.

But it was too late.

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