Chapter 2 - The Devil’s Protection
The SUV moved through the Phoenix streets with a terrifying grace,
weaving through traffic like it owned the road.
I pressed my back against the seat,
trying to disappear into the upholstery.
Mateo sat perfectly still,
his eyes fixed on the road ahead,
yet I could feel him monitoring every breath I took.
"You're remarkably quiet for someone who just got kidnapped,"
he observed,
not turning his head.
"I wasn't kidnapped,"
I replied,
my voice gaining a tiny bit of strength.
"I was rescued."
"Don't be so sure,"
he said,
a dark edge to his tone.
"You've swapped a small predator for a much larger one."
I looked at him then,
really looked at him.
He was handsome in a way that felt dangerous,
with a sharp jawline and a brow that seemed permanently furrowed in thought.
"Why did you help me?"
I asked,
the question burning in my mind.
"You don't even know me."
He finally turned his head,
his dark eyes locking onto mine.
"I don't like it when people ruin a good meal,"
he said,
though I knew it was a lie.
"And I don't like men who think they can claim what isn't theirs."
I looked down at my phone,
which was still in my hand.
It buzzed again.
You think he can save you?
I'll burn that car to the ground with you inside.
I let out a small,
choked sob and dropped the phone on the floor mat.
Mateo reached down,
picked it up,
and looked at the screen.
His expression didn't change,
but the air in the car seemed to grow colder.
"Caleb Miller,"
he muttered,
reading the name I had saved in my contacts long ago.
"He’s a mid-level enforcer for the Thorne syndicate."
My jaw dropped.
"How do you know that?"
"Because I'm the one who provides the Thorne syndicate with their weapons,"
Mateo said calmly.
The realization hit me like a physical punch.
I hadn't just run into a stranger.
I had run into the very top of the food chain.
"So you know him,"
I whispered,
shaking again.
"Are you going to give me back to him?"
Mateo reached out,
his fingers grazing my chin,
forcing me to look at him.
"I don't give back anything that I decide to keep,"
he said,
his voice dropping to a whisper.
The car turned into a gated estate,
the high walls topped with security cameras and barbed wire.
The gates opened automatically,
swallowing us into a world of manicured lawns and stone fountains.
It looked like a paradise,
but I knew it was a fortress.
The car stopped in front of a sprawling villa.
"Where are we?"
I asked.
"My home,"
he said,
opening the door.
"The only place in this city where Caleb Miller cannot reach you."
I stepped out into the heat,
the dry air stinging my skin.
The men from the restaurant were already there,
standing guard like statues.
"Show her to the guest suite,"
Mateo commanded one of them.
"And bring me her phone."
"Wait,"
I said,
turning back to him.
"What are you going to do?"
He looked at the phone in his hand,
then back at me.
"I'm going to have a conversation with your friend,"
he said.
"And then I'm going to decide how he dies."
I stood frozen as he walked away,
his silhouette sharp against the desert sun.
I was safe from Caleb,
yes.
But as the guard led me into the house,
I realized I had entered a different kind of cage.
A golden cage,
guarded by a man who was far more terrifying than the one I had fled.
I walked through the marble halls,
my footsteps echoing.
I thought of the restaurant,
the smell of cilantro,
the busy tables.
That life was gone now.
May you like
I was a ghost,
and Mateo was the one who had claimed my soul.
