When love returns with blood on its hands,will she run...or make a deal with the devil?
*****
Alessia woke up to the scent of rose perfume and soft pink curtains fluttering beside a window. The room looked girly too girly. Her eyes scanned the place, and a wave of memory hit her. It reminded her of the apartment she once shared with Enrico. Four years ago.
She shifted to sit up, but a sharp tug stopped her. Her wrist clinked against cold iron. She was handcuffed to a metal bar close to the bed.
Her knee throbbed slightly, but the bandage looked fresh. Someone had treated the wound. She blinked. The last thing she remembered was Enrico showing up...saving her. After four years, he still looked the same maybe even more dangerously handsome. His eyes still carried that dark storm.
The door creaked.
Alessia froze, then quickly shut her eyes, peeking through a tiny slit.
Enrico.
He stepped in, tall and sharp in black. His usual three buttons undone, tattoos curling up his neck like smoke. He didn't speak. Just walked over and knelt by the bed. His fingers brushed her forehead.
She snapped up, grabbing his arm.
"I need to leave. Now. I'm being tracked."
Her voice was steady more command than plea.
Enrico slowly slipped his arm from her grip and stood tall. "What makes you think I'll let you leave?"
"Because if you don't, they'll come for you too."
"You think I care about that?" He leaned in a little. "You disappeared, Alessia. Four years. We had a deal."
"I'm not Alessia." Her eyes burned. "I'm Blonde."
Enrico gave a low chuckle. "Blonde, I see…"
He turned, but his words dropped like knives. "We still have unfinished business, no matter what name you go by."
Alessia bit her thumb hard. Her teeth scraped the skin like she was starving for control. Her voice dropped. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Enrico's voice rose, sharp as steel. "Don't play games with me!"
She flinched. Her eyes widened, glassy and wet. A high-pitched whistle rang in her ears. She clapped her hands over them and stumbled backward until her spine hit the wall.
"No! You can't do this!" she shouted, breath hitching. "Please… I'm begging you!"
She pressed against the wall, arms curled around her head, whole body trembling.
Enrico stepped closer, hands raised. "Alessia. Look at me. You need to calm down. I'm not here to hurt you."
She didn't move. Her gaze stayed fixed on the corner like she was watching something no one else could see. Her knees shook.
"Don't come close…" Her voice cracked, barely a whisper. "I might hurt you."
"I know you don't want to." He lowered himself to her level, softening. "That's why I'm offering you this." He held out his hand, steady and sure.
Alessia stared for a moment, then slowly reached out. Her fingers gripped his as she stepped into him. Her head dropped to his chest. Silent tears soaked into his shirt.
He gently stroked her hair, pulling her close.
She moved with care.
One hand slid down quiet and precise until her fingers found the cold steel handle inside his pocket holster.
She slipped the knife free.
In one breath, she pulled back and raised the blade to his neck.
"If I hit the right spot, you're done," she said, eyes sharp now. "You're going to let me go."
Enrico didn't flinch. Instead, a slow grin spread across his face. "Was all that fear an act?" he asked, voice low. "You've grown up, love. Didn't think you had it in you to pull a move like this."
"Get me out of here." She pressed the knife closer. "You're really testing my patience."
Enrico slowly raised both hands, his steps careful as he inched closer. His eyes didn't leave hers.
"Why did you kill Zeus's family? Who are you working for?"
"That's not your business. Let me out," she snapped, pressing the knife closer to his throat.
"I just want to know what happened four years ago." His voice softened, almost breaking. "I know what just happened wasn't fake. Love… you were connected to a system that shuts you down whenever it wants."
Her grip faltered. The blade shook slightly. Alessia's eyes widened, and she stepped back, lowering the knife.
"How do you know that?"
"We checked you after you collapsed in my arms when Zeus attacked you. We found…"
He paused.
"Don't, please." Her voice cracked. "I don't even know who I work for. Just forget me, Enrico."
Tears shimmered in her eyes. She clenched her jaw and blinked them back, swallowing hard. Her arm brushed her side and pain flared. Blood seeped through the fresh bandage. She glanced down. The wounds from the glass attack had reopened.
Enrico noticed. He stepped forward, reaching for her hand.
She jerked away.
"I'm fine."
But when he didn't move, she let him take it.
Gently, he led her to sit on the bed. He rushed to the drawer, pulled out the first aid box, and returned to her. Carefully, he began unwrapping the blood-soaked gauze.
"You've changed," he muttered, dabbing her skin with a soft cloth. "You're stronger… even cuter…" He paused, licking his lips. "Curvier."
"Ouch!" Alessia winced, yanking her arm back. "Don't flirt. Just give me that."
She snatched the ointment from his hand and rubbed it over the wound.
"I need to leave. That's the only way I can promise to come back."
Enrico passed her a fresh bandage and helped her wrap it.
"I'm not the kind of man who takes promises easily."
"I know," she whispered. "I can't tell you much. The people I work for still think I've lost my memory."
She exhaled, shaky.
"That night… after I fought the assassin in the restroom, I passed out. He thought I was dead and stuffed me in a bag. Then dumped me somewhere where hot coals burn."
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
"A furnace?" Enrico asked.
She nodded. "I was lucky. An organisation saved me. They said they'd help me get my life back. But… they made me take a drug every day. The more I took it, the more my memories faded. I stopped. I faked memory loss for over a year. They believed me. I was trained with other girls my age. And then..."
Tears slid down her cheeks.
"Did they hurt you?" Enrico's voice cracked for the first time.
She nodded. "I killed my two closest friends to survive. Since then, I promised I'd destroy everyone who ruined me."
She stood slowly, removed her jacket, and turned her back to him. The dim light caught the curves of her chest held by a black bra and then the marks. Jagged scars from knives and bullets cut across her skin like a brutal map.
Enrico stepped behind her and ran his palm gently down her back as she leaned against his chest.
"I missed you, love," he whispered.
Alessia wiped her tears and pulled her jacket back on. Her voice firmed.
"That's why I need you to let me go."
She walked toward the door.
"Then let me be your executioner, Blonde," he said.
She stopped. Slowly, she turned to face him.
"You've got too many enemies. Everyone wants you dead. My organisation included."
"I know," he said, calm. "That's why I'm offering a new deal. You've changed. You're smarter. Stronger. You're not the same"
She let out a cold, bitter laugh. Her heels clicked as she returned to stand inches from him.
"I'm not the girl you manipulated four years ago."
Enrico's lips curved into a slow smirk. His eyes gleamed.
"Exactly. That's why I want us to team up. We'll take down every last one of them. And I'll erase the debt you owe me."
She stared at him for a long moment, her breathing quiet but sharp.
"If we're going to do this, then you have to come for me."
He stepped closer, his lips brushing her ear.
"Where do we start?"
She smirked walking away.
" You 'll know where to find me...if you survive."