C43 Hope And Disbelief

Annabelle wiped the sweat from her brow, her breath coming in measured puffs as she faced Angelo.

His sharp gaze assessed her stance with a precision that made her uneasy.

She adjusted her grip on the knife he had handed her moments ago, the handle cool and solid in her palm.

“Not bad,” Angelo said, concealed admiration in his tone.

.He motioned for her to reset her stance. “Again.”

Annabelle stepped forward, the blade slicing through the air, the movement smooth but still lacking the deadly grace Angelo seemed to execute effortlessly. He corrected her posture with a light touch to her elbow, his voice firm but patient.

“Your weight needs to be balanced. Like this.”

She adjusted again, frustration simmering beneath her surface.

Training sessions with Angelo always left her torn between the urge to improve and the gnawing reminder of why she needed this training in the first place.

Her sister, Cathy, was still out there.

Missing, scared, possibly worse.

Every moment spent learning to defend herself felt like borrowed time, ticking away while Cathy waited to be saved.

Angelo was still giving her the daily report.

Something that didn't give her much hope anymore.

So, she poured all her frustrations, fear and recurring nightmares into training.

Angelo stepped back, signalling for a brief pause.

He checked his phone, his expression momentarily unreadable.

Then his posture stiffened.

It was a barely perceptible shift, but enough to make Annabelle suspicious.

“What is it?” she asked, lowering the knife slightly.

“Nothing.” His reply was too quick, his tone clipped. “We’ll pick this up later.”

Without another word, Angelo pocketed his phone and turned, heading toward the exit of the training room.

Annabelle’s brow furrowed, and her instinct prickled as she watched him go.

Nothing didn’t look like that. Angelo was good at masking his emotions, but something was off.

Angelo had not just been teaching her about physical fight alone, he had also been teaching her how to pick up on the surrounding dangers.

That includes people’s body language.

The sudden stiffening of his shoulders before he turned to her with that blank look meant something.

Without thinking, Annabelle tucked the knife in its sheath and followed him after removing her shoes.

Thankfully, the men were still at the shooting range at the moment, so Annabelle didn't have to worry about one of them tattling on her.

Angelo walked briskly, taking a sharp turn toward Dante’s office.

Annabelle trailed him, her heart pounding with curiosity and apprehension.

Then she quickly pressed herself against the wall as she heard the door open.

She frowned because she knew Angelo shouldn’t have gotten in front of the door yet.

She soon realised that Dante had stepped out of his office as she heard Angelo say, “Boss, I have news.”

She quickly moved as closest as she could. Pressed against the wall as she strained to hear.

“They found something,” Angelo’s voice was low, but its urgency was unmistakable.

“What kind of something?” Dante’s voice, deep and commanding, cut through the air.

“A lead on Cathy.” Angelo hesitated, his tone dropping further. “One of our informants picked up chatter about a girl matching her description. She’s being held at a den on the outskirts. Our men are on standby, waiting for your directive.”

Annabelle’s breath hitched. Her fingers curled against the wall as she fought the urge to turn the corner to confront the two of them.

“Cathy. They found Cathy!” She thought in a messy mixture of hope and disbelief.

Dante was silent for a moment. When he spoke, his voice was colder than ice. “How reliable is the informant?”

“Very. The intel checks out, but the place is heavily guarded. If we go in blind…”

“Blind isn’t an option,” Dante snapped. “We do this clean or not at all.”

Annabelle couldn’t hold back any longer.

She stormed around the corner.

She didn’t give a damn about the fact that the men’s hands went straight to their guns as they turned.

Her voice trembling with urgency, she said, “You can’t just stand here discussing this. You have to go get her!”

Angelo’s face was a mix of surprise and irritation, while Dante’s gaze darkened, his jaw tightening as his eyes locked onto her.

“Annabelle,” Dante said, his voice dangerously quiet. “What are you doing here?”

She crossed her arms, lifting her chin defiantly. “I overheard. This is about Cathy, isn’t it?”

Dante’s silence confirmed it, and Annabelle pressed forward, her voice rising. “She’s my sister! You can’t make decisions about her without me. We should go now.”

“This is not your fight,” Dante said sharply, stepping closer, his towering presence making the hallway feel smaller. “You will stay here where it’s safe.”

“Safe?” Annabelle’s voice cracked, her frustration spilling over. “She’s out there, Dante! Scared, alone. God knows what they’re doing to her. And you want me to stay safe?!”

He gave her a strange look before he said in a near-whisper, “You called my name.”

“I what?” Annabelle asked in confusion before she realised what he meant. That was the first time she had used his name directly.

Almost immediately, he closed the distance between them in two strides, his eyes flashing with anger and something deeper.

Something that made Annabelle’s stomach flip despite herself. “You don’t know what you’re asking for,” he said, his voice low and edged with warning. “This isn’t a game."

“I don’t care,” she shot back, her chest heaving. “I can’t sit here and wait for you…while someone casually decides her fate. I want to go.” she blurted her sudden thought out.

“No,” Dante said, finality dripping from the single syllable. “This is not negotiable.”

Annabelle stepped closer, refusing to back down. “She’s my sister, Dante. I’m going whether you like it or not.”

Angelo shifted uncomfortably, glancing between them as the tension in the hall became almost suffocating. “Boss…” he started, but the other man silenced him with a raised hand.

“You’re not trained for this,” Dante said, his tone softer but no less firm. “You’d be a liability.”

“I am not a liability. I can fight. I can use a knife now and Angelo said I will start shooting lessons soon." She countered, her voice trembling with determination.

“I am sure he already gave you a report about how good I am getting at my training. So, don't you dare call me a liability when I have been doing my best! I am not staying here while you go save my sister.”

Dante’s jaw clenched, the muscles ticking as he stared down at her. For a moment, she thought she saw something crack in his expression.

Then he stepped even closer, his voice dropping to a near growl.

“You think you can handle this?” he asked, his breath warm against her face. “You think you’re ready for the blood, the screams, the bullets flying past your head?”

Annabelle swallowed hard, refusing to look away. “I don’t have a choice. I have to try.”

The silence stretched between them, charged and electric. Dante’s eyes bored into hers, and she felt her resolve waver for a moment.

Then he stepped back abruptly, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

“You are the most stubborn woman I’ve ever met,” he muttered.

“And you’re the most infuriating man I’ve ever met,” she thought to herself.

She was almost sure that he would allow her, but she did not want to say something that would make him change his unpredictable mind.

Angelo cleared his throat, “So, what’s the call, boss?”

Dante glared at Annabelle one last time before turning to Angelo. “Prepare the team. We’re moving out.”

Annabelle’s heart leapt as Angelo left, but Dante wasn’t done.

He turned back to her, his voice like steel. “You stay close to me. You follow every order I give, without question. If you so much as think about disobeying, I’ll drag you out of there myself.”

Her pulse raced as she nodded. “Deal.”

Dante’s gaze lingered on her for a moment longer, filled with something unreadable. Then he turned sharply, gesturing for her to follow.

As the door slammed behind them, Annabelle exhaled shakily.

The weight of what she might be stepping into settled over her, but beneath the fear was something else.

A flicker of hope. Cathy was within reach.

She wasn’t going to sit back and wait. Not this time.

“Please, be fine.” she whispered in prayer as he grabbed her hand and steered her towards his car.