Ethan Storm’s Dark Awakening novel Chapter 16

Ethan leaned against his car, phone pressed to his ear as he waited for Elsa to pick up. The cool evening air did little to calm the simmering tension in his chest. He needed a new place—something permanent, somewhere away from the chaos of his current life.

“Elsa,” he said when she answered, his tone casual but firm. “Do you know of any decent places to stay? I can’t keep hopping from hotel to hotel.”

“Of course,” Elsa’s voice was warm, with the familiar touch of concern. “We’ve always kept a villa for you, just in case. It’s ready whenever you need it. I’ll send you the address.”

Ethan’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. “You kept a place for me?”

“Always,” she replied, a smile in her voice. “You never know when you might need it, right?”

“True,” he muttered, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “Alright, send me the address.”

A few minutes later, the location popped up on his phone. Ethan slid into the driver’s seat, starting the engine and pulling out of the parking lot. As he drove, his thoughts wandered back to Alice, the mess with the Irvings, and the chaos that had followed. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he was walking into yet another storm, but this time, he had no choice. He needed to put down roots.

—

Hampton Hill was a quiet, picturesque neighborhood, the homes large and imposing behind their tall iron gates. Ethan’s villa was supposed to be nestled in the heart of it, according to the address Elsa had sent him. The closer he got, the more his instincts started to buzz with a sense of unease. Something didn’t feel right.

He drove slowly down the street, searching for the villa. That was when he saw the group of men standing in the middle of the road. They were laughing among themselves, some leaning against parked cars, others standing with their arms crossed. Their posture was hostile, and the look in their eyes was anything but friendly.

Ethan narrowed his gaze. “Great,” he muttered to himself, slowing the car to a stop. “Just what I need.”

He rolled down the window, his eyes scanning the group as he spoke, “I think you’re blocking my way. My villa is just ahead.”

One of the men, tall and bulky with a jagged scar across his cheek, stepped forward. He looked down at Ethan, his lips curling into a sneer. “Oh? Your villa?” He let out a mocking laugh. “You must be lost, buddy. This street is reserved for people far above your pay grade.”

Ethan’s gaze remained icy as he replied, “You really think you can intimidate me?”

Just as the tension in the air began to thicken, one of the men pulled out his phone. His eyes widened as he stared at the screen, then looked up at Ethan, disbelief in his voice. “Wait… this is him. This is the bastard who hurt Young Master Carl!”

The man turned the phone around, showing Ethan a blurry surveillance photo of him from the gala. “That’s you, isn’t it? The one who attacked Carl Irving!”

Another thug joined in, his voice harsh. “You’re the one who did that to him? The Irving family’s been hunting for you. You think you can just walk in here?”

Ethan’s expression darkened as the realization hit him. The Irving family had already investigated him. They had tracked him down, found his image, and issued orders to hunt him. His smirk returned, cold and mocking.

“Well, well,” Ethan said with a chuckle, his voice low and dangerous. “Looks like it’s time for a lesson in respect.”