Novels by Aquilla

LauraI woke up to darkness again, but this time I knew it wasn’t because it's nighttime but because of the fabric pressing against my lids.The blindfold scratched against my lashes every time I blinked, rough and itchy, and the knot at the back of my head dug into my skull.When I first woke up, I was drowsy as my brain was trying to catch up to my body….and then, I started to remember everything.How those guys snuck into the bedroom, drugged me, and whisked me off to God knows where.The first thing I did when I woke up was try to move my body but it felt heavy, like someone had poured concrete into my veins.My arms were tied behind the chair and my wrists were already burning from where the rope bit into skin.The space I was locked up in didn't help either, as the air was damp and smelled like metal and mold.To make things worse, I could also hear water dripping somewhere in the room.Drip!Drip!Drip!Scared out of my mind, I swallowed, my throat dry and thick.“Hello?” I whi

KelvinI barreled down two steps at a time, shoes thudding against wood as I raced down the stairs.I felt uneasy leaving Laura up in the bedroom by herself, but the alarm spooked me, and I couldn't have her follow me.What if we were walking right into danger?But even as my mind tried to convince me that that was the right decision to take, my heart kept beating fast as I tried to convince myself that she'll be safe up there.With no one to help or watch her….Thankfully, those thoughts disappeared when I heard shouts on the landing.A guard’s voice came through the chaos, annoyed and clipped. “False alarm, boss. The dogs just tripped over a wire.”Another voice from someone else chipped in. “The coast is clear.”My chest caved in on itself, the fight that I'd been gearing for just flowed down my veins. The sigh of relief that escaped my lips was heavy and loud as I was happy to hear that we weren't under attack.With a nod, I turned around, telling myself to breathe as I ran back u

LauraThe air outside was quite thick enough to breathe in.Or maybe that was just my nerves twisting themselves into something I couldn’t swallow.Soon after Damien brought out the dead guy, the meeting disbanded, and right now, everyone was leaving the mansion, talking and glancing over their shoulders like they expected something else to go wrong.Honestly, I felt the same.The entire time we were in the building, a part of me kept waiting for an explosion to rock the building or something equally crazy but thankfully, that didn't happen.I stayed close to the car like Kelvin told me to, arms crossed, trying to look composed when really my heart was pounding too fast.I didn’t see Skye until she was already rushing toward me.“Hey, babes…” she whispered, grabbing my shoulders before I could even turn fully. Her eyes were wide, glossy, and frantic. “I heard what happened. Are you okay?”Something inside me loosened at the sight of her.Finally…. someone who wasn’t calculating a poli

LauraThe next morning rolled by on a stormy cloud.The sky was blue and birds were chirping excitedly but in the beach house, it felt like a funeral.Aside from the fact that that guy died, Kelvin decided that we stay back and finish what we came here for after Damien's visit.Personally, I didn't support that.I wanted to hop on that plane and leave this place behind, including the weird and strange things that have happened.It's weird, but I never thought that there would come a time when I would long to be back in New York.I didn't want to get up from the bed, but I couldn't sleep any longer, plagued by memories of the previous night.I turned around in the bed slowly, only to realise that Kelvin wasn’t beside me.I reached for the space where he slept, noticing it was still warm though, which meant he hadn’t been gone long.I pushed myself up, the sheets pooling around my waist, and rubbed the heel of my palm against my eyes.My body ached in places I didn’t even know could ach

KelvinWaiting for Damien to speak was like waiting for a coiled cobra to approach you.You had to wait and monitor its movements carefully before making a move yourself.Left to me, I would have rushed into a confrontation with him but I had my men and Laura to think about.I've already lost a man today…no way in hell am I losing another without due diligence.Not when I knew someone orchestrated all these to make Laura terrified.After staring at us for the longest, Damien waved his men, silently instructing them to stand down.I didn't give the same instruction, staring at him warily as he moved across the distance between us.He walked like he owned the damn place… calm, deliberate, his men behind him like a shadow swarm.His expression was carved from stone, but his eyes… those told a different story.Anger and control blazed in them, along with something sharper… curiosity.“Leaving already?” he said, his voice low and measured as he stopped a few feet away.By this time, Laura

LauraThe ocean was calm.Too calm.It moved in slow, glassy folds beneath the fading moonlight, the waves washing peacefully against the shoreline as if it had nothing to do with the chaos that tore through this house only hours ago.I sat on the balcony floor, my knees pulled to my chest, my arms wrapped tightly around them as if I could physically hold myself together.My hair was still damp… not from water, but from sweat as I had not moved a muscle since I sat here.While Kelvin went to try to arrange the house and pick up, I chose to sit here instead of going back in.Kelvin had suggested I go back to sleep.I agree but honestly, I didn’t think I could.Because every time I closed my eyes, I saw hands.Rough hands.Grabbing. Pulling.A face twisted into something grotesque as it lunged at me through the window.My breath hitched in my throat from just remembering it and I pressed my forehead harder to my knees, trying to slow the racing inside my chest.If it were just the viole