The Price Of Blood

Lia’s POV

“Sorry for the delay,” I said, forcing a smile into my voice as I spoke to the customer even though my legs ached and my apron strings were digging into my waist.

“We’re a little understaffed tonight,” I continued. They just nodded, murmuring thanks as I turned away just as the bell above the door jingled. Another customer, I didn’t even bother looking up to know who it was.

I just walked behind the counter, wiped my hands on a towel, and started getting ready for the next order. My feet were already sore, my back screaming to stop but the only thing that kept me going was the thought of the bills that needed paying… And Noah.

Always Noah.

He was my whole world.

The sound of my phone buzzing drifted me off my thoughts. It was a number I didn’t recognize as it lit up the screen, with no caller ID. My brows pulled together as I hesitated to answer it, but what harm could a phone call do to me?

I answered it, and for a few seconds, all I heard was nothing. I pressed the phone tighter to my ear, thinking maybe it was a prank, but immediately a voice cut through.

“Your brother’s made a mistake chica,” the voice spoke, smooth and devoid of emotion. “If you want to see him alive, don’t you dare call the police or tell anyone. Come to the address that would be sent to you.”

And then, just like that the call cut. My screen went black before a message popped up, one line specifying the address I was supposed to be at. I stared at it, breath caught in my throat, the blood draining from my face.

What the hell did Noah just get himself into?

In the next second, my stool scraped against the floor, my legs carrying me before my head could even process anything as I grabbed my bag and ran out.. as if I knew where I was going.

********

The building was a towering structure of glass and metal, too beautiful to be hosting a nightmare. The security guards posted outside eyed me as I approached them.

“She's here.” One of them muttered, pressing something to his ear and nodding. Inside, everything gleamed—marble floors, sleek chandeliers, the silence that pressed against my ears like a dead weight.

The man guiding me didn’t utter a word, he didn’t even look at me. Just kept walking with that same stiff, robotic precision, his suit perfectly pressed while his hands were behind his back like this was just another business deal.

“Heavens… help me,” I murmured, trying to swallow the lump forming in my throat, but it stuck there. I shouldn’t have come here. God, I shouldn’t have come alone. But I didn’t have a choice.

After what felt like forever, we finally reached an elevator. No buttons or keycard, yet the doors opened on their own. This place…whatever it was… wasn't normal. 

Then the door opened and that was when it dawned on me, not from the guards in black stationed at the ends of the hallway, or the opulent gold decor that screamed money. It was from what I saw on the wall right in front of me.

A crimson symbol. It looked circular, almost beautiful if you didn’t know what it meant. But I did. Everyone in the city knew it… even if they pretended not to. A symbol that didn’t show up on news channels or police reports because of how dangerous it was.

The Crimson Circle.

This wasn’t just a gang. 

This was the most brutal and dangerous criminal organization in New York, and my brother had just gotten himself involved with them.

The elevator door stopped with a chime and the doors immediately slid open. And that was when I finally came face to face with him, the leader of the Crimson Circle gang. Not in my wildest dreams did I ever think it would be Kade Valen Wolfe.

He was one of the most powerful and ruthless billionaires in the city. But how….how the hell is it possible that he is the leader of the Crimson Circle?  From the way he sat, he didn’t just command the room—he owned it.

But it was his presence that nearly knocked the air out of my lungs. He leaned back in his chair like a king on a throne… casual, confident, and impossibly powerful. One leg crossed over the other, his arms resting with a calculated ease, like he had all the time in the world….and my life in the palm of his hands.

“Wher….where’s my brother? I asked, trying not to let my voice shake, but God. Those eyes.  A flush crept up my neck, not from shame or fear. It was a desire.

“Let’s talk first.” His lips curved slightly, not a smile but something darker. I stepped forward, trying not to show the fear creeping into every part of my bones. “I don’t want to talk. I just want my brother.”

He leaned back in his chair, his hands folded. “Your fucking brother stole from me. Two million dollars. And let’s say……something he should have never gotten his hands on.

“I’ll pay it back,” I blurted. “Whatever it is, I’ll find a way.”

“You can’t,” he shot back. “You’re nothing but a broke little girl who works in a cafe and owns a tiny little art studio that doesn’t even sell any art. You’re barely surviving.”

I flinched, how did he know everything about me? But of course, he was fucking powerful so he was supposed to know. “You don’t have anything I want…. Except one thing.”

His eyes scanned me from head to toes, and suddenly, the air between us turned electric. “I want you.” He said. My heart stopped.

“I want you,” he continued, as if discussing the weather. “Your body. Your mind. Your obedience. I want everything to belong to me for a year.”

I shook my head, trying to get over the shock of what he just said. “You can’t be serious….”

“I am,” he interrupted before I could finish my words, rising slowly from his chair. “One year. You belong to me, do what I say. You live where I say. You even breathe when I allow it.”

“Do that for me little princess… and I’ll make sure your brother walks out alive and untouched,” he added, like an afterthought. “And I’ll forget the debt he owes me.”

I stepped back. “I… I can’t do such a sick thing. He lifted his hand, picking up a remote as he pressed it onto the large screen on the far wall which flickered to life.

Noah.

Tied to a chair, his face full of blood. His head was hanging low. A man stood beside him, pointing a gun right at his head. 

“Oh my God….Noah!!” 

I let out a gasp, staggering backwards until I almost fell to the floor. He stepped closer, his body towering over me.

“You have sixty seconds to decide if your brother lives or dies, princess.”