Chapter 34 – The Murderer

Mannie’s POV

Darkness.

That was the first thing I noticed when I woke up.

And pain. A dull, throbbing pain at the back of my head.

I groaned and tried to move, but my hands were stuck. My body ached all over. Something rough dug into my back.

Cold air swept across my skin.

I blinked, trying to open my eyes.

Everything was blurry at first, like I had been underwater too long.

Then slowly, things came into focus.

I was in a large room. Old, broken windows lined the top walls. Moonlight leaked through the cracks. The place smelled like rust, wet cement, and burnt metal, maybe.

The floor was covered in dust and broken glass. Some old machines sat in the corner, forgotten and covered in cobwebs. Pipes creaked above me. Rats squeaked from a shadowed corner.

An abandoned factory.

I was tied to a thick metal pillar in the middle of the space. Ropes dug into my wrists and ankles. My mouth was taped.

I sucked in a sharp breath through my nose, forcing myself to stay calm.

I needed to see who was around me.

I turned my head slowly, ignoring the pounding in my skull.

Three men stood to the side. Big. Muscled. All of them wore black. One of them had a scar that ran from his forehead to his jaw. Another had a shaved head and was smoking lazily, like this was just another day at work.

But the third one—he didn’t smile. He just stared at me with cold eyes, hand resting on the gun at his side.

Then I saw her.

Sitting on a metal chair not too far away.

Her legs crossed. One hand holding a cigarette.

Smoke curled in front of her face like a snake.

Even without seeing her eyes, I knew who it was.

Clarissa.

Evan’s wife.

Her lips curled into a grin as she exhaled slowly, blowing smoke toward the ceiling.

“You’re finally awake,” she said with a fake sweet voice, standing up slowly.

I glared at her, not surprised anymore. Deep down, I had known someone like her would do something this crazy.

Clarissa walked toward me with her heels clicking against the cracked concrete. Her long black hair was tied up in a sharp bun, her red lips twisted in amusement.

She clapped her hands slowly.

“You must be wondering, ‘Why am I here? Oh no, I’m so scared,’” she mocked, placing one hand dramatically over her chest.

I didn’t flinch. My lips were still sealed with tape, but my eyes said everything I wanted to scream.

She crouched in front of me, studying me like I was a bug.

“Well, guess what, sweetie,” she whispered. “I brought you here to do something for me.”

She stood straight and signaled one of her men. “Bring the camera.”

The man with the shaved head pulled a phone from his pocket and set it on a small stand, pointing it directly at me.

“Do you know what you’re going to do for me?” Clarissa asked, pacing slowly. “You’re going to admit that you killed my husband.”

My body went cold.

So that was the plan?

She was going to make me record a fake confession?

I shook my head hard. My wrists strained against the ropes.

Clarissa gave me a hard look, then waved her hand. “Remove her tape.”

The man with the scar walked up to me and ripped it off. My skin burned, but I didn’t let out a sound.

Clarissa tilted her head. “Now talk.”

I scoffed. “Do you seriously think anyone will believe that video while I’m tied up like this? You’ll be turning yourself in without even realizing it.”

She paused.

Just for a second.

Then her fake smile dropped.

“Fine,” she said coldly. “You want to be smart?”

She reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a small knife. “Maybe if I cut your face, you’ll be less smart. Or maybe stab your pretty little heart. Hm?”

Her voice was cold now, filled with hate.

I didn’t flinch.

“You think I seduced Evan?” I asked, meeting her eyes. “You’re his wife. Why don’t you look in the mirror?”

That hit a nerve.

She slapped me.

The sting echoed across my cheek, but I didn’t look away.

She stepped back, eyes burning.

I licked my lip and smiled. “You have so many men here, Clarissa. Do you really think I could overpower you? Alone? Just free me and I’d do the video.”

“I said shut up!” she snapped.

The other men didn’t move. They just waited for her next command.

She paced again. Angry now. The cigarette had burned down to her fingers.

She cursed under her breath, then turned back to me.

“Fine. I’ll release you,” she said after a long pause. “But you have to promise to make the video.”

I stayed quiet.

But something strange filled my chest.

A feeling.

I couldn’t explain it, but I just… knew.

He was here.

Dominic.

I didn’t see him. I didn’t hear him.

But I felt him.

Somewhere in the shadows of this cursed place, his eyes were watching. Waiting.

The ropes around me loosened as the scar-faced man untied me. My arms ached as blood rushed back into them. My legs were still weak.

Clarissa sighed and walked toward a far corner to light another cigarette. Her back was half-turned as she exhaled again.

Then she froze.

Because the cold metal of a pistol pressed against her forehead.

She turned slowly.

“Ah… how could I forget?” she said with a shaky laugh. “The hero has come to save the day.”

But Dominic didn’t say a word.

He stood tall behind her, eyes cold, lips set in a firm line. The faintest smirk tugged at one corner of his mouth.

Clarissa gritted her teeth.

“You won’t shoot me,” she hissed. “Not unless you want her to die.”

She nodded toward me.

The man with the shaved head had a gun out now, pointed at me. His arm was locked around my neck, tight.

“Let’s make a deal,” Clarissa smiled. “You get me a private plane. Cash. A new ID. And I disappear forever.”

Dominic didn’t blink.

“She’s not worth all that trouble,” he said calmly. “If it wasn’t for the fact that I had to investigate my employee’s death, I wouldn’t have cared.”

Clarissa looked stunned.

Then her smile twisted again. “Whether she’s worth it or not doesn’t matter. But you have to admit—you do care now. And if you want her alive, you’ll do what I say.”

I struggled in the guard’s grip.

Dominic’s eyes darkened.

“Fine,” he said coldly. “She’s worth it.”

Clarissa’s grin widened.

“I’ll throw my gun,” Dominic said, “if you push her away from the weapon.”

“Agreed.”

Dominic tossed the gun to a far corner.

The man holding me shoved me hard.

I fell, but I twisted just in time, sliding behind a pillar.

That was a cue.

Dominic’s hand moved fast.

Another gun appeared from inside his coat.

Bang!

The first shot hit the guard standing beside Clarissa.

Bang!

The second hit the man who had just pushed me.

Clarissa screamed and dove to the side, but it was too late.

Dominic walked forward slowly, gun still in his hand, eyes hard and unreadable.

Silence returned.

Clarissa trembled on the floor.

I lay behind the pillar, chest heaving, heart pounding.

The factory had gone quiet again—except for the wind whistling through broken windows and the sound of my own heavy breathing.