CHAPTER 16: The Trap

ISABELLA

The air inside the club was thick perfumed with lust, liquor, and secrets.

I stood frozen at the edge of the floor, my heels clicking softly against the marble as I took in the scene. Girls barely dressed paraded past in tight skirts that hugged every inch of their bodies. Some wore dresses so short they might as well have been belts. Their laughter echoed, too loud, too hollow.

And me?

I looked down at my own crimson dress, tight against my thighs, clinging to my hips like a second skin. There was no difference between us except for the black leather collar pressing against my throat, etched with Damian’s red dragon.

His mark.

His claim.

Richard’s voice broke through my thoughts. “Can we go now?”

I nodded stiffly, tearing my eyes from the crowd. He led me to the elevator in silence, the chrome doors reflecting our mismatched expressions me, wide-eyed and tense. Him, unreadable.

The elevator pinged with a soft chime. Its silver doors parted like the jaws of something I couldn’t name.

I stepped out… and nearly choked on the air.

The hallway stretched long and dimly lit, lined with polished doors like a hotel except this wasn’t hospitality. Behind each one came the sounds I’d only ever heard whispered about.

Moans. Sharp gasps. Flesh meeting flesh in steady, rhythmic thuds.

My spine stiffened.

I turned to Richard, my voice a barely-there whisper. “Is this… a motel?”

He didn’t have time to answer.

A man strolled past us, completely naked, confidence dripping from every step. A woman laughing breathlessly clung to his arm. Her lipstick was smeared. Her eyes half-lidded with pleasure. Neither of them looked at me. Not even a glance.

Like it was normal.

Like I was the strange one.

My hand flew up to shield my face. Shame burned like acid under my skin. This world wasn’t just foreign it was sickening.

Richard turned to me, finally meeting my gaze. His voice was cool. Detached. “Why are you still acting like a child? You’ll get used to it.”

Used to it.

The words hit harder than they should’ve. Used to this? Used to being paraded like property? Used to Damian?

Never.

I wasn’t built for this cage.

And I’d never let it become home.

Today, I promised myself. Today, I run. I report him. I leave New York. I disappear.

We stopped in front of two towering black doors that looked like they guarded a throne or a monster.

Richard turned. “Wait here.”

I nodded, too stunned to speak.

He disappeared inside.

I stood alone, my fingers curling into my palms, nails digging crescent moons into my skin.

Each minute dragged by like wet cement.

My heart thumped. My legs ached to move. But I stayed still, counting my breaths, whispering escape plans silently in my head like a prayer.

When Richard returned, he barely looked at me. “He’s in a meeting. I’ll watch you until he’s done.”

I scoffed under my breath, too bitter to hold back. “Hope he dies in there.”

The words barely escaped before his gaze snapped toward me.

“What did you say?”

Panic surged. I slapped a hand over my mouth, but it was too late.

“Nothing,” I lied, shrinking under his stare.

He didn’t press further. Just turned sharply and said, “Come on.”

We returned to the elevator in silence, but my thoughts screamed louder than ever.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“To the first floor.”

At least now he was talking. Maybe… maybe that meant I could still get through to him.

The elevator opened with a hiss, revealing the club’s main floor. It was darker now music pulsing louder, bass vibrating through the walls. The scent of expensive perfume hung thick in the air, layered with sweat and heat and danger.

Richard led me past writhing bodies and low whispers until we reached the bar.

“Sit.”

I obeyed, perching stiffly on the stool like it might bite.

I could feel eyes on me men, women, curiosity… hunger.

But then, like a curtain dropping, all that attention vanished.

Because they saw it.

The collar.

The dragon crest burned into the black leather like a warning sign: Property of Damian Vercetti.

And just like that, I became untouchable.

Unapproachable.

Not respected. Just claimed.

“Don’t move,” Richard said. “Don’t cause trouble. I’ll be back soon.”

I nodded.

The moment he disappeared into the crowd, my body unclenched.

This was it.

My moment.

I scanned the room with frantic eyes, searching for a crack in the wall, a kindness in the storm.

Then I saw her.

A waitress. She couldn’t have been much older than me. Ponytail slicked back. Eyes heavy with exhaustion. But there was something in her the ghost of someone who used to fight.

She walked past.

I grabbed her wrist.

Her tray wobbled, and she looked down at me, startled.

“Please,” I whispered. “Help me.”

Her expression faltered.

For a breath, she didn’t speak. Just studied me. Her gaze dropped to the collar, then back to my face. And there it was that look.

Pity.

I hated it. I’d take cruelty over pity.

But then she whispered, “I’ll be back.”

Hope bloomed in my chest, trembling and fragile. My hands clutched the bar like lifelines. Just one chance. That’s all I needed.

One person.

One door.

One moment.

Then

A shift in the air.

The shadows moved.

A presence slid in behind me like a blade.

I turned.

And my blood turned to ice.

The waitress stood there.

Not alone.

Damian loomed beside her.

His gaze locked onto mine piercing, cold, deadly quiet.

“Planning to run away, little princess?” he murmured, his voice soft as velvet, sharp as a razor.

I didn’t breathe.

Couldn’t.

He stepped closer.

I flinched before he even touched me.

His hand reached out calm, deliberate.

Too late.

I’d been caught.

And this time…

There’d be no mercy.

*********

AUTHOR’S NOTE

Hey lovely reader 💕

Thanks so much for reading this chapter! It means the world to me that you’re following Isa’s journey it’s intense, emotional, and honestly a little crazy, but I’m so glad you’re here for it.

Don’t forget to like, comment, and let me know your thoughts I’d love to hear from you!