Chapter 5: Staccato Struggle

TORI

I shoved the door open and stepped inside, my heart still thudding from the rush.

Mr. Buttons trotted over, tail wagging, his warm little body weaving around my legs.

"Hey there, Mr. Buttons." My voice dropped, softer now as I crouched to run a hand over his fur. "You won’t believe what I just did."

Dante’s furious expression flashed behind my eyes, sharp and burning. The weight of the moment still clung to me, but underneath it, something harder settled deep in my chest. Triumph. I’d finally stood up for myself. A breath of laughter slipped out, light and unfiltered, filling the small space like fresh air.

Still grinning, I scooped up Mr. Buttons and lifted him to my face.

“From now on, you bring me my coffee first.” I mimicked Dante’s voice with exaggerated sarcasm.

Mr. Buttons let out a low growl, then barked. Sharp and quick.

I blinked, caught off guard, then laughed. “I know, right? That was his exact reaction too.”

The sound bubbled up, spilling out before I could stop it. I gave him a little pat like he’d just said something wise and set him down.

After feeding him, I headed to the bedroom. I stripped out of the stiff clothes and swapped them for shorts and my favorite oversized hoodie. Soft, worn, safe.

As I pulled it over my head, my phone lit up across the room. Notifications piled on the screen.

I reached for it.

And froze.

My performance had gone viral. Thousands of views, endless comments, my name surging across the screen like a spotlight I couldn’t evade. 

Panic consumed me. I had to vanish before my family found me. They would stop at nothing.

Their polished image, the respectable careers, the perfect smiles, had always been a lie. Beneath the gloss was an empire built on arms deals and whispered threats. 

And me? I was the bargaining chip. A pawn. Something to trade for power.

I yanked open the closet and grabbed the emergency bag. Clothes, cash, essentials. Everything I could carry. My gaze locked on the safe.

Inside were the documents. The proof. My insurance. I’d prayed I’d never need them.

Fingers hovered over cold metal. Memories surged like a tide. Gilded parties I wasn’t allowed to attend, promises whispered in shadows. Lies that shaped my entire life.

Betrayal had carved out my fate. Greed sealed it.

Swallowing hard, I unlocked the safe and shoved the files into the bag. Mr. Buttons wriggled into the pouch of my hoodie, warm and solid against my chest as I zipped him in.

My only card left? Nobody knows where I actually live.

I zipped the bag shut and stepped outside. The cold slapped against my skin, sharp and mean.

I moved to the curb and scanned for a cab. The street was quiet, just the distant hum of traffic and the noise in my own head.

I didn’t even get a full breath before a shadow cut across the sidewalk.

Dante Kincade.

His hand clamped around my arm, tight and unyielding, and dragged me toward the street.

I twisted, yanking back with everything I had. “Let me go!”

“Not a chance.” His voice came quiet and lethal, a blade whispered across skin.

He dragged me toward the sleek black car idling by the curb.

Ice threaded through my veins. My blood turned heavy and cold.

I kicked and fought, nails catching on his sleeve, but he hauled me forward like I weighed nothing. He yanked the door open.

“Get your ass inside. Now.”

I barely drew a breath before he shoved me in and followed, the door slamming shut behind us.

The car swallowed the world outside, trapping me inside its hush of leather and steel. Tension coiled in the air. He watched me, gaze locked, unblinking. A force of rage simmered under the surface, ready to snap.

“Why are you living under a false identity?” His voice was all edge.

I forced my expression blank. “I have nothing to say to you.”

A slow smirk curved his mouth. “Oh, I think you do.” He leaned in, eyes narrowing.

My bag had fallen open. My hand slid inside, closing around cold steel.

This is it. My only shot.

In one swift motion, I grabbed the gun and straddled him, moving fast. The barrel pressed beneath his jaw.

His eyes widened, fury blazing behind them.

“Did my family send you? Did they plant you as CEO to drag me back home?” My voice shook, fury scraping raw against panic.

Under the hoodie, Mr. Buttons shifted. A second, barely even that, but my attention broke.

Dante moved fast. His fingers locked around my wrist and twisted. The gun slipped from my grip. In the next second, I was pinned against the seat, his hand crushing my throat.

The muzzle pressed hard against my ribs.

Mr. Buttons barked, high-pitched and frantic. My heart skipped.

Dante’s gaze cut to the sound, then locked back onto me.

“Now you’re going to tell me everything,” he said quietly. “Who are you, and what are you hiding?”

I held his stare. Didn’t blink. “Go to hell.”

His grip clamped down harder. “That's how it’s going to be?”

“Do it,” I said through clenched teeth. “Shoot me. End it.”

He laughed. A low, rough sound that scraped across my nerves.

“You have no idea who I am,” he said, voice quiet but razor-sharp. “Or what I’m capable of.”

“You’re a pathetic CEO. A disposable pawn. Nothing but a foot soldier for my family,” I spat.

His smirk vanished. Fingers tightened, cutting off breath. “Last chance. Who are you?”

My pulse slammed against my throat. I swallowed. “Screw you.” The words held, but dread coiled deep in my belly.

His grip crushed in.

Then he looked at Mr. Buttons.

Cold dread tore through me, worse than the threat to my own life.

His expression darkened. He shifted the gun, aiming it at the small bundle at my side.

“Have it your way.”

A violent thud echoed through my chest. No. No, no, no. His words sliced into me, each one carving deeper. Panic roared in my ears.

The gun glinted in the dim cabin light, a sentence, an ending. Pressure closed in, suffocating. My mind screamed, Move. Do something. But all I could think about was him. The tiny, warm life pressed against me.

“No! Please, no!” The scream tore from my throat as I thrashed, tears flooding my eyes. “Don’t hurt him! I’m begging you!” My voice cracked. Raw. Unraveled.

I fought him, clawing, twisting, but he didn’t budge. He watched me suffer and tightened his hold.

“Too late,” Dante said.

The hammer clicked, final.

My world collapsed. I lunged at him, sobbing, my arms wrapping around him in desperation, not just to shield Mr. Buttons but because I couldn’t bear to watch if he pulled the trigger. My face pressed to his chest.

“Please,” I whispered. “I’ll do anything. Just don’t.”

It wasn’t about me anymore. Let him take me. Hurt me. But not Mr. Buttons. Not him.

Dante chuckled, low and smug. He had me. Begging. Broken. Exactly how he wanted me.

His fingers twisted into my hair and yanked, snapping my head back until our eyes met.

“That’s more like it,” he said, voice low and cruel. “Fight me, and I’ll show you just how far I’ll go.”

Whatever fight I had left sank like a stone. I went still, tears streaking my cheeks as I stared up at the monster holding the leash.

There was no escape. Not now.

Only survival.