𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 85 : 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐥 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐅𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫

𝐌𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐚’𝐬 𝐍𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬°°°

Grinch didn’t deny it. He grabbed Sophia by the collar and pulled her flush against him, crushing his mouth onto hers in a bruising kiss— sealing her vision and stealing the angle she needed to see Antonio’s shadow vanishing into the treeline.

For a moment—too long— Sophia lost seconds, she forgot where she was, the war breathing down her neck and then reciprocated the savor.

“Sophia!”

Breanna’s voice cracked like a whip.

She jerked back at the frantic tone, embarrassment flooding her face. “He—he initiated it.”

“No” Breanna shrugged but didn't slow down or look back, “Seeing how comfortable you are, this isn’t the first time.”

“Ma’am!” Sophia's cheeks burned.

Breanna paused at the edge of the driveway, eyes sharp. “I’m starting to wonder what else you’ve been hiding.”

She motioned the squad forward. “Continue the hunt. Full perimeter. Sophia Kendrick— stand down. Get ready for the interrogation you’ve got coming.”

“I'm sorry —please not a query.”

“I repeat, fall back. Breanna’s voice dropped to a lethal warning and she pushed deeper into the brush with the squad.

The moment they were gone, Sophia rounded on Grinch, her voice cracking. “See what you’ve done?”

Grinch only smiled, unbothered. He dragged her in again, hand splayed low on her hip, fingers digging into her meaty bum. “She was always going to find out.”

“Even so,” She hissed, shoving half-heartedly at his chest, “I wanted to tell her myself.”

“My apologies for rewriting the script,” he said, lips brushing the pulse at her throat. “But I’m done sneaking around.”

“Stop.” She twisted away, breath hitching. “Damage is already done.”

Grinch caught her chin, thumb stroking once—almost tender—then he let a slow, dangerous smirk curl his mouth. “Good girl, how about a creampie to cheer you up.”

“Stop it” Sophia whined, resisting his caresses but failing. She enjoyed how her body leaned into him anyway. “Just drive me home. I need to prepare for whatever hell she’s bringing.”

“As you wish,” he murmured, guiding her toward the car.

-------

Meanwhile Nevena’s world came back in pain. The sedan tore through forgotten backroads until it reached a derelict warehouse on the edge of the city’s rot, where they were instructed to keep her.

One of the men killed the engine and the other popped the trunk and hauled her out by a fistful of hair, dragging her across gravel that bit through her bare feet.

She stumbled blindly, hood still over her head, wrists raw behind her back.

A call came through and the one in the car hesitated so as to answer it.

“Slime! Hold up” Nevena heard him say, and the one dragging her paused.

“What?” he snapped in response, loosening his grip on her hair.

“Orders changed.” The other man ran up to them. “Boss says he’s done and to waste her.”

Slime frowned, completely removing his hand on her. “Since when?”

“Don't know—” the first man pulled out his gun. “The deal must’ve gone south.”

He racked his pistol and chambered a round. “Step away, I will finish it clean.”

Nevena dropped to her knees, legs buckling. She didn’t need an interpreter to understand the universal language of a gun being cocked.

“Wait— Rico.” Slime’s voice pitched up, as he shoved Rico’s arm down. “What are you doing?”

“Bumping her”

“And we get nothing?” he asked, leading Rico away.

“But that's the order.”

“Don't be stupid Sheikh {attractive man}” Slime chuckled as they continued padding away, arguing in low, rapid dialect. “Fresh merchandise like this will fetch us real ice {hard cash}”

“Meaning?”

“Selling her to the brothel” Slime stated with all seriousness. “They would pay clean, and she’d never find her way out.”

Rico hesitated, then nodded. “Fine. But your funeral if the boss finds out.”

“He would never find out.” Slime laughed darkly, “Bumping{killing} will make her disappear, but Brothel will ship her and make her disappear further.”

Their voices faded the further they went, and that was all Nevena needed.

She twisted, yanked and scraped her bound hands desperately against the gravel until the zip tie finally snapped.

Blood slicked her wrists, but she was free.

She ripped the hood off, blinked against the moon, and ran into the black maze of rotting structure.

“I'm in” Rico’s torch cuts the dark as they return. “I have a lot to do with money”

“We might even get triple if we deliver her breathing.” Slime growled, “And we can even feast on her first before anything.”

“I like the idea,” Rico nodded. “I will pound that kitty cat pretty hard or maybe we can opt-in for threesome.”

They both exploded in a mischievous chuckle and darted their attention for Nevena.

“I thought we left her here,” Slime snarled. “Where the fuck is she?”

Panic replaced amusement as their torch beams swept the darkness. “She bolted and it's going to cost us both our tongues.”

“No way!” Slime croaked, picking up his maniac aura. “We need to find her.”

--------

An hour of fruitless sweep through the grounds. Breanna’s patience snapped.

“Deploy drones,” she growled into her radio. “Snipers take position.”

“Yes Madam.” A tech acknowledged.

Machines whine and lift into the air, red and blue thermal lights blinking like hunting eyes.

Her new front man pressed a discreet earpiece into her hand. “Live feed routed here. I will divulge all information through it.”

“What of you?” she asked, slipping the earpiece into her ear.

“I will hold up for back up”

“And how far is Hunt now?” She seeks clarity.

“North Dakota.” The man pointed out. “Currently moving on foot. No vehicle.”

“Perfect.” Breanna’s smile was thin and vicious.

She turned to the squad, voice low, lethal. “You heard him, North Dakota sector. Weapons tight, he's armed —shoot to disarm. I want him arrested before he crosses the border.”

“Yes, ma’am,” they answered in unison, fanning out into the dark like wolves unchained.