Chapter 3

Clara Bennett

Tears blurred everything as I drove through the cold night. The heater in my old car had died months ago, but I barely felt the chill. All I could feel was the knife in my chest.

“Cheating bastard,” I whispered, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand. “Jerk. Liar.”

All those months. All the love I poured into Victor like a fool. He had never once taken me to a fancy restaurant. Every time I brought it up, he would smile and say, “One day, baby. When we can afford it and we’ll go to the best places.” Lies. All of it.

I reached into my jacket pocket out of habit, searching for my tiny camera. My fingers touched nothing but fabric.

My heart stopped.

“No… no, no, no!” I slammed on the brakes. The car jerked to a stop in the middle of the dark street. I patted my pockets frantically, then searched the seat, the floor, everywhere. “This isn’t good… God, not tonight… I need it!”

Months of hard work. Every secret photo, every video. If someone found that camera, my entire identity as the secret owner of the city’s biggest gossip blog would be exposed. The rich people I had ruined would come for my head.

Headlights suddenly flooded my car from both sides as two luxurious black vehicles pulled up, blocking me in. And then, the huge doors opened. Men in dark suits stepped out.

Panic exploded in my chest. “No! Stay away!”

I didn’t know who they were, but this night had already been cursed.

I swung my car door open and tried to fight, kicking and scratching like a wild animal.

A big hand grabbed my arm. Another covered my mouth. I bit down hard, but they were stronger.

They dragged me out of my car and into one of theirs, leaving my vehicle abandoned on the side of the dark street.

“Leave me alone!” I screamed.

A blindfold came over my eyes. I struggled, but fists landed on my ribs and stomach. Pain bloomed across my body. I gasped and curled up. Minutes later, they threw me down roughly onto a hard floor.

“Ouch! Careful!” I cried out.

The men just laughed at me like I was just another hostage.

Then I smelled that familiar cologne. The one I used to love.

Victor’s voice cut through the darkness, calm and smooth. “Hello, Clara.”

My blood ran cold. I heard a weak, muffled sound nearby. My mom.

“Mom!” I screamed. I tried to run toward her voice, but ropes bit into my wrists. I was tied.

They yanked the blindfold off.

I blinked under the moonlight streaming into what looked like an old abandoned warehouse.

Victor sat in a huge black chair like some kind of king, a cigar glowing between his fingers. His eyes looked cold. Evil.

“You!” I spat at him, the saliva landing on his expensive shoe. “Cheating wasn’t enough? Now you kidnap me and my mom?”

Victor took a slow puff of his cigar, watching me with a small smile. He nodded at one of his men. They dragged my mom into view. She looked so pale and thin, barely conscious, tied to a metal pole. Her breathing was shallow.

Rage and fear mixed inside me. “Let her go! She’s sick…. You monster!”

Victor leaned forward, his voice soft and dangerous. “I will help your mother, Clara. I have the best doctors. The money. The medicine she needs. But only if you do exactly what I say.”

I shook my head, tears falling again. “I won’t do anything for you.”

He smiled wider and held up my tiny camera, waving it slowly. “Oh, but you will. Because if you don’t… your mother dies. And everyone will finally know who runs that dirty little gossip blog. All your secrets… gone in one click.”

My stomach dropped. He had everything.

Victor stood up and walked closer, towering over me. “There’s a man I need you to get close to. His name is Ryder West. I want everything. His secrets. His weaknesses. Every dirty little thing you can find and deliver him….to me.”

I stared at him, my voice shaking. “Who… who is this Ryder West?”

And then, my eyes widened as I realized the exact man Victor was talking about.

One of the guards shifted behind me, his boots scraping loudly against the dirty floor.

He leaned in close enough that I could smell the stale smoke on his breath. “Ryder West?” A nasty grin stretched across his face.

“That bastard’s a walking nightmare. They say he ain’t even human. Eyes like black pits that swallow you whole. He rips men apart with his bare hands and doesn’t even blink. The last idiot who tried snooping around him? They found what was left of the poor fucker scattered across three counties. Folks whisper he’s got wolf blood in his veins. Pure monster in a thousand-dollar suit. Get too close and you’re dead meat, girl.”

My mouth went dry such that I could feel the blood draining from my face as his words sank in.

“Shut your damn mouth,” Victor cut in calmly as he walked towards me, slowly.

The guard snapped back like a scolded dog.

Victor circled me slowly, the tip of his cigar glowing bright orange. I didn't even know he smoked.

He stopped right in front of me and tilted his head, studying me with that same calm, charming smile he used to give when he wanted something. Smoke curled lazily from his lips as he spoke.

“Just a man no one should be fucking around with…” He let the words drift between us, heavy and sharp. Then the corner of his mouth twitched. “Good luck.”

I stared up at him, my tied hands clenched so tight my nails dug into my palms. My mom’s weak, raspy breathing echoed somewhere behind me.

The ropes bit deeper into my skin with every small movement.

There was no way out.

“Fine! I'll do it” I admitted.

“Good. In the meantime, we will watch over your precious mother. No police or any smart moves, unless you don't want to receive a corpse.” Victor said, then he lit a torch and pointed at the far end of the warehouse, revealing what looked like a recently dead body.

“Ah!” I gasped, while tears streamed down my cheeks.