9. VANYA

I didn’t know how much longer I could survive living in the house with Joy’s constant nagging. As if that wasn’t enough, my father had forbidden me from going to work. Not that I actually listened. It was easy to sneak out of the house once he left or locked himself inside his study for meetings.

It was almost as if I was seventeen again.

But it didn’t last long because Joy ratted me out. I really, so badly, wanted to slap the fake lashes from her face. The fact that I couldn’t do anything on my own was also driving me insane. I missed my independence.

I’ve tolerated enough. There had been no further attacks on me, therefore, there really was no reason for me to continue staying under my father’s roof.

If my father was really so worried about me, then why hadn’t he listened to Devrim? Why had he waved his words away like they were nothing?

There had to be an ulterior motive for him keeping me locked inside his house. My guess was that it had something to do with the Christmas Ball coming up in a few months, or maybe the people started to notice the distance between us.

Mom had always included everybody on the island during the holidays. But since Joy took over... you could imagine just how much she changed things.

There was no way in hell I would be attending the ball, and there was definitely no way I would be staying with them a day longer!

***

I stuffed the shirt into the bag and zipped it closed.

After one last glance around the room to make sure that I had all my things, I grabbed the bag and headed towards the door.

My father had left early, and Joy was probably still sleeping. If I was quiet enough, I might even be able to sneak out without any of the servants knowing that I left.

Seemed like luck was on my side for once. I managed to make it out of the house and to my car without being spotted. The guard at the gate gave me a friendly smile and a wave as I drove through.

My father stayed on the outskirts of town near a beach that he had made private once he got elected as Mayor. I used to love it here as a kid, but then reality slapped me in the face when my mother died and he married Joy shortly after.

It took me twenty minutes to make it to town because of the early morning traffic, and another ten minutes to drive to my apartment. I just wanted to stop for a change of clothes and to drop off my things before I headed to work.

“Stupid bastard,” I cursed as I stared at the truck parked in my parking spot.

My parking had clearly been marked with my name and apartment number. How could the driver possibly miss it?

Gripping the steering wheel tightly, I glanced around the lot until I spotted an empty parking. I continued to curse the guy as I parked and got out of my car with my bags and headed into the building.

When I stepped into the elevator, my mind instantly trailed to Ezra. It felt like that day was months ago, when in fact, it had only been a few weeks.

We thought of them as badasses, but who would’ve known that one of them was afraid of a damn elevator. To us, they were part animals, it was just hard to imagine them having normal human fears.

My lips twitched as I thought of the look he had on his face when he had picked up my panties. When it happened, I had found it really embarrassing, but looking back at it now, I could see the humour in the situation.

The elevator stopped, instantly snapping me back to reality. I stepped out with a smile, but it instantly faded when I saw that my apartment door was ajar. Fear filled me, making my steps falter. Everything was as it should be this early in the morning except for my apartment. Something was terribly wrong.

Through the gap in the doorway, I spotted some of my stuff spewed across the floor. Swallowing, I moved away until my back hit the wall. Snap out of it, Vannie!

I nodded as my mind started working again. Lowering my bag to the floor, I searched through my purse for my phone. My hands shook as I unlocked it and called the police.

Chief Curry answered on the third ring. “Chief Curry, what’s your emergency?”

“I-it’s Vanya. I-I think s-someone broke into my apartment.”

The Chief muttered a curse. “You’re supposed to be at your father’s house! Get in your car and stay there!”

Of course, I didn’t listen, but I wished that I had.

With my phone clutched tightly in my hand, I took a step and slowly reached out to press my fingertips against the door. It made no sound when I pushed it open, but the sight of my apartment made me gasp loudly.

Everything had been destroyed.

I tried to fight the panic as I followed the path of destruction towards my bedroom.

“Oh God.”

My phone slipped from numb fingers and fell to the floor. I pressed a hand against my mouth, but it did nothing to stop the bile that rose up my throat. I knew I needed to look away, but I couldn’t tear my eyes from my bed.

A woman laid in the middle of my bed dressed in nothing but blood soaked underwear. Ropes tied her arms above her head and her ankles to each end at the bottom of the bed.

She was cut open from her chest all the way down to her pubic bone. Her intestines were spread out on the bed. It looked like she had been slaughtered by an animal.

And above the bed, written in what I assumed was her blood, was a message for me:

YOU ARE NEXT VANNIE