Outside the entrance, under a canopy of dim lights, stood a woman in heels far too high for pacing—but she did anyway, her silhouette sharp and commanding against the night. Madam Indiana. Her white coat flared behind her with every turn, and though her lipstick remained perfectly intact, her eyes were wild—red-rimmed, anxious, fierce. The moment the SUV turned the corner, she stopped dead. Her heart slammed once in her chest. The doors hadn’t even fully opened before she was moving—running, not walking, her hand reaching for the handle herself. “Move,” she snapped at the operative who tried to assist, and the man backed off instantly. The door opened. Indiana’s breath caught in her throat. Monica lay crumpled across the back seat, unconscious, her face smudged with dirt, her lip split, blood crusted against her temple. Her clothes were torn. Her leg—bandaged hastily and still bleeding through. “No—no, no, no,” Indiana whispered, kneeling beside the car, brushing Monica’s hai
All she needed was a road. A main road. One with lights, with people, with a damn car—anything that didn’t smell like pine, dirt, and fear.Branches whipped at Monica’s arms as she sprinted through the thick woods, the cold air slicing through her lungs like knives. Her legs ached, her breath came in ragged bursts, and every step sent shockwaves up her thigh where the iron wound throbbed and burned.Then—finally—gravel.Her feet skidded to a halt at the edge of an empty road. She bent double, hands on her knees, gasping. Her hair clung to her sweat-slicked face, and her chest rose and fell like it might give out any second.No headlights.No cars.Not even the hum of a far-off engine.“Where the fuck could they have brought me to?” she muttered, already forcing her legs to move again. Her voice cracked, panic threading through the exhaustion. She wasn’t even sure anymoreHer eyes kept darting behind her. Shadows moved too easily in the woods, and every rustle felt like a footstep.Pai
Max stared at the man standing across the room, arms folded. “Adopted brother?” His voice wasn’t loud, but it cut through the silence. Spencer’s jaw clenched as he nodded once, his eyes not meeting Max’s. He walked toward the table, grabbed his phone from where he had tossed it earlier, and tapped the screen with rough fingers. “I never knew you had an adopted anything,” Max said, moving slowly toward him. “Let alone a brother. And even if you did, what would he want with Monica?” Spencer’s thumb hovered above the phone for a second. He blinked hard. “That bastard would never want to see me happy,” he muttered. “I thought someone had finally given him the death he deserves.” Max frowned. “How do you know it’s him?” Spencer let out a breath, slow and shaky. “Because this is exactly what he would do. He’d wait until I gave a damn about someone, then tear it apart.” Max stepped closer. “I still don’t get it. You said he’s your adopted brother. What does that even mean?” Spe
Max’s phone buzzed sharply, slicing through the quiet like a blade.He groaned softly, shifting just enough to free one arm from the warm tangle of limbs curled around him.Lake was draped over him like a blanket, his cheek pressed against Max’s shoulder, lips parted slightly in sleep. One of his arms hung loosely across Max’s chest, the other tucked possessively around his waist—as if letting go wasn’t an option, even in sleep.Max didn’t move.Didn’t breathe.The screen lit up again. He watched it flicker from the nightstand, the harsh glow casting a pale halo in the dim room. His hand hovered, but he let the call ring out.Instead, he let his eyes drift downward, slowly tracing the soft curve of Lake’s jaw, the faint flutter of his lashes, the even rise and fall of his chest. He looked peaceful for once—like the world outside had finally gone silent.But peace was short-lived.The phone buzzed again, more urgent this time. Max cursed under his breath and carefully stretched his han
She didn’t dare breathe. Monica pressed herself deeper into the shadow of the tree, rough bark scraping her spine. Her hand clamped over her mouth so tightly her fingers were starting to cramp, but the trembling wouldn’t stop. Not in her limbs. Not in her chest. Her heartbeat was loud enough, she feared it might echo. The woods had fallen eerily silent, as if even the wind was holding its breath. Crunch. A footstep. Then another. He was closer. She heard him mutter under his breath. The way twigs snapped beneath his boots. The rustling of leaves as he parted branches. She slowly crouched lower, eyes darting around the forest floor. Dry leaves. Moss. A broken stick nearby, but too brittle to be useful. Her throat was dry, her legs coiled tight like a spring. “I know you’re out here, sweetheart,” the man called out suddenly, voice dark and amused. “Why don’t you come out before you step into something worse?” Monica flinched. He didn’t sound winded anymore. He soun
Monica’s eyelids fluttered open, light slicing into her skull like a blade. A groan slipped from her lips as the throb behind her temples pulsed harder. Her muscles screamed in protest, as though she’d been hit by a truck and left to rot. She shifted, or tried to. The sharp bite of rope cut into her wrists, yanking her fully awake. “What the…” Her voice cracked, dry and hoarse. Her arms were pinned behind her back, wrists bound tightly. She looked down—one leg bent awkwardly, the other strapped to a wooden chair leg. The coarse rope dug into her skin like sandpaper. She winced. “Fuck,” she hissed, twisting. The rope only scraped deeper. The room swam into focus. Bare walls, a single bed with sheets askew, and a chipped center table. On the cabinet: two empty glasses. A bottle of wine, half-drained, stood like an accusation. Someone had been here. Recently. Her gaze darted to the window—curtains drawn, nailed shut from the inside. The air was stale, tinged with old perfu