CHAPTER TWO: THE MAN WHO KILLED ME

Gwen POV

I stood in the middle of the bathroom floor with one thought ringing in my head.

*You need to get out of here.*

My heart was beating so fast it felt like it was about to break through my chest.

I had read that book several times, but I had never read how Gwen and Alexander met. It was never written. The story simply started with them already tangled up in each other, already in love.

Maybe this was it. Maybe this was the night that made them fall in love, and in the end, he would kill her for it.

"I can smell you, you know."

His husky voice drifted in from the room, and my heart skipped so hard it hurt.

He knew someone was in here. He knew the woman he had paid for was hiding behind this door.

*What do I do? What do I do?*

"Come out and do what you were paid for."

I didn't answer. I couldn't. My throat had closed up like a fist, and I was too scared to even breathe loudly.

I stepped back silently, my hands gripping the edge of the sink behind me. My eyes drifted to the small window above the toilet. For a second, I actually considered jumping out of it.

But that would have been stupid. We were on the fifth floor.

"Hey." His voice came again, sharper now. "I don't appreciate being ignored. Or did they send me someone dumb?"

This time I could hear the anger rising in it, like a storm gathering behind the door.

I froze. *Say something, Gwen.*

But my lips felt glued together. Nothing came out.

"Are you there?"

Footsteps. Slow and steady, coming closer to the door. I could hear every step, and every step made my knees weaker. His voice was deep and rough, and I could tell he meant business. This was not a man who was used to waiting.

"Open the door. What's your name, lady?"

I still didn't answer.

The handle moved. He tried to open it, and when it didn't give, I heard him go quiet, the kind of quiet that was worse than shouting. He had realised it was locked.

The tension in that small bathroom was so thick I couldn't breathe.

"Open this door. Now." He sounded calm, and somehow that made him even scarier.

"Please, stay away from me," I whispered. My lips finally parted, and my voice came out small and cracked.

He didn't stop.

"You were paid to satisfy me. Now come out before I break this door down."

My heart raced. Any moment now, he would burst in and drag me out of here. I needed to escape him. I couldn't risk meeting my killer and being killed all over again inside a story. Gwen might have been stupidly in love with him, but I wasn't. I was not Gwen.

My eyes searched the counter, frantic. And there it was. A small metal pump bottle that spat out liquid soap, one of those expensive things rich people owned that probably had a fancy name I would never know.

I grabbed it and pointed it at the door with both hands, my arms shaking.

*When he opens it, I'll spray it in his eyes. Then I'll run.*

It was a terrible plan, but it was the only one I had.

In two seconds, the door gave way and crashed open. I squeezed the pump as hard as I could.

With one swift movement, he shielded his eyes with his arm, and there he was.

Alexander Wolf. Gwen's weakness. Standing right in front of me.

And when I finally dared to look at him properly, I understood why Gwen had been drawn to him. Maybe I understood it too well.

The first thing I noticed was the tattoo that curled up the side of his neck. It was sexy. And so was he.

Tall, dark-haired, inked. He was nothing like I had imagined him while reading the book. My imagination had been a pale copy. His face was sharp and defined, with a jaw that looked carved out of stone, and his expression was stern, like he had never once asked for permission in his life.

He straightened up and planted his hands on the sink behind me, one on each side, trapping me in. I tried to put some distance between us, but there was nowhere to go. My back was already against the counter.

His eyes slid down my body, taking in the curves and shape of it, and I wanted to shrink into the wall. Then he looked back up and met my eyes.

"You're one sexy, scared little demon, aren't you?"

I tried to hide my fear. I failed, but I tried.

"I'm not scared."

He smiled. It never reached his eyes.

"Aren't you just a plum." He stepped closer, until I could feel the heat coming off him. "You weren't scared, but you didn't want to let me in. Is this your first time? A virgin? Don't worry. It won't hurt."

I shoved him away with everything I had. He didn't budge. He wasn't forcing himself on me, not really, but his presence was so overpowering that it pressed down on me like a hand. I felt small. I felt trapped. And somewhere under the fear, I hated that a small part of me, Gwen's part, wanted to lean closer.

So I did the one thing I knew how to do.

I kicked him between the legs.

"Fuck!" he screamed, folding over with a groan.

I didn't wait. I snatched the envelope from the table, the one I had a feeling held my payment, and ran.

"I'll find you!" His voice thundered out of the room behind me. "You hear me? I'll find you!"

I didn't care. I just had to get out of there.

And I did. I ran down the stairs, past the front desk, out into the cold air, and I didn't stop until my lungs burned. I was panting so hard I could barely see straight, and I ran all the way to the bar.

My dark curly hair was a mess. I was breathing like I had just come out of a war.

When I burst in, Staci looked up and sneaked a glance at me, checking whether I was okay. I pulled her aside before she could say a word.

"Hey, easy," she said, noticing my state. "I'm working."

"I know. I'm sorry. I just..."

"What happened? Did it not go well?"

"You didn't tell me who my one-night stand was with." My voice shook. "Freaking Alexander Wolf."

She smiled sheepishly, and it made me want to scream.

"Is that a problem? He's the hottest guy on the planet, and he was paying twice as much. You're the one who said you needed money urgently."

I sighed. It wasn't her fault. She didn't know. And I couldn't tell her why it was a problem, not yet.

She studied my face. "What happened? Did you guys fight?"

"No, Staci. I kicked him in the balls and ran out."

She gasped. The shock on her face told me I was in a lot more trouble than I had realised.

"What?" I asked, my stomach dropping.

"Why the fuck would you do that?"

"Is there a problem?"

"Yes. He will find you, and he will get his revenge."

I froze.

The Alexander I had read about was one of the darkest characters I had ever come across. He loved Gwen, truly, and that was the tragedy of it. But he was ruthless toward anyone who betrayed him.

Staci looked down at my hands, and I realised I was still holding the envelope.

"Gwen." Her voice went flat. "You took his money."

"What? No. It was the payment for the one-night stand."

"A one-night stand that didn't happen. Because you kicked him in the balls and ran."

Oh no.

"You literally stole from him."

Staci was right.

When I had first arrived in this world, I had told myself there were two things I needed to do. Get out of this book before the apocalypse. And avoid Alexander Wolf at all costs.

And I had already failed one of them, spectacularly, on my very first night.

My fingers tightened around the envelope. Then I turned to Staci, and for the first time since I had woken up in this body, I let her see exactly how scared I was.

"You need to get me out of here."