Lara Words can’t describe how shocked I am. How is it that he’s missing a hand? What happened? What kind of accident could lead to such a thing? His cousin Damson stared at me as if he’s asking me for help but I don’t know what to do for him. I’m equally as shocked. The stump is bleeding profusely and something has to be done about it. I look around for a cloth and think of a towel. I race to the bathroom to get it and then hold it close to his injury. Dexter gives a piercing cry and I step away from him quickly. I hear his cousin yell again, “We have to help him! What do we do?”“Call the police, naturally! Why not?”I start to whirl around and he grabs my arm. His eyes are serious and clouded over. “If you call them there will be more trouble. The people who did this to him are very vengeful.”“So what then?” I ask hysterically. “What else do you expect me to do? Can we take him to a hospital? Should we call an ambulance? I don’t know how to deal with things like this!”Damson
Dexter When I open my eyes, the pain hits me along with all the memories of how I get hurt. It’s incredible how it’s the first thing that comes to mind. I’m on my hotel room and judging by the position of the bed, I’m seated on the armchair. I look down at my arm and see the bandaged stump, and my heart sinks. Fuck. I shift and try to look around. The pain is intense enough to set my teeth on edge. I need painkillers. Water. I need to find the people who did this to me. It’s incredible how a stupid fucking argument escalated to this point. I can’t say I wasn’t warned about the damn Percevals but I didn’t think that they would attack me in such a brutal way. I have no memory of how I got here. All I know is that when I saw my hand lying on the floor by my feet, I had this strong sense of derealization that just made me black out. Someone must have brought me here and this bandage was put by someone. I try to raise my hand but it hurts too much so I just leave it where it is. Whe
Lara I’m on the plane back home and yes, Dexter isn’t here with me. This trip was a nightmare and it’s one I’ll definitely never forget. I still shudder whenever I think about Dexter’s severed hand. I’m in absolute shock.And now, he has stayed behind and I don’t even know if he’s alive. Judging by the way Jules’ friends looked at him, I’d say they were determined to give him a hard time. If someone were to ask me how I feel about the whole thing, I’d say that I don’t really have an answer to that question. I don’t know if I feel sorry for him or not. I’d like to say I don’t, and I’ll leave it at that. When the plane lands, Ambrose is there to fetch me. His expression is serious. I rush toward him. I don’t think I’ve ever been happier to see him. I embrace him and he hugs me back. “How are you?” he asks me. Before I got on the plane, I had time to give him a quick call and explain things to him. I could hear the guilt in his voice when he told me to come on home and forget the w
Lara A week has passed and Dexter still hasn’t showed. I’m really starting to consider the fact that he’s dead and so, as a result, I’m moving on with my life. Ander is finally talking to me and he’s gone back to normal, I would say. He’s no longer stuck in his room. We’ve had a long conversation and I promised him that I would never leave him ever again, and he has finally accepted that apology. I’m back to work. It’s a profitable endeavor and the more money I have, the better I’ll feel. Maybe it’s the Lycan in me talking, but that’s just how I feel. I want Ander to have a comfortable life and anyway, I’m not sure I want to lose Ambrose as an employer. I could try my chances out there but until then, I’ll stay here. He protects me and genuinely cares.I’d be stupid to think of doing anything else. Yes, Dexter gave me a million dollars. Yes, it’s a lot of money. But even I’m not blind to the things that might go wrong. I grew up with a billionaire father. A million to us was…spar
Lara Dexter shows up as promised and I’m waiting for him downstairs. He looks absolutely normal for someone who lost a hand just a week ago. It’s kind of terrifying. His eyes light up when he sees me. I climb inside the car and buckle up. “You look stunning,” he comments, referring to the long sequined dress I’m wearing. It’s black, and I bought it just today.“Thank you,” I say evenly. He starts the car and we get going. Ambrose wasn’t too happy to hear that he’s alive and even tried to dissuade me from working in this. I would’ve stepped back to if it weren’t for my desire to finish the job, and the reason why that is is because Dexter knows Ander. He knows him. My worst nightmare has come true right before my eyes and I was powerless to stop it. I’m pretty sure that Ander hasn’t said a single thing to Dexter because otherwise, my cover would be blown by now, but it’s still bloody terrifying. While he’s out there, he’s a threat to my peace and safety, and so he has to go. If th
Lara The first thing I go through are the drawers on his desk. Most of them are unlocked and so I open them easily. I go through the papers inside of them lightning quickly, afraid that the door might open and Dexter will barge inside and find me going through his things. Most of the papers are contracts. I can't go through each of them individually. Although I don't really know what I'm looking for, I'm hoping to find a map or something that will indicate where the money is being kept. That's all I need to know. I try to stay silent as I move to the other drawers. My heart is slamming against my chest now almost painfully. I have to get out of here. Dexter will come after me. I just know it. I chew my bottom lip as I get to the last drawer. Beneath all the papers, I spot something. It looks very much like a map. My eyes widen as I try to get it free from the pile of papers to see it more clearly. This might be it. Suddenly, I stop. I'm not sure why. Intuition maybe. The map lo
LaraI have only a moment to do something to avoid getting caught. Hurriedly, I drop the map on the big space under his desk where he keeps his chair pushed in, and then I push the drawer in with my feet and leave the stack of papers where they are. I hurry to the front of the desk and sit on the edge of it just before he enters. Dexter gives me a perplexed look that strikes panic into me. I force myself to smile easily. At this point, I have to think about anything and everything to get out of this situation. My life depends on it. He can’t go around the desk. He’ll see the mess I made and I won’t have a single way of explaining why I’m going through his things. It’s notable to remember that he once thought I was working against him, especially when that shipment plan went wrong. “What are you doing in here?” he asks as he steps closer to me. The good thing is that he sounds more curious than suspicious so if I play my cards well, I’ll be able to pull this off. I make a show of
DexterI stare into her face as I wait for her answer. She seems genuinely confused by my question so maybe I have it all wrong. “Was it a pity-fuck?” I ask again. “Why would it be?” she asks before placing her hand on my arm. “I don’t know,” I say, even though there are numerous reasons why I think it is. For starters, she never showed this interest in me before, and all of a sudden, out of the blue, she suggests sex. I love her, and my thoughts are mostly comprised of me fucking her, but I don’t want her to do it because she pities me. Far from it. The fact that she might have done it because she feels sorry for me makes me feel sick to my stomach. I don’t want her to feel sorry for me. “I don’t pity you. There’s nothing for me to pity here. What I meant earlier was that what happened in Baywood made me realize that I didn’t want to lose you.”I look at her again. Her eyes are wide and she’s breathing heavily. She searches my eyes and adds, “I was so scared.”The fragility in