Chapter 3

She put her phone away.

The moment Kelly turned, her legs suddenly gave out, and she nearly collapsed.

A wave of heat surged up from deep inside her, crawling through her bones, tangled with an aching restlessness and hollow craving.

Her mind snapped to the glass of sparkling wine Nadia gave her.

It had been drugged.

And there was no need to guess who had ordered it.

Kelly drew in a sharp breath, and any thought of returning to the private room vanished instantly.

Going back meant ending up with Keith and the thought of it made her skin crawl.

Without hesitation, she turned and stumbled toward the exit.

Ahead of her, two guys in gaudy floral shirts stumbled into view, the smell of booze clinging to them.

They spotted her instantly—face flushed, breathing uneven, something clearly off about her.

They exchanged a knowing, leering glance.

Then moved in, closing in on her from both sides.

The taller one reached out and grabbed her arm. “Hey there, sweetheart… your face all flushed. Feeling unwell? Want a little help?”

The other snickered. “Yeah, yeah. It’s not safe to be alone in a place like this. Let us take you somewhere to rest.”

Their intentions were obvious to anyone with eyes.

Kelly clenched her jaw.

Summoning every ounce of strength she had left, she shoved them aside and broke into a run.

“Hey! She’s running!”

“Grab her!”

Footsteps pounded behind her in pursuit. Her legs felt like jelly, her heart racing wildly.

The hallway spun around her, tilting and blurring.

The drug was hitting harder by the second.

She rounded a corner.

Ahead lay a quieter lounge area, bathed in soft light.

A man in a steel-gray suit stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows, his back to the corridor, shoulders squared, posture straight, speaking on the phone.

“Help… please help me…”

Kelly staggered toward him, her knees buckling as she collapsed onto the carpet right at his feet.

The man lowered his gaze.

A flicker of surprise crossed his dark eyes, gone as quickly as it appeared, replaced by faint irritation at being interrupted.

Kelly’s hand trembled as she reached out, fingers clutching the crisp fabric of his trouser leg. She looked up at him, eyes shimmering with tears.

The moment his gaze landed on her face, a flash of recognition cut through his composed expression.

The two men caught up.

The taller one forced a grin. “She’s with us. Sorry about that, we’ll take her and go.”

They reached for her arms.

Kelly shook her head weakly, clinging to the man. “No… please… help me…”

The man ended his call without hurry.

Just as they had grabbed her and were about to drag her away, he moved.

His foot lashed out, slamming into the taller man’s knee.

The man dropped to the floor with a grunt.

Fury flashed in his eyes as he glared up.

The man pulled Kelly free from their grip, drawing her behind him.

His voice was cold and clipped. “Get lost.”

There was a weight to him—quiet, but unmistakable.

The two exchanged a look, clearly realizing he wasn’t someone to mess with. After muttering a few curses, they backed off and slipped away.

The tension in Kelly’s body finally loosened.

But the heat inside her only spread deeper, seeping into her bones.

She couldn’t even stand steady anymore.

She sagged against him, boneless.

She bit her lower lip raw just to keep the shameful sounds from slipping out.

The man turned, his gaze deep and unreadable. “Do you need help?”

Kelly fought the urge to cling to him, tear off that steel-gray suit, and lose control completely.

She nodded, hard.

His low voice fell into her fraying awareness. “What kind of help?”

Kelly bit the inside of her cheek until she tasted blood.

Then she stumbled straight into his arms.

Rising onto her toes, her lips brushed past his jaw as she whispered, voice trembling, “Please… I’ll pay you…”

He didn’t move.

He stood perfectly still, unshaken.

She leaned in, trying to catch the corner of his mouth.

Suddenly, something dropped over her head.

It was a jacket.

Darkness swallowed her vision.

She let out a small, frustrated sound.

The next second, a sharp strike landed at the back of her neck.

Everything went black.

When Kelly woke again, it was daylight.

The sharp scent of alcohol and disinfectant filled her nose.

She was in a hospital.

A nurse happened to walk in on her rounds. “You’re awake. You were drugged. Someone brought you in last night and handled your admission. How are you feeling now?”

She added, half-chiding, “Girls your age shouldn’t be going to bars alone, especially for someone like you. You’ve got to be more careful.”

Kelly nodded. “Did that man leave any contact information?”

The nurse shook her head.

Kelly struggled to sit up, a lingering haze from the drug still clouding her mind.

Dizziness washed over her, and she pressed her hands hard against her temples.

The nurse added, “There’s still a small amount of the drug in your system. Drink plenty of water to help flush it out. You can be discharged anytime.”

Kelly gave a slight nod. “Thank you.”

The nurse turned and moved on to the next room.

Kelly leaned back against the headboard, replaying everything from last night over and over in her mind until her phone lit up with a message.

Keith: [Kelly, are you home? I’ll pick you up for the auction.]

Kelly let out a bitter laugh.

So, he hadn’t gone home at all last night.

If she’d died in that bar, would anyone have bothered to come get her?

She typed a simple reply.

Kelly: [I’m not feeling well.]

Keith: [Then get some rest. Once the auction’s over, I’ll come straight home. Love you.]

Kelly put her phone away.

After leaving the hospital, she stood by the roadside waiting for a cab.

Another message came through from Nadia.

Nadia: [I’m sorry, Kelly. Grandma made me do it. Please forgive me, I’m begging you… I’ll do anything to make it right.]

Nadia: [Oh, by the way, there’s a necklace at today’s auction. The one you’ve been looking for. Does that count as making up for it?]

Nadia: [You have to come!]

Nadia: [Don’t tell anyone, but it starts at four thousand. It won’t go much higher than forty.]

Just then, a taxi pulled up in front of her.

Kelly bent down and got in, her voice calm and decisive. “Sir, I need to change the destination.”