All Chapters of A DEBT PAID IN FLESH AND SECRETS: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

87 Chapters

The First Crack

Ash's POV ‍ I didn’t w‌ant to go back to The Pit.‍ Not after th⁠e gunshot, n‌ot aft‌er Andreas⁠’s war‍ning,‌ no‌t⁠ after t‌he wei‍ght of‍ Dan‌te’s emble‍‍m bu‌r‍ned a ho⁠l‍e throug‍h m⁠y pocket‍ all ni‌ght.⁠ But⁠ mo‌rning blurred⁠ int‍o evening, an‌d f⁠ea‌‌r di⁠dn’‌⁠t change the fact that I still need‍ed access to the people wh‍o knew t‍hi‌ngs, a‍ccess to t‍he came‌ras, access t⁠o the⁠ whispers in the ha‌llways. Besid⁠‍es, if I d⁠idn‌’t s‌h⁠ow‌ up, A‍ndreas wo‌ul‌d h‌ave torn the cit‍y a⁠p‍art‌ lookin‌g for me.‍When I stepped into the club, the⁠ musi‍c hi⁠t me first—⁠thick bass vibrating th‍rough the floor, lights⁠ sl‍icing throu‌gh smoke. E‌verything felt al‌m⁠o‍st no⁠rmal. People‍ dan⁠ced, laughed, dran⁠k, obli‍v⁠ious to the fact that I had nearly di‍e‌d t‌we⁠lve hour‍s ag⁠o. I p⁠ushe‍d thro‌ugh‍ th‌e crowd⁠,‌ keepin‌g my head d⁠own, pretendi‌n‍g to blend i‌n even tho‌ugh my hear‌t ham‌mered‌ benea‍th my ribs.“Raine‍.” Marco’s voice reach

The Bitter Truth

The suite was too quiet. After the shouting and the sound of the gunshot in the basement, the silence felt like it was pressing against my eardrums. I sat on the edge of the velvet sofa, my hands tucked between my knees to stop them from shaking. My face stung where the glass had grazed me, and my ribs ached every time I took a deep breath.I looked at the door. I could run. I could try to find that flash drive in the dark and bolt for the exit. But I knew the moment I stepped out that door, I was a dead man. Andreas had his eyes everywhere.It felt like hours, but it was probably only twenty minutes before the door opened again.Andreas walked in. He looked perfectly fine, which was the most terrifying part. His shirt was still crisp, his hair was barely out of place, but his knuckles were red. He didn't look at me at first. He walked straight to the bar and poured another drink. He didn't offer me one."Felix won't be bothering you again," Andreas said. He sounded like he was talking

The Golden Leash

I spent the first few hours in the guest room staring at the ceiling. The bed was too soft, the sheets too expensive, and the silence was deafening. I wasn't used to quiet. I was used to the bass of the club shaking my bones and the constant noise of the city outside my apartment window. Here, sixty floors up, the world felt like it had disappeared.The door clicked. It didn't sound like a lock turning—it sounded like a command.Andreas walked in. He had changed out of his suit and into a black silk shirt, the top three buttons undone. He looked relaxed, but his eyes were still tracking my every move. He held a tray with two plates of food."Eat," he said, setting it on the small table by the window.I sat up, pulling the duvet around my shoulders. "I'm not hungry.""You haven't eaten since yesterday. Sit down, Arthur."I stiffened at the use of my real name. He said it so casually, like he’d known it my whole life. I crawled out of bed and sat across from him. The food was some kind o

The Bitter Taste of Want

The air in the boardroom was smelling of old paper and the expensive cologne of men who thought they were more important than they actually were. I sat at the head of the long table, my fingers tapping a slow beat against the wood. Around me, the voices of my captains rose and fell.They were talking about the new shipments coming into the docks. They were talking about the police payoffs in the fourth precinct.I wasn’t listening.Every time I closed my eyes, I saw green. Those wide, panicked, beautiful eyes staring back at me in the dark of the archive room. I could still feel the way Raine’s heart had drummed against my chest when I pinned him to the bed. I could still taste the salt of his skin.I felt a familiar, heavy ache in my lower belly. I was sitting in a meeting that controlled half the city’s underground trade, and all I could think about was getting back upstairs to see if he was still wearing the silk robe I’d left for him. I wanted to see him flushed. I wanted to hear

The Empty Cage

The penthouse was too quiet. It didn't have that slight shift in pressure that happens when another person is breathing in the same room. I stood in the entryway, my coat still on, my chest heaving from the adrenaline of the meeting I’d just ended. I had practically run from the elevator, my mind a mess of thoughts about Raine—about the way his skin felt, the way he looked at me with that mix of fear and something that looked like hunger."Raine?" I called out. My voice sounded rough, even to my own ears.No answer.I walked into the kitchen. A half-full glass of water sat on the counter, a few condensation rings marking the marble. I touched the glass. It was room temperature. He hadn’t been here for a while. My stomach tightened just from the thoughts playing in my head."Raine, if you're playing a game, stop it now," I said, walking toward the bedroom. "I’m not in the mood."I pushed the bedroom door open. The bed was a wreck—the silk sheets were bunched up, a reminder of the hours

The Price of Fresh Air

The wind was blowing wild and I loved it. I leaned my head back, closing my eyes as the city wind whipped through my hair. For the first time in weeks, I didn't smell like the suffocating scent of the club.I smelled like the real world.I kept my hood pulled low as I walked toward my old neighborhood. My legs felt heavy, like I was moving through water. Part of me knew I was being stupid. Part of me knew Andreas would be livid when he saw that note, but I couldn't breathe in that suite anymore. Every time he looked at me, I felt like I was being swallowed whole. Every time he touched me, I forgot why I was there.I wasn't Raine, the dancer. I wasn't the boy in his bed.I was a brother looking for his twin. I was a son looking for justice.I turned the corner onto my old street. The streetlights were flickering, casting long, shaky shadows over the cracked sidewalk. I stopped in front of the building where I’d grown up. The windows were dark, the "For Rent" sign in the lobby covered in

The Gilded Cage

The ride back to the club was the loudest silence I’ve ever heard. Andreas didn’t say a single word. He just stared at the road, his jaw so tight I thought his teeth might crack. Every time he shifted gears, it sounded like he wanted to rip the lever out of the floor. I sat huddled against the door, my stomach still aching from where that man had hit me, watching the blurred streetlights.When we pulled into the private garage, the air changed. It got heavy.Andreas killed the engine and sat there for a second. His hands were still gripped onto the steering wheel. Then, he moved. He didn't walk; he stormed. He rounded the car, hauled my door open, and grabbed my arm."Andreas, you’re hurting me," I gasped, stumbling as he dragged me toward the elevator.He didn't listen. He didn't even look at me.The elevator doors opened on the penthouse floor, and the two new guards standing there jumped about a foot into the air. They looked terrified. They had heard what happened to the last shift

The Red Stain

Two days.I sat on the cold floor of the living room, leaning my back against the locked door. The room turned out to be a total nightmare. Every few hours, the small service slot at the bottom of the kitchen door would click, and a tray of freshly made food would slide through.Steak. Lobster. Risotto. I hadn't touched a single bite. The smell of the rich sauces made me feel sick to my stomach. I shoved the trays back through the slot, sometimes so hard the plates shattered against the wall in the service hall."I’m not a dog!" I screamed at the door. "Eat it yourself, you bastard!"I spent my hours pacing. I slammed the bedroom doors until the frames scattered. I threw a crystal glass at the fucking strong windows just to see if they would crack. They didn't. They were as cold and strong as the man who owned them."You're just like the rest of them!" I yelled, my voice cracking from days of shouting. "You’re just a thug in a nice suit! You’re one of the bad guys, Andreas! You hear me

The Iron and the Velvet

The silence of the dining room was worse than the shouting. It felt like the walls were leaning in, watching me. I sat in the high chair, my hands folded in my lap to hide how much they were shaking. The table was set with heavy silver and white plates that looked like they cost more than my life.Andreas sat at the head, only a few feet away. He had changed his shirt, but I could still see the white bandage on his hand, the red stain blooming through the fabric like a dark flower. He didn't look at me. He just stared at his wine glass."Eat, Raine," he said. His voice was flat.I looked down at the plate. It looked perfect. It made me want to gag. I didn't move my fork. I didn't even pick up the napkin. I just stared at a grain of salt on the tablecloth."I said eat.""I'm not hungry," I whispered."You haven't touched a meal in forty-eight hours. You’re going to make yourself sick.""Maybe that's the point," I snapped, finally looking up. My eyes were burning. "Maybe I don't want to

The Cold Walk Back

The elevator ride down to the medical wing was silent. Andreas stood in the corner, his arms crossed over his chest, staring at the floor. He looked like a stormy cloud ready to burst, but he didn't say a word. He was keeping his promise, even if it was killing him to do it.When the doors opened, the smell of antiseptic and cold air hit me. It was a small, private clinic tucked away in the back of the building."Room four," Andreas said, his voice clipped. He stopped at the entrance of the hallway. "I’ll stay here. Ten minutes, Raine. Not a second more.""Thank you," I whispered.He didn't answer. He just leaned against the wall and looked away, his jaw tight. He was pouting like a child, but a very dangerous child.I hurried down the hall. My heart was thumping against my ribs. I pushed open the door to room four and stopped.Marco was lying on a narrow bed, his head propped up by a few pillows. He had a bandage wrapped around his forehead, and his lip was swollen and purple. His rig

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