Chapter One.

Chapter One.

Celine stood completely still, holding her breath so as not to make even the slightest sound.

Her heart rammed against her chest in fast, heavy beats. Cold sweat rolled down her back, crawling over the fine skin there like needle pricks.

Maybe he’ll assume She was not home and go away.

Almost the same second, her front door vibrated with another loud pounding.

“I know you’re in there.” The scratchy voice of her landlord boomed. “I can see you through the window blinds. Open the door this second or so help me, I will rough you up the first chance I get.”

Celine didn’t see any way around it. She’d forgotten about closing the curtains. Now it was going to cost her.

She dropped the whisking spoon on the countertop of the tiny cubicle of a kitchen. Breakfast would have to wait. After Vaughn had had his fill of shouting at her she might not even have enough time to eat anything before going to work.

She smoothed the front of her white dress and hurried towards the door. She had barely pulled on the bolt when the old oak monstrosity swept open, almost throwing her to the ground.

Celine had no time to register the fact that Vaughn was not alone before he seized her around the neck and pushed her hard against the wall.

“I warned you never to mess with me.” He barked into her face, his red one mere inches away and spit flying from his wide-set mouth.

“You’re…you’re choking me…”

“That’s the least of what I want to do to you.”

Stars invaded her eyes, and pain radiated from the squeezed area of her neck. She scratched at the arm holding her but she might as well had been doing nothing. Vaughn was just too big and powerful….

Just like the two men who strolled in behind him. Both were critically tattooed and bald, with arms as wide as tree trunks.

“Is this the girl?” One asked, smiling to reveal cracked front teeth.

Vaughn simply grunted, his eyes never leaving her face.

Cracked-teeth chuckled. “She’s pretty. Too pretty.”

The other one moved into her line of sight. Things were now too blurry to make image of him but she heard his voice as he said, “Ease up a little, pal, so we can get a better look at her.”

Celine sucked in a ragged breath as Vaughn pulled away. Air rushed into her lungs and she doubled over in pure misery.

She kept on gasping even as he gripped her upper arm and dragged her into the living room. If it could be called that, what with how small it was.

“I gave you two days.”

“Please.” She begged. “I'll get it before today runs out.”

It hurt her to plead with the douchebag of a landlord. But she knew that showing her spite wouldn’t earn her any sympathy points. And there were his two lackeys to think about…

“She’s pleading with you, Vaughn.” said Cracked-teeth.

The other one leered. A thin scar ran down the length of the side of his face. “Yeah, Vaughn. Have mercy.”

The three of them sniggered like school bullies cornering their latest victim. In this case, Celine.

She wanted to punch Vaughn's weak chin back into his jaws. How she ached to rid Cracked-teeth's mouth of the brown excuses he called teeth. Scar-face would’ve looked a little better with a heavy black eye.

The Celine of a few years ago wouldn’t have thought twice about making all that happen. She wouldn’t have even rented a room in such a crappy apartment. No one, not even Vaughn with all his wasted muscle and bad breath, would’ve messed with her.

But she wasn’t that girl anymore, the fiery one who had to have her way or die fighting for it. In the space of five years, from after the dark stuff that scarred her for life happened, everything changed. Not for the good.

“You borrowed two hundred pounds from me. Added to your outstanding rent, that’s about 450.”

Celine’s heart dropped. “450? But my monthly rent is 100 pounds?”

He snorted. “Haven’t you seen the news this morning? Prices just shot up to an all time high. Blame the filthy government and their propaganda.”

“With a pretty face and long legs like yours you shouldn’t be worrying about money.” said Scar-face, circling around her. There was an unnerving glint in his eyes.

Celine was grateful that she had on a sleeved dress that covered everything well. “I don’t understand what you mean.” She did.

Cracked-teeth stepped closer, looming over her. “Don’t play dumb with us, Beauty.”

His breath hit her like the sour smell of stale milk. She shuffled away.

“Do you have the money?” asked Vaughn.

“Not right now. But I’ll have it before night.” She hated to hear the tremble in her voice. Her body shook like a kitten’s, beaten and afraid.

Vaughn continued to smirk at her. “I don’t see you paying me back with cash before then.”

“I will. I promise...Please.”

He thought about it for a while. Behind him, the his friends muttered things, vile things from the looks of their faces and their throaty laughs.

“Tonight, Celine.” Vaughn said finally. “When I come here again, I won’t ask for anything. I will collect. I’ll let these two collect too.” He winked, and turned away.

Cracked-teeth brushed passed her. “See you later, Beauty.”

Scar-face on his part simply continued to stare at her as he backed out of the room. There was something not right about the darkness in his eyes. It made her skin crawl.

Celine waited only a second after they were all out before she rushed to the door and bolted it shut.

She fell against it and slid to the ground.

Tears spilled from her eyes of their own accord and pain ripped out from her chest.

This should not be happening. Not after everything she had been through. She had escaped from her choking past to come here, only to end up in something seemingly worse.

From the frying pan and into the fire. Celine's luck always went that way.

It was a few minutes later when she was able to pull herself up.

She had only one way out. One she was always forced into. Run away. Vaughn was never going to let her be or go Scot free. He’d been at her neck since she moved in.

After splashing cold water on her face from the kitchen sink, she grabbed her purse. Not the one she normally took to work. This one was bigger, and already contained her passports, important documents and a couple of pound notes. It contained everything worthy she owned.

She would go to work for today. Afterwards she’d collect a half salary for the month and the full one of last month. It was because of said job that she had borrowed from Vaughn in the first place.

 Her boss had promised to pay her outstanding salary today. Just like he’d promised a couple of times before. She only hoped he came through this time. She couldn’t spend another terrible day here.

She didn’t bother to lock the door behind her. She wasn’t coming back.

She skulked around the passage, refusing to think of what she would need to do if she ran into her landlord.

She made it down the single stairs and out into the open air of Frostone city. The bus stop was just up the road, and she didn’t need to wait long before a miniature street car pulled up to let her board.

The Carmollete where she worked as a waiter was on the other part of the wild city. It was part of a chain of diners that catered to the wealthy and sophisticated, with seasoned chefs that prepared classic dishes from all over the world.

She loved working there. Not because it wasn’t stressful. It was. Eight hours each day she had to spend on her feet, running around with a polite smile that never slid from her face even when any of her charges didn’t deserve it.

No, it wasn’t the nature of the job that appealed to her. It was the fact that she got to see finery and riches close up. Fortune five hundred companies met up for workers dinner there. CEOs of companies were on the clients list. Women of cashmere, silk and priceless jewelries were not left out.

Celine enjoyed watching them, feeling the pleasures and complications of their carefree lives even from a distance. It was a life she once enjoyed as a teenager. One she hadn’t known she would leave behind forever because of a terrible accident that took away everything. An accident she had caused.

It was about ten minutes into the short ride that she realized that something was wrong.

The car was an electronic driven one, just like ever other vehicle in the city, and could seat twenty people. It was normally almost filled up by the time it got to her stop.

That was not the case today. She’d been too deep in thoughts to notice before.

Except for the driver who was scrolling through his phone in the front booth—the car was on autopilot—there was no one else in the car….

Or so she thought at first.

At the very back of the car, tucked into the angle of the left side was someone hidden in the shadows. The center lights along the aisle had been turned off to conserve energy.

Celine could just make out a pristine black suite, a head of ink black hair and piercing blue eyes. Said eyes held both intelligence and unbelief at that moment. And they were pinned on her like lasers.

She squirmed in the seat, feeling hot all over suddenly. A strange man was staring at her as if he’d seen a ghost, and in the empty car, that was beyond creepy.

She tries to focus on the passing city outside the round window on her side. Tall skyscrapers of chrome and glass. Other street cars. People rushing for their jobs and the likes…

But her eyes trailed back to the left angle…and her heart jolted again. The man, the strange man sat unmoving. Pale and shocked. Still staring at her.

Celine slid down the seat and prayed for her stop to come quickly. When it finally did, she picked up her purse and practically ran out.

She felt the heat of his gaze burning a hole through her back even as she retreated.

She didn’t look back once.