It was Louis. And she was back to fix me with her scrutinizing gaze.“I won’t say this again, young lady. Get back here and sit tight.”My legs acted before my brain completely processed the situation. My butt dropped back into the chair.Louis sat back and smiled. “That’s like a good girl.”Only a bone was left for her to wave at me to really make me feel like a dog.“Now,” she began, picking up the menu from the table and handing it to another woman sitting beside her. “While I have a one-to-one with this lovely young lady over here, why don’t you oldies order something to eat? Don’t want you grouchy later.”“I would take that as a personal attack, but I’m genuinely hungry,” the woman who sat to my right grumbled, yanking the menu out of Louis’ hand and calling for a server before she even picked her meals.While both the other women busied themselves with the menu and the server that arrived to take their orders, Louis placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to get my attention. “So,
[MADDOX]“It’s only a matter of a few days,” I said over the phone, rubbing my temples. “Once I’m sure he isn’t planning anything nefarious, you’ll be free to go. So, please, for the love of God, stop giving hard times to my men. I posted them outside of your house for your own safety and not for any sort of kick.”“It’s already been three days, Maddox,” she droned, sounding annoyed.“You don’t know him, Jade. He is a fucking psycho. Once he gets the hang of something, he doesn’t let go until he sucks the life out of it.”“I’ve read his file. I know about his…obsessions.”“Then you should know better than to take him for granted. He is a dangerous man, Jade, and if we want to destroy him in his own game, we need to think and act like him. Else, he’ll be always one step ahead of us and we’ll never be able to…”“…avenge Emily?”“Catch him...but yeah, that too.”“I trust you, Maddox. I hope you know that. But it still annoys me that I can’t get the hell out of this place. I’m so fucking b
[MADDOX]“Don’t forget to get her some flowers,” mom followed me, as I steered towards the door and turned my jacket to my left hand.“Gotcha, mom!” With another roll of my eyes, I walked down the porch and bossed for the car waiting outside.“Don’t just keep talking about yourself. Let her talk. Be a good listener.”Was she really coaching me on how to talk to people? Did she think I didn’t know that already?Feeling the phone vibrate in my pocket, I slipped it out and checked for the new messages that arrived. Mom kept droning about something in the background while I texted back some instructions to Margo so she could forward them to those Chinese clients.Abruptly, someone ripped the phone out of my hand.I frowned.“Mom!”“Did you even listen to a word I said?” she glowered, her face flushed with irritation. “This is the damn reason you’re not married yet, and no girl wants to go out with you. You’re so distracted all the time with this work that it never ends. How are you going t
After texting Josh the address of the venue of the date, I met Jade in the hotel room where she was staying.We ordered the food in the room and ate while talking about what our next plan of action should be. Now that our intentions of catching that man red-handed were exposed, we needed to alter our methods. Jade suggested it would be better if we quit going after him for a while.“Let him think we are out of his hair,” she said, wiping her mouth with the napkin. “He would be more cautious because of our interference now. So, there’s no point in going after him until he’s confident enough to get back into his game. We both know it wouldn’t take long. His obsession wouldn’t put him at ease for that long. He’ll snap sooner or later, and that’ll be the opportunity we would have to seize.”“Fair enough,” I gave her a nod. “But what if he went into hiding again? We still don’t know the people who are helping him.”“He won’t!” she said confidently. “He is a cocky bastard. If we actually ba
[MADDOX]The man choked and let out of strangled noise. “W-what…are…you…? Let me…let me go,” he picked at my grip, a pathetic attempt to release himself.He should have known better than to take my warning for granted. The fucker needed to pay for it now.“Leave him, you jerk!” a woman shrieked next to me, yanking at my hand and cussing me aloud.I snapped my head at her, warning her to stay out of this.She gasped, eyes fear-stricken as she gulped and grew pale as a ghost.It was only after I stared at the man’s face for a little longer; I realized he wasn’t Josh.I released my hold, and he fell to the floor with a heavy thud.Did I just…?The same woman came hurrying next to his side. “What the hell is wrong with you?” she cried, tears pouring down her face. She cradled the face of the man, blood flooding back to his pale skin. “Kyle, are you alright, baby? Are you hurt? Manager! Where’s the manager? We need a doctor here!”…lose control?I lurched backwards.They weren’t at the res
My feet halted as I slowly turned around.“She’s not with me,” he spoke sincerely, putting the glass down.“You want me to buy that?” what the fuck did he take me for?“Believe me or not, Maddox, but that’s the truth," he snarled. "We sat for a while and talked a bit. But that's all. She told me after a while she wasn't feeling great. I offered to drop her home, but she refused outrightly. So, I just got her a cab instead.”I was too staggered to comment on what he said. Something weird was happening inside me. I tried to ignore it.A deep frown etched upon his forehead as I approached him and punched him in the face.He hissed, rubbing his jaw. “What the fuck was that for?”I grabbed him by the collar and tugged him closer to my face, wanting nothing more than to burn him alive. “For deliberately ignoring my calls. Don’t do that ever again, Josh. Or I swear, I’ll kill you for real.”* * *It was midnight by the time I made it to her apartment. With jittery fingers, I rang the doorbel
[ZARA]“What the hell?” Glaring up at the man who seemed to have the best time of his life, I scowled. “Get these off me, you jerk! What the hell is wrong with you?”Maddox chuckled. “Darling, if that’s what you call begging, I hate to break this to you, but you’ve learnt it all wrong.”Asshole. There were no words to explain how much I hated him right now. Fucking bastard!And myself, too.For being stupid enough to let him in the previous night and do what he always did. Use me as per his liking. Not that my head hadn’t been in the same gutter as his, but I could still find excuses for giving in. First of all, I was half-asleep. My guards were down and I hadn’t been thinking straight since the moment I returned from my so-called blind date. I didn’t have the first clue what the heck even happened yesterday.When Josh showed up on the date, I was shocked beyond sanity. How could it be? And what were the freaking chances?All the while we talked and sat together in that lavish ambienc
I swallowed really hard, wheezing, the chill in the room causing me to shiver ever so gently. A little annoyed that my chest was on complete display now. Ugh, I hated this situation. Naked. Cuffed. And sweaty as hell.Not able to think of any other resort, I tugged harshly on the cuffs, hissing when the metal cut through the skin.“Stop it!” I heard Maddox shout. “You’re hurting yourself.”But it was as if I had to do what he asked me not to. I tugged on them harder, almost turning my wrists red with the harsh friction.In one swift motion, a pair of hands arrived and released the cuffs from the posts of the headboard. I quickly scrambled to sit up. Only to realize my hands were still cuffed. I was just not tied to the bed anymore.It was still better, though. I could at least cover myself. Speaking of which—I bent by the waist to grab the sheets and pulled them over my shoulders.“Are you done?” he asked, annoyed, no more squeezing his balls to relieve the pain I might have caused. I
[ZARA]I play with the button on his shirt and grin. “What if I told you, it wasn’t exactly our first meeting?”He looks puzzled. “What do you mean? Have we met before? When?”“Five months before we met in your office.”“Are you serious?” Sitting straighter, he adjusts me on his lap while I move my arms around his round shoulder. “When? And why don’t I remember anything?”“In the restaurant where I used to work. You know, the one you had me fired from?” I arch an eyebrow, still pissed at what he did.He’s quick to apologize, his warm fingers exploring the expanse of my back. “I think we already established the fact that I was a dick then. Can we move on? Please?”“Alright.” I roll my eyes and laugh when he tickles my sides. “You were there with a few of your employees, and as luck would have it, we were also running low on staff. So, I came up to take your order.”“You did what?” He looks so shocked, it makes me grin wider. “What the hell was I doing?”I shrug. “I don’t know? You were
“With contacts like him, dad found me within an hour. I was in the hospital. Badly beaten and bruised. Yet, the first thing dad did when he saw me in the hospital bed was to throw everyone out of the room and slap me hard. He told me I was lucky to be outside because if we were at home, he would have broken my legs if that’s what it took to stop me from being a brat.”“But…” a small smile curled at the corner of his lips. “Little did he know we weren’t alone in that room. When he tried to hit me again, a notebook smacked the side of his face.”“What?” Did I hear him right? “Who did that?”Maddox looked at me before turning his gaze back to the warm fire. “A little girl. Not over nine. She was so tiny and yet so fierce in front of my dad. She even shouted at him to leave me alone. Dad was furious. Oh, you should have seen his face. He literally turned red. Before dad could react, another man stepped into the room. He was the father of that little girl and later I came to know they were
*ONE MONTH LATER*[ZARA]There’s a knock on the door and the first thing I do is look up at the time.It’s five past midnight. That can only mean two things.One: The person outside is in a grave emergency.Two: Someone is here to rob us, but has the decency to announce his presence so we could prepare for the worst.But when I step out of my room and look through the peephole, breath hitches in my throat for an entirely different reason.Maddox stands outside with a sweeping backdrop of snow.I don’t think twice before unlocking the door and pulling it open. A flurry of chilly nights whips me in the face, shooting a blunt shiver down my spine.“What are you doing here?” There had to be a good reason for him to show up at this godawful hour of the night. “Is Louis, okay?”It’s only been a month since we all learned of Nadine’s brutal death. News that took everyone by surprise and the whole media by storm. Even after a month had passed, we could find people on the streets, in shops and
Ten minutes later, Zachary, Kevin and Zara walk out of the house, too. They are still in some sort of conversation when Zara finally notices me and holds my gaze for a little longer than I expected. I’m the first one to look away and instantly feel like a fucking coward.Every cell—every bone—in my body screams at me to make this right, to bring her back home no matter what it takes. But a huge part of me is as clueless as a newborn baby. It doesn’t know what to say or what to do to convince her to come back into my life—to give me another chance. Do I even deserve a second chance? It’s because of me she had to endure so much that only became her fate because I couldn’t let go. I didn’t know how to.“Are you ready to go?” I hear Kevin ask as he made his way over to where I stand near their car. He looks around. “Where’s Nathan?”“He left.” I fill him in. “Something came up. I hope it’s alright if I tag along.”“Are you kidding me?” For the first time, he doesn’t look like he’s about t
[MADDOX]It’s odd how often I have driven by her house, but never really cared to turn my head and look. But now that I stand in front of it, I know why she fought so hard to take it back.The house is nothing out of a fairy tale. It’s decently constructed, has only one floor and is yellow. Not just any yellow but the one that makes you question why someone would do that to their house. Do they not love it? Is that supposed to be a punishment for the eyes of the beholder? How could a house be so yellow? It’s literally tormenting.But maybe it’s because I have known Zara long enough that I can tell you for sure this is just her way of showing a middle finger to the world. A message in capital letters that she doesn’t care about and can’t be bothered by the opinions of others. She’s gonna be herself no matter what and the rest of the world can simply fuck themselves.If one can look past the yellowness of the house, one would see the details that make this house a home. There’s a picket
“Thanks for coming on such short notice. Mr Gracias. Mr Richmond.” Officer Newman greeted us, gesturing us to take seats.Zachary and I took seats across from him while Nathan and Kevin decided to wait outside.“It’s no problem, officer. How can we help?” I asked.“Well, as we conversed over the phone, we found some bodies. They are, as expected, burnt and impossible to recognize. The face, that is. And because, Mr Gracias, your sister is still missing, we were hoping you will be willing to go through the accessories and clothes we found on the victims. This will help us narrow down our options and decide what the next course of action should be.”“Of course.” Zachary said, and for the first time, I caught the strain in his voice.“Great.” Officer Newman said and retrieved three transparent packets from the desk behind him. Carefully, he laid them all on the table and stood up. “I’ll give you guys a minute.”’Once the officer left us alone in the room, I turned to face Zachary. “Do yo
[MADDOX]“How long are you gonna sulk?” Nathan asked, and the whim to throw him out of the car was exhausting.“I’m NOT sulking.” Without saving him a single glance, I told him as calmly as possible. I looked outside the window instead and searched for a familiar face.Five minutes ago, we pulled up outside the police headquarters. Zachary and his brother, Kevin, were supposed to meet us here. For now, all I could see were cops and irrelevant people moving in and out of the building. No sign of the Gracias family.“And not growing any younger, either.” Nathan deadpanned, and I finally decided to fix him whatever glare.“Did you just make a joke about my age?” That should be hardly any concern to me. Especially when mom did it all the time. But since the moment I woke up this morning, I hadn’t been in the mood to take anyone’s shit. It might have had something to do with the fact Zara ended everything between us yesterday and left for good. Actually, fuck that! My mood was spoiled beca
“It’s not true.” He retorted, but when I gave him a pointed look, he shut his mouth and let me finish.“That what you think, what you say and what you do is best for everyone. That you have the right to decide for everyone because, in your head, no one is more capable than you are. You’re so controlling that you don’t even care how suffocating that could be for someone. In fact, not just me, for anyone at all. You make the rules and expect everyone to follow them without question. You are so deep in your head that you’ve become delusional. No one can reason with you because you don’t listen and neither do you trust. You know of whom you remind me?”There was a beat of silence before he spoke, the crease across his forehead tightening. “I am NOT like Richard.”“No. You aren’t. But you’re no different either. You are just as tyrannical, if not less.”He peered down at his hands and shook his head. “I…I don’t know how that happened.” A look of surprise crossed his face, water glistening
[ZARA]I woke up in a dark room.For a second, I thought I was back in that hellhole.I sat up with a jolt, so fast my head swayed and the entire room spun. A dark figure loomed near the foot of the bed and fear hijacked my mind.I whimpered, feeling something hard against my back, stuck in the middle of a shadow of the man and something that barred me from crawling backwards. Panic prickled the back of my neck, chewing at the little sanity I still had intact. But it was only when the shadow moved and took a step closer, I screamed like hell.“Zara!” Someone called. It came from the dark figure. “Calm down. It’s me.” He said and took another, cautious step in my direction. The shaft of light sneaking from the cracks between the curtains struck his face. My shoulders dropped, and panic melted when it hit me who he was.“Brandon?” It really was him. But…“Shit! I didn’t know you could screech like that.” He said and I could tell he was trying to act all cool while from the inside he was