“Dad!” she screams, her voice cracking as the car disappears from sight. My grip on her remains unyielding, my hands steady around her. I can feel her trembling, her shoulders shaking with sobs. She doesn’t stop struggling, but I don’t let go.She turns to me, her face streaked with tears, her eyes brimming and swollen. Her cheeks sag, a picture of heartbreak.“Please,” she whispers, her voice trembling. “Just let me go. Let me go back to my family.”Her words sting in a way I didn’t expect, but I ignore the pang in my chest. She doesn’t understand—she can’t. I hoist her over my shoulder, ignoring her soft cries and the weak pounding of her fists against my back.The walk to the house feels longer than it should, her muffled pleas ringing in my ears. I push the door open and head straight to my room, the only place where I can remind her what she means to me.Her tears seep into my shirt, warm and wet, but I don’t stop. She’s mine. She belongs here.I set her down gently, sitting her
SkyMy eyes flutter open to the sound of my stomach growling, a hollow ache reminding me of how little I’ve eaten. I sit up, resting my head against the pillow behind me, and let out a deep sigh. The events of last night replay in my mind—the failed attempt to see my father, the crushing disappointment. The open window lets in a cool breeze, carrying with it an unnerving silence. It’s eerily quiet.Dare isn’t home.The realization sparks a glimmer of hope. I scramble to the closet, yanking out the white sheets, my hands moving with a frantic urgency. I drag the sheets to the bed, tying the ends together in tight knots. Next, I pull down the black curtains and secure them to the makeshift rope. My heart pounds as I glance out the window, checking the ground below.The guards are fewer than usual.A smile creeps across my face. Maybe this is it—my chance to escape him. My father must be worried sick, and I can’t let him stay that way. I know I swore my life to Dare in that moment of des
Dare I have been quiet for a while now, trying to control the urge to snap her pretty little neck and rid myself of the trouble she brings. It takes everything in me to stay composed, but the thought of her daring to escape me gnaws at the edges of my patience. How far was she willing to go just to get away from me?I replayed the scene in my head, watching her through the cameras in her room as she tied the ends of the sheet together. Brave of her, trying to climb down the window like that. If I hadn’t caught sight of the man lurking outside the gate, waiting to whisk her away, she might have made it. That thought alone tightens the knot in my chest—a mixture of fury and something deeper, something I refuse to acknowledge.“Did you forget what you said to me?” My voice is low but sharp, my eyes locked on her. Her head is bowed, but I can see the sadness in her eyes when she glances up, the glint of guilt trying to play its part.It doesn’t move me.A deal is a deal, and she belongs
SkyI ran down the corridor, my bare feet slapping against the cold floor as I knocked frantically on door after door, hoping someone would answer. Time felt like it was slipping through my fingers. Any moment now, Dare would realize I was gone, and if he found me, there would be no escape.A door creaked open behind me, and I spun around. A man in his thirties stepped out, his curly hair messy, a robe draped loosely over his frame. His sleepy eyes scanned me, taking in my dark hair and the oversized white robe clinging to my trembling body.“Please,” I begged, my voice shaking. “Can I use your phone?”He hesitated, glancing down the hall. My heart pounded in my chest, the room Dare and I had shared looming at the end of the corridor. I could almost feel his presence, his shadow creeping closer.“Please,” I repeated, desperation cracking my voice. “Just one call. I promise.”The man sighed, his gaze flicking around nervously, but he finally opened the door wider. Without waiting, I da
Dare “You threw me!” she screams, her voice trembling with rage as I step down from the garbage truck. “I could have died!” “But you didn’t,” I say flatly. “Let’s go.” “I’m not going anywhere with you!” Her defiance is infuriating, but this isn’t a negotiation. Grabbing her arm, I drag her along despite her struggles. She pulls against my grip, but it’s pointless—I’m not letting go. Mark is starting to get on my nerves. If I weren’t cornered with her in tow, I would’ve torn through those men and killed him myself, consequences be damned. But things are different now. I miss the days when my decisions didn’t come with strings attached. No responsibilities. No vulnerabilities. I could kill her right here if I wanted, but the thought of Mark or anyone else getting their hands on her twists something dark inside me. She makes me greedy. Possessive, if you want to call it that. She drives me insane. A week with her and I’m addicted, obsessed. The idea of losing her is unbearable, ev
Sky We arrive at another location which I could only assume was one of his safe house. I wasted no time finding a room, peeling off my filthy clothes, and rushing into the bathroom. I was still seething. He had thrown me—literally thrown me—out of a window into a trash cabinet. The stench was unbearable, clinging to my skin as if it had fused with my pores. And the chase? My life dangled by a thread the entire time, all thanks to him. As I stood under the stream of water, my thoughts drifted to my father. He was probably tearing the hotel apart by now, looking for me. But we’d already slipped away, leaving no trace. Would he find me in time? The sound of the bathroom door creaking open jolted me from my thoughts. My head whipped around, and my eyes widened. “What are you doing?” I yelled, grabbing a towel to cover myself. Dare stepped in, completely unfazed, and completely naked. The water from the shower streamed over his sculpted figure as he stood under the same spray as me.
Sky Kayla's voice rang out behind me, loud as she counted. “Twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine…” I sprinted toward the house, my heart pounding with excitement. The sun was beginning to dip behind the trees, casting long shadows over Mrs. Klaus garden. I pushed the door open quietly, careful not to let it slam and give away my position. Inside, the smell of roasted chicken and freshly baked bread filled the air. Mrs. Klaus was in the dining room, carefully laying out plates and silverware. She looked up as I darted past, her expression half-amused and half-stern. “No running in the house, Sky,” she warned. “I’m playing hide-and-seek with Kayla!” I whispered back, my tone conspiratorial, as though it excused everything. Mrs. Klaus rolled her eyes but waved me off. “Just don’t break anything.” I nodded and moved quickly through the living room, scanning for the perfect hiding spot. The cabinet by the bookshelf caught my eye. It was just big enough for me to squeeze into if I
Dare Everything was out of place, things were turning out more differently that I expected it to, From the minute I met Sky into my life and the visit from Mark, it was all a disaster. The sound of the door bell catches my attention and I make my way to the door. An unexpected guess stands there with a smile on his face. “Dare, it’s been a while” Mark says. He is wearing a blue Jean on a black leather jacket clad with his combat boot. I spot the BMW right behind him and he turns his eyes to it. “Sweet ride don’t you think” he asks and I give him a slight nod. Mark and I have been buddies, we work for the same organization until I left and decided to start afresh. When he first joined us, he was a naive little boy who needed a family, I thought him everything he knew, made sure he could stay on his back on his own. He was my right hand man, I’m certain that when I left he took over my position. “Why are you here?” I ask leaning on the door, the urge to let him in was the las
Morning sunlight filtered softly through the curtains of Darla’s room, painting delicate patterns across the hardwood floor. The warmth was gentle, almost coaxing, but she remained curled beneath the covers, knees drawn to her chest, eyes fixed on the phone in her hands. It was an older model, chipped at the edges and slow to respond, but it held pieces of her past she couldn’t bring herself to erase.A hesitant knock at the door broke the silence, and Darla tensed instinctively, fingers tightening around the phone. But the voice that followed was warm, familiar, and a little rough with age.“Darla?” Marcel called softly. “Breakfast is ready downstairs. I made some coffee too—figured you could use it.”She exhaled slowly, the tension bleeding from her shoulders. Marcel’s presence was still new, a puzzle piece she hadn’t expected but found herself clinging to. He was a stranger in some ways—his eyes older, face lined with years of grief and weariness—but the kindness in his gaze was th
Ethan’s knuckles rapped against the door for the third time, the hollow sound echoing through the deserted hotel hallway. He leaned in, jaw clenched tight, heart hammering painfully against his ribcage. Silence stretched on the other side—deafening, absolute. Not even a whisper of movement.He swore under his breath, frustration spiking hot and sharp through his veins. Darla had to be inside. She wasn’t the type to ignore people, no matter how furious or hurt she might have been. Not unless…His breath hitched at the thought, fingers flexing against the smooth wood of the door. No. She couldn’t have left—not without a word, not when there was so much unresolved between them.But the silence lingered, unbroken and oppressive, taunting him with every heartbeat.“Darla!” he called, voice low but urgent, fingers tightening around the door handle. “Open up. We need to talk.”Nothing.An icy tendril of dread curled in his gut, twisting tighter with each passing second. His eyes narrowed, pu
The suitcase lay open on the bed, half-filled with clothes hastily folded and shoes shoved into corners. Darla’s hands trembled as she reached for another dress, the soft fabric slipping between her fingers as she struggled to breathe evenly. Her heart pounded a frantic rhythm against her ribs, her pulse a dull roar in her ears.She bit down on her lip, hard enough to sting, and forced herself to focus—one item at a time, one movement at a time. Pack, zip, leave. Simple. Necessary. Anything to escape the suffocating walls of the hotel room and the possibility of running into him again.Ethan.The name alone sent a fresh wave of panic crashing through her, her fingers faltering around the edge of a blouse. His eyes, dark and unreadable, flashed unbidden in her mind—the way they’d looked at her in the lobby, a mixture of shock and something else she couldn’t name. Something raw and aching that left her chest tight and her breath shallow.She squeezed her eyes shut, forcing the memory aw
Esther’s eyes flicked to the clock on her office wall for the fifth time in as many minutes. Each tick seemed to echo louder than the last, pounding in her ears like a cruel reminder. It was past seven in the evening, the sky outside her floor-to-ceiling windows a dull gray, streaked with the last traces of daylight. Her phone lay face-up on her desk, dark and silent despite the dozen missed calls she had made.She drew in a shaky breath, forcing herself to focus on the financial reports open on her monitor, but the numbers blurred together, meaningless. The cursor blinked accusingly, a taunt to her futile attempts at distraction. Her manicured fingers drummed nervously against the mahogany desk, a tremor betraying her otherwise composed exterior.Two hours.For two hours, she had been calling Roy.And for two hours, he had not picked up. Not once.Her chest tightened painfully, a dull ache settling beneath her ribs. The same ache that had been festering since that night—since Darla h
Author’s POVThe low buzz of conversation filled the VIP section of the Rooftop Bar, but Roy barely registered it. His fingers curled around the neck of his beer bottle, the cool glass slick against his palm. It was already past three in the afternoon, and he was on his third bottle—maybe fourth. He wasn’t even sure anymore.He had come here thinking a few drinks with the boys might clear his head. It didn’t.King’s voice cut through the haze, smooth and casual. “What’s on your mind, buddy?” he asked, leaning back in his chair. The bottle in his hand clinked softly against the table, but Roy’s eyes remained distant, fixed somewhere beyond the dim blue lights flickering above.The atmosphere was suffocating. The heavy curtains blocked out any sunlight, making it impossible to tell if it was day or night. But the gloom felt fitting—an external mirror of the storm churning inside him.Darla.Her name surfaced in his mind unbidden, bringing with it a flood of memories he’d tried and faile
Ethan’s knuckles had turned red the moment he stepped out of the car, his fingers clenched so tightly that the veins beneath his skin protruded like strained cables. He flexed his hand absently, a futile attempt to shake off the tension that seemed embedded too deep to dislodge. The car ride had been mortifying, the low hum of conversation between John and Carlo barely registering. Their voices melded into the background—mere noise compared to the chaos raging inside his head.Darla.She had been right there. Right in front of him. And yet, the instant their eyes met, she had turned and fled. As if he were something to be avoided. As if he were nothing.How many times was she going to keep running from him?A sharp exhale left him, his jaw tightening with barely restrained frustration. He could never forget that face—those eyes, the way her lips parted in that fleeting second before she bolted like a coward. His chest burned with something raw and unnameable.Anger?Frustration?Pain?
The shrill ringing of the alarm clock waked Darla up. She groaned, her hand fumbling blindly across the nightstand until her fingers closed around her phone. Squinting against the harsh light of the screen, her eyes widened at the numbers glaring back at her.9:12 AM.Panic jolted her up, sending a violent pulse of pain through her skull.Shit. Shit. Shit.Her meeting was at 10 AM. She was supposed to wake up early, go over her notes one last time—not drown herself in alcohol and pass out fully dressed. The nausea hit first, causing the room to spin dangerously. Gritting her teeth, Darla pressed her fingers to her temples as if that could somehow hold her brain together.This is what you get, Darla.The floor tilted beneath her feet as she stumbled into the bathroom. She barely registered the icy chill of the shower before a sharp gasp tore from her throat. The shock of cold water slammed into her, dulling the pounding in her head just enough to think.You don’t have time for this.S
Revenge is a slow burn—a fire that starts deep in your gut and spreads until it consumes everything in its path.People warn against it, say it will rot you from the inside out.But they never talk about the rush.The satisfaction.The raw power of watching the people who wronged you crumble under the weight of their own sins.Darla never knew how intoxicating it could be—until tonight.She had seen the way their expressions twisted—first shock, then anger, then finally settling into pure hatred.At least, hers did.Esther.God, she hated Darla.It was written all over her perfectly painted face, hidden beneath layers of artificial charm. The way she clutched Roy’s arm, fingers digging into his sleeve as if Darla were a ghost who had returned to haunt her.And maybe she had.Maybe she wanted to be.She couldn’t stand Esther.Not just because she had married Darla’s fiancé, but because she had stolen the life Darla was supposed to have. The love. The family she had envisioned.Esther h
Roy Claus was still pisded about his anniversary being ruined, his entire world was unraveling in the span of a single night.After four years of silence, four years of pretending she never existed, of pushing her memory into the darkest corners of his mind—she came back.And she wrecked everything.The sound of shattering glass still echoed in his head.His perfect night—ruined. He could step out and face the guests, he felt so ashamed.A soft touch landed on his arm.“Roy…”Esther called him.Her voice was gentle, careful—too careful. As if she were willing the room to forget what had just happened, to pretend that Darla hadn’t just torn open a wound that was never meant to heal.Roy turned to her sharply, his hand grabbing her wrist before he even realized what he was doing.She flinched.“What the hell did she mean?” he raked, demanding answers he wasn’t sure he wanted.But he needed them.He couldn't forget the scene where Darla whispered into her ears, it made him feel like he wa