KATERINAThe moment Vincent led me through the rusted metal doors of that warehouse, the cold air hit me like a punch to the gut. The space was dimly lit by a few flickering bulbs that cast long, eerie shadows against the concrete walls. I could hear the faint drip of water in the distance, the only sound breaking the suffocating silence.I froze as the overwhelming scent of damp and old metal filled my lungs, and my heart pounded in my chest. The air was thick with tension, and I couldn’t help but feel trapped. My hands were clammy, and a wave of nausea washed over me as I saw the two men, bound and gagged, sitting slumped against a far wall. The sight of them brought back everything. The fear. The helplessness. That night. My breath quickened, and for a moment, I couldn’t tell if I wanted to run or scream. I looked at Vincent, my mind reeling. I didn’t know whether to feel grateful or terrified by what he had done. Every inch of my body tensed as a mix of anger and fear rose in my
KATERINAWhen we got home that afternoon, I needed him. I needed to be cheered up, I needed someone close to me, inside me…Vincent did not have to be told with words. He grabbed me and ravaged my lips as soon as he had me in his arms. He fucked me over and over until I passed out, unable to take anymore.The next day, I had a plan, I had to go visit Kelvin. He would definitely have an explanation for all these, I thought. I wanted to hear him out, whether he wanted to see me or not.I walked into the hospital, the sterile smell of antiseptic clinging to the air. My heart was pounding in my chest, louder than the quiet hum of machines in the background. Kelvin was here—recovering from the car accident—and I was here for answers. I still couldn’t believe it. A restraining order? After everything we had been through? After he hid the fact that Whitney, the woman who had tried to kill me twice, was his sister? The betrayal cut deep, the trust shattered into pieces I wasn’t sure could ev
VINCENT"You distribute drugs now too?" James' eyes were wide in shock as he asked me and I had to glare at him; a reminder that we were still at work and anyone could hear us.He reduced his voice, looking around briefly with a guilty expression on his face."I don't. Not particularly. I communicate with Owen who is apparently the boss and he dispatches the drugs to my warehouse and some other men in lower statuses come to pick up and…" I trailed off, realizing it was the same thing, anyways.James scratched his beard, leaning back against his chair now whilst staring at me.I sighed, "I signed a deal with the devil, James. It should not be so surprising that I am recruited to do the devil's dirty work."I rapped my fingers against the table as I thought about her reaction to this. If James judged me this bad, how would she react, finding that I was associated with murderers and drug dealers?I thought about the last time we had been in bed together. She was addictive. It was like im
KATERINAWhen I finally stirred awake, the world around me felt heavy and strange, like I was caught between a dream and reality. My eyelids fluttered, sluggish, as though they weighed a hundred pounds each. The first thing I noticed was the darkness—the evening had settled in, leaving the room dim, with only faint traces of light creeping in from the window. My mind was foggy, thoughts slipping away before I could catch them, and for a moment, I didn’t know where I was.Then it hit me.Panic flooded my chest. I shot up too fast, my head spinning violently, and had to grab the edge of the bed—was it a bed?—just to steady myself. A deep ache throbbed in my temples, and my limbs felt like they weren’t mine, like I was moving underwater. My mouth was dry, my throat raw, and a sickly sweet taste lingered in the back of my throat. My muscles were stiff, sluggish, as though I’d been in this forced sleep for far too long.No matter how I looked around, I could not quite pinpoint where I was.
VINCENT"Wow, wow. So the man K thinks is her fighter is nothing but a sleazy drug dealer who perhaps just wants to be on her side for money in one form or the other? I wonder how she would take this news once it gets to her." Sawyer pondered with a smile on his face."I will tell her in my own time. Do not be stupid and bring more harm to yourself in the process." I told him with a frown, and he looked like he was thinking for a few seconds, then he burst into laughter."What was that, a threat? You should not be making those. I am the only one in the position to make threats right now, so do not be stupid." He snapped at me, seeming angrier now. I thought about one person—Katerina. My whole body itched to know if this was about her. I had been having a bad feeling about the way she had not been picking up her calls since."Calling me names will not be tolerated, Sawyer as I am not beneath you. You will not speak to me as you please. I have to be on my way, so if you have nothing of
KATERINA"Come back here, you slut!" I heard Reina scream from behind me and I picked up my speed, almost at the door now.Adrenaline pumping through my veins, I dragged the front door open but I had hardly stepped one foot out before my eyes came in contact with not one, but two bulky men in front of me. I swallowed, moving back a few steps.The both men turned around to face me, confusion swirling in their eyes, and then their expression turned to steel. One of them checked behind me and when he did not see anyone, he thundered,"What the hell are you doing out here?" He questioned, stalking towards me. Shaking from fear and determination to leave this place, I checked on both my sides to see if there was any weapon I could use to take them down but I couldn’t find anything.I was so close. The front door was right in front of me, even if the guards looked stiff and indifferent, as if I wasn’t even a threat. My heart raced, and I could feel Whitney and Reina closing in behind me, bu
VINCENTShe was mute all the way to my house. Even while we packed up because I decided that we were leaving to somewhere more private. I had a luxury apartment located in the middle of probably nowhere… kind of like, a province area, and I decided I would take her there.We could lay off steam there for a while, and then return afterward to continue from where she stopped. If she wanted to.I made her eat before we went anywhere. She could barely walk and her eyes were sunken. I fed her when it seemed like she had lost strength to do even that, and she ate off my hands, devouring the meal like her life depended on it.Technically, it did.One of her assaulters had died from internal bleeding as James had reported, I remembered. It was Fred.I had no clue when the time would be right to break that news to her but I knew it was not going to he anytime soon. She looked subdued, tired, and no matter how many times I had asked her to step aside while I sorted out her clothes, she paid me
KATERINAThe luxury apartment Vincent had whisked me away to was perched on the edge of nowhere. Surrounded by rolling hills and endless skies, it was the kind of place that felt completely detached from the rest of the world. No business deals, no corporate empires—just silence, interrupted only by the occasional breeze rustling through the trees outside. It was peaceful, idyllic, a far cry from the life we were both used to.And yet, even in this sanctuary, I couldn’t turn my mind off. My thoughts kept wandering back to my revenge plan, to the people who had crossed me, and the power moves I was supposed to be making. Vincent had somehow convinced me to take a break. To lie low, to let the storm pass for a moment. It was infuriating, in a way, that he knew exactly how to get me out of my own head. Vincent was now leaning back against the headboard, the soft morning light framing his sharp features. Even here, in the intimacy of my bedroom, his presence was magnetic—his jaw set, his