Chapter 5

Chloe Madden

“Oh god, I hate myself,” I mutter as I stare at the half-eaten and half-melted ice cream in my lap. The climax of *How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days* roll on the screen, and I groan as Matthew McConaughey kisses Kate Hudson. Yeah, this is what my life has come to—watching rom-coms and pretending I live in them.

With a sigh, I shove the ice cream tub back into the freezer, lamenting my tragic love life. Just then, a sharp knock on the door startles me, making my cat, Mowgli, knock over the lamp as he bolts to my bedroom.

So fucking dramatic.

I glance at the clock—it's late, and the last thing I expect is a visitor. My heart races as I peek through the peephole and see Carter Gray standing on my doorstep, looking as dangerously charming as ever. My pulse quickens, a mix of fear and something else I don’t want to name surging through me.

I open the door a crack, keeping the chain on. "What are you doing here, Mr. Gray? I am a police officer and what you're planning on doing is illegal!" I reprimand him, trying to sound more confident than I feel.

He smiles, a slow, seductive curve of his lips that sends shivers down my spine. "Illegal? Is that supposed to scare me?"

Umm, well, true. Did I just say that to a man whose entire career is based on illegal things?

"Mr. Gray, it's late. If you want to meet me, you can come to the precinct tomorrow. This is inappropriate and I want you to leave right now."

"I thought you wanted your family to stay safe and for me to not do anything to them. I was here to offer a compromise." His words make me freeze in place. Is he serious? Or is he going to kill me? Well, if he wanted to kill me, my door wasn’t exactly the barrier that would stop him.

"Really?" I ask, hoping I could trust him and that this wouldn’t be the worst decision in the world to trust him. Yeah, Chloe, it’s a great decision to trust a mafia boss.

"Cross my heart, hope to die," he says sarcastically, his beautiful mouth curving into a sweet smile that sends butterflies flitting in my stomach.

"Don’t mock me. I am not a child," I whine as I remove the chain, opening my home to one of the most dangerous men on this planet. I gulp as this Greek god dressed in Carter steps into my home, instantly drawing my eye.

His dark sweater hugs his broad chest, showing off the muscles underneath, while a white shirt peeks out from the collar, adding a clean contrast. He moves with an easy confidence, his athletic build making him undeniably attractive. I can't help but feel a flutter as he walks past me inside my home.

Carter's eyes take in my living room, pausing briefly at the still-playing rom-com on the TV. His lips twitch into an almost-smirk. "I didn't mean to interrupt your... McConaughey marathon."

"Shut up," I snap, feeling heat rise to my cheeks. "What did you wanna talk about, Gray?"

He turns to face me, his eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that makes my breath catch. "I took Zara home to Asher. I was fuming at how far your father took his petty little catching the bad guys fantasy. I was ready to kidnap his wife and then kill him after torturing him for hours, but Zara told me how you protected her from your own father and stayed by her side throughout the interrogation.”

I hold my breath as I wait for him to complete his sentence, hoping he has spared my family because I was kind to his best friend's girlfriend.

“I decided to go about it in a way where your father learns a lesson and we don’t cause any real harm to anyone,” he says, making me smile. But it immediately drops when I realize who I am talking to.

“I feel like I am not gonna like what I hear,” I murmur as he heads towards my kitchen, making me follow him blindly.

“Yeah, but I am not really here to make you an offer you like. I would call it the lesser of two difficult choices: your integrity or your family.” My stomach churns at his words as he flashes me a sad, mocking look before turning the coffee pot on.

“Can you please get to the point?” I ask him breathlessly.

“Sure. I will ‘torture’ you, and you will parrot everything back to your father exactly the way I tell you to. Like today, if you agree, I will make a few cuts and bruises on your body so you can tell your dad that I showed up here to deliver a final warning to him.” He says this without blinking, setting the two cups down and pouring coffee into them, looking very serious.

“So I don’t really have a choice. You are going to harm me, and I have to endure some cuts?” I say, trying to process his nonsense.

“No, of course, you have a choice. I won’t do anything to you without your consent,” he says in a monotonous, serious tone as I look at him like he is crazy.

“Is this a fucking joke? Are you high? My two choices are get hurt or get my father killed?” I yell, unable to hide my frustration and stress.

“I just need to stage a few things, and you have to act out a few things the way I tell you to so that I can teach your father a lesson without hurting his ‘innocent family members.’”

I stare at him, my mind racing. The idea is insane which would involve lying, it could get me permanently fired, but the alternative—letting him take his rage out on my family—is unthinkable.

"You seriously expect me to agree to this?" I ask, incredulous and he nods his head nonchalantly as he keeps a cup of coffee in front of me before taking a sip from his cup.

I take a deep breath, trying to steady myself. "And what happens if I say no?"

"Then I'll have to find another way to get my point across. And believe me, it won't be as clean or safe as this," he says, his tone cold and matter-of-fact.

“How about-“ I start but he interrupts me.

“I am not here for a brainstorming session darling. Pick your choice.” He says as he heads back to the living room, sitting on the couch making himself comfortable.

I look down picking up my cup as I follow him, my heart pounding. "Fine. I'll do it. But you better keep your word."

He nods, flipping through N*****x as if he were in his own home. "I always keep my word, Chloe."

"Could my sister do this instead of me? Her pain tolerance is a lot higher than mine," I say, trying to ignore the fright I felt at the thought of pain.

Carter huffs, switching off the television as he stands up and walks towards me. He steps closer, his eyes locking onto mine. "I am curious, what do you think my answer is going to be to this question?"

"I don’t know, maybe something sarcastic along the lines of, ‘Oh, would you rather I abandon thee entirely, ne'er to trouble thy peace again?’ and then flash me a sweet smile that is supposed to relax me but only makes me more nervous," I ramble as he shoots me a confused look.

"That’s accurate, but why am I speaking like Shakespeare all of a sudden?" he asks, making me wonder why I made that creative choice.

“Because I can speak Shakespearean English and I don’t really get a chance to show… off.” I trail off as I realise how stupid I sound making him look at me with an amused look.

He takes a step closer, invading my personal space. "You helped Zara. That means something to me. But don't mistake my gratitude for weakness. You’re still playing a dangerous game, Chloe."

"I don’t really want to play any games. I'm too scared of all this," I confess, sinking into the couch.

"The one at Disneyworld?" he asks, casually placing a gun on my coffee table before opening his briefcase.

"No, like the Princess of Wales, but that would also do," I groan, absentmindedly playing with my hair.

"Aw, isn't that sweet?" he remarks, turning the briefcase towards me to reveal an array of knives arranged by size, along with some hefty ropes.

"I'm sorry, but your actions don’t match your tone, and it's making me a little scared," I admit, staring at his knife collection with wide eyes.

"Oh, I'm sorry, darling. Would you prefer if I sang you a lullaby to make it all better?" he asks sarcastically, earning a glare from me.

"I know you're mocking me, but I would love to hear that," I retort, though his smile suggests he might actually oblige. He extends his hand, offering to pull me up so we can get started.

Uh-oh.