I shove the phone back in my pocket, clutching the shoebox tighter as I move. My legs carry me faster than my brain can catch up. Every step takes me farther from Shadow, from the warmth of his bed, and deeper into the depths of hell.
I keep glancing over my shoulder, sure I’ll see him storming after me, but there’s nothing. Just the hollow echo of my trainers on the pavement and the frantic hammer of my pulse.
This is right. It has to be right, I tell myself over and over. If I can just get him off my back, pay part of what I owe, maybe he’ll ease up. Maybe I can finally breathe and get my head straight.
By the time I reach the address—a derelict car park in the middle of nowhere—my mouth is dry, my palms slick with sweat. A single car sits in the middle, and as I edge closer, the driver’s door creaks open and the same hulking man from before steps out, smirking as he pulls open the rear door.
I slide in, my heartbeat thundering. Inside, I’m met by the cruel smile of the man I owe.
“You know,” I say, forcing my chin higher, “we’ve had so much communication, and I don’t even have your name.”
“I’m impressed, Remika,” he drawls, my name dripping from his tongue like poison. “I half-expected you to run crying to your biker friends.”
“Not my style.”
His smile deepens. “Shame we didn’t meet under better circumstances. I think I would’ve liked you.” He holds out his hands, expectant.
I shove the box towards him. “I’m certain I’d still hate you.”
He flips the lid and peers inside, thumbing the stacks of notes. His expression hardens. “This isn’t anywhere near the twenty you owe.”
“I told you I didn’t have it all.”
In a flash, his hand shoots out, fingers clamping tight around my throat. The box slips from his lap, spilling cash across the seat.
“And I told you, your time was running out,” he hisses, spittle flecking my face. His other hand clamps onto my knee, the grip bruising. “Maybe I should take anextra paymentto keep me sweet.”
The car door beside me suddenly yanks open. The hulking man leans in, his massive hands closing around my arms like iron shackles. I jerk back, but he pins me against the seat, my wrists trapped in his grip, the pressure biting into my skin.
“Hold her still,” my debtor murmurs, his smile widening.
Panic flares white-hot in my chest as he shifts closer. His hand slides up my thigh, slow and deliberate, the threat in his eyes unmistakable.
“No—” My voice cracks. I thrash, but the brute beside me doesn’t budge, his weight crushing me down.
“Relax, sweetheart,” the man drawls, leaning in so close, I can smell the stench of his breath. “You’re behind on payments. Consider this . . . interest.”
My stomach lurches, bile rising in my throat. Every nerve screams as his fingers dig harder into my skin, pushing higher.
“I said I’ll get you the money,” I rasp, straining against the hold on my arms. “Just stop.”
He chuckles low, the sound vibrating against my ear. “You’ve already proven you can’t pay.”
Desperation claws at me, ripping past my pride. “I can! This was just a start,” I shout, my voice raw. “I can get the rest . . . by the end of the day.”
His hand stills, his head tilting as he studies me with dark amusement. Slowly, deliberately, he withdraws his grip, though his eyes never leave mine.
“That’s more like it,” he murmurs, settling back as the brute finally eases his hold on my wrists. “See? Youcanlearn when the lesson’s sharp enough.”
My chest heaves, shame and terror battling in my veins. I rub my aching arms, blinking back the tears burning behind my eyes.
“End of the day, Remika,” he warns, his voice soft but deadly. “And if you fail me again,” his smile sharpens, “we’ll finish this little conversation exactly where we left off.”
Shadow
I wake with a jolt, the sheets beside me cold. My hand drags over the empty space where she should be, the panic hitting before I can think.
“Remi?”
