chapter 5
959 Words
CHAPTER 5 — Gone
Viktor POV
I push my chair back.
The loud scrape of wood against marble fills the dining room. The sound is sharp. Final.
Rhee looks up at me instantly.
Her eyes follow me as I walk toward her.
Slow.
Careful.
On purpose.
Ten steps.
Five.
Three.
Her shoulders tighten. I see her prepare herself. She lifts her chin like she is bracing for pain.
But she does not move away.
I stop beside her chair and stretch out my hand.
Not as a command.
As a choice.
Rhee stares at my hand. Her fingers tremble slightly before she places her hand in mine.
Warm. Alive.
I pull her up slowly and step closer. Close enough that I can feel her breath against my chest.
“You think you know what I want,” I say quietly to her. “But you don’t know me.”
I lift my hand and touch her jaw. Gentle. Slow.
Her breath breaks.
My other hand slides to her waist and pulls her against me.
Her body reacts before her mind can stop it.
“I could kiss you right now,” I whisper to Rhee. “Right here. On this table.”
My hand moves down her side, feeling her shape through the thin fabric of her dress.
“I could push everything off,” I continue softly. “Plates. Glasses. Everything.”
Her breathing becomes fast. Her lips part.
“I could lift you up,” I say close to her mouth. “Make you forget where you are.”
Her pulse jumps in her neck. I see it clearly.
Then I look into her eyes.
And I stop.
Her body wants me.
But her eyes are empty. Guarded. Refusing.
Her soul is not here.
I step back.
“I don’t want a woman who only survives me,” I say quietly. “I want a woman who chooses me.”
Rhee looks shocked. Confused.
Before she can speak, a voice comes from the doorway.
“He really is different.”
I turn my head.
Lopez.
My brother leans against the doorframe, watching us carefully.
“Most men wouldn’t have stopped,” Lopez says.
Rhee turns toward him. Her face tightens.
Lopez’s expression changes. His tone turns serious.
“Viktor,” Lopez says, “red flag. Warehouse district. Level three.”
My jaw tightens at once.
“When?” I ask.
“Tonight,” Lopez answers. “Very soon.”
Rhee looks between us. “What does that mean?” she asks.
“It means we’re leaving,” I tell her.
Lopez steps closer to me and lowers his voice.
“You should bring her,” Lopez says. “If something is moving around your collateral, better she stays where you can see her.”
Rhee stiffens. “I’m not an object,” she says sharply.
I look straight at her. “Tonight, you stay close,” I say calmly. “That’s not a request.”
She hesitates. Then she nods once.
The warehouse is old and broken, sitting at the edge of the city.
The lights flicker. Shadows move where they shouldn’t.
I step out of the car first.
Lopez follows.
Rhee steps out last, her face tight, her eyes alert.
Inside, the air smells like rust and dust.
A man stands in the center of the open space.
Dimitri Volkov.
Big. Dangerous. Known.
And right now—careful.
The moment Dimitri sees me, his smile stiffens.
“Viktor Blackmoor,” Dimitri says, forcing a smile. “I didn’t expect you.”
“You knew I would come,” I reply coldly.
Dimitri glances briefly at Rhee, then quickly looks away.
“What are you doing here?” I ask him.
“I was told there was a meeting,” Dimitri says. “A business matter.”
“Whose business?” I ask.
“Marcel’s,” Dimitri answers.
Footsteps echo behind us.
Marcel walks in.
Expensive suit. Nervous eyes. Sweat at his temple.
Rhee looks at him. Her face hardens.
“What did you do?” Rhee asks her father.
Marcel freezes when he sees me.
“Viktor… this is not what it looks like,” Marcel says quickly.
“You were looking for money,” I say calmly. “And my name was used.”
“Yes,” Marcel admits. “But not like this. I never offered my daughter.”
Rhee’s jaw tightens. “Then why am I here?” she asks.
“I was trying to sell information,” Marcel explains. “Routes. Accounts. I needed money urgently.”
Dimitri nods.
“He said he had access,” Dimitri says. “Not a person.”
I look straight at Dimitri.
“You let someone speak for you,” I say.
Dimitri swallows. “I didn’t know you were involved,” he admits.
Rhee laughs bitterly. “Someone used me as bait,” she says.
“Yes,” Lopez says quietly. “And it worked.”
The lights flicker.
Once.
Twice.
My hand lifts slightly.
“Something is wrong,” I say.
The lights go out.
Gunfire explodes.
“Down!” Lopez shouts.
Shots ring through the warehouse. Glass shatters. Men yell.
I fire toward the shadows, reaching for Rhee.
“Stay close to me!” I shout.
The lights flash back on for one second—
Rhee is not beside me.
My blood turns cold.
“Rhee!” I shout.
The lights go out again.
More shots. Smoke. Chaos.
When the lights finally come back on—
She is gone.
I search the exits. The corners. The shadows.
Nothing.
My chest tightens painfully.
This was not a mistake.
This was planned.
And whoever took her—
Just made the worst mistake of their life.
- Writer
