Bound to Damian Cross

Mara's POV The knock came at exactly 2:17 a.m. Three slow taps, calm and certain, making me freeze in my chair with my headphones still wrapped around my ears. No one had ever knocked on Apartment 5A at this hour. So, who could it be? My thoughts raced. I slid the headphones down, muted the audio file, and the room rushed in. Then, the knock came again, the exact way I heard it initially, making the thump of my heart quicken, each beat loud enough to hurt. The fact that Anderson wasn't home made matters worse. I reached under my desk and grabbed the small recorder I always kept close. It wasn't a weapon, but it made me feel a little less helpless. Then I stood up slowly and moved quietly toward the door, every muscle tense, my breathing light and careful. "Who's there?" I asked in a low voice, but only nothing answered me. Sweat slid down my face as my heart pounded. Why wasn't this person saying anything? Could it be armed robbers? Just then, a man spoke, his voice deep, smooth, and firm. "Mara Ives. You know who I am... open the door." My breath caught in my throat as soon as I heard the voice. I knew it instantly. I had never heard it in person, but I had listened to it many times... on leaked recordings, secret files, and broken calls that had been filtered over and over. It was Sean Blackwood. Every sound expert in Los Angeles knew that name, and everyone feared it. "I don't work at this hour Sir," I said, forcing my voice steady. Another pause followed, longer this time. "I didn't come here to hire you," Sean said gently. "Just open the damn door..." I stepped back from the door, my eyes moving quickly. First, to the window, then to the safety stairs, and to every shadow in the room. I listened very carefully, if there were footsteps, breathing, or even a shift of weight. But I heard nothing and that was just worse. "Then, why are you here?! You have ten seconds," I said firmly, tightening my grip on the sound recorder. "After which I call the police." Sean laughed softly, almost a whisper. "Call them," he said. "By the time they get here... you might not be alive to tell a soul what you saw." My phone buzzed in her hand, a message from an unknown number: {Look through your window.} Panicked, my legs moved before my mind could catch up. I went straight to the window and opened the curtain just a little, enough to peek outside. A black SUV was parked by the street. The engine was running, but the headlights were off. Someone inside lifted their head, and the streetlight hit his face. It was my brother, Anderson. "No... no, no." I muttered, yanking the curtain closed. My heart pounded as I raced back to the door. "You have my brother. Why?" "Yes," Sean said from the other side of the door. "And I would gladly keep him breathing if you behave." "What.." I swallowed. "What do you want?" "Don't keep me waiting outside, Mara." I knew I couldn't risk Anderson's life, not now, not ever. He's my only family. I slowly unlocked the door, my fingers trembling, and pushed it open, clutching the sound recorder like my life depended on it. Sean Blackwood stepped inside like he owned the air, tall, lean, perfectly dressed in a dark suit that probably cost more than my entire apartment. His hair was slicked back neatly, his brown eyes sharp and observant, missing nothing. He didn't look around in curiosity, he looked around like he was measuring my life. I fixed my gaze on him, backing away as he stepped closer... closer... until the door clicked shut behind him. That's when I realized he wasn't alone. Behind him stood a massive guard, easily seven foot tall, a living giant. My stomach dropped so fast I nearly peed in my panties. "Relax," he said. "If I wanted you dead, I wouldn't have knocked on your door, and waited patiently for you to open it." His words should've felt comforting, but how could I ever trust someone so deadly like Blackwood? "You're invading my privacy," I said, trying to stay steady. "And you know that's a crime." He didn't answer right away. Instead, he smiled faintly and sank onto a couch like he owned my home. "Funny," he said, his voice dripping with ridicule. "You and I know that you invade people's lives for a living... but we're supposed to pretend that's innocent. right?." I looked at his giant guard standing by the door, then back at him, tightening my jaw. "Will they hurt him?" "Who?" He cut in. "Anderson." He held my gaze for a moment. "Just be a good girl and trust me... we won't have any problems." "Then... what do you want from me? Just say it." He rose all of a sudden and moved toward my workspace, brushing his fingers over my desk, the monitors, and everything I use to work. "I learned you're very good," he said, as he began circling my desk. "Better than anyone else. You hear things people don't." I said nothing. "I need something erased," Sean continued. "An audio file." My stomach twisted. "How?." Sean turned to face me fully. "It's in the possession of my enemy," he said. "A man who would kill you without blinking if you make a mistake." "Who is he?" I asked, my eyes drifting back to the guard by the door. "Lets say... he's the most feared man in this city. My problem. His name is Damian Cross." "HELL NO! If he has it, how am I supposed to delete it?" I shook my head fast. "I don't break into people's houses. I just can't. Not even Cross's." "You will do it," Sean said simply. I felt a strange pressure in my skull, like a warning. "And if I refuse?" Sean lifted his phone and pressed play, a live audio feed filled the room. It was Anderson's voice, broken. "Mara, just do whatever he wants... They will kill me... Please save me big sis" The sharp sound of a gun c**k cut him off. "Oh no..." I muttered, tears almost filling up in my eyes. The recorder I'd been gripping for a while slipped from my trembling hand and hit the floor with a loud thud, making me flinch. "Please don't hurt Anderson!" I cried out, clasping my hands together. "He's all I have." Sean stopped the audio. "Then you will do it," he said. My nails dug into my palms. "Let him go," I said, voice shaking. "And then we talk." "I will let him go, but that's when we are done talking.' Sean stepped closer. Too close his breath brushed me, and the scent of his expensive cologne filled my lungs. "You will sneak into Damian Cross's penthouse," he said softly. "You'll find the audio file, stored on a secured drive, labeled GI445, it's hidden among encrypted files in his private study. Just one recording." He leaned in closer, his voice dropping. "You will delete it completely. Cleanly." What kind of deadly task does this wicked man want me to take on? Risk my life in Damian Cross's hands? The thoughts tore through my mind, screaming. "What if I don't find it? What if it's not in his private study anymore?" "Then, you find it!" He yelled, making me jump in fear. "I can't please... It's difficult. I beg you. I can do..." Sean's eyes hardened on me for just a second, cutting me off as I stared back. "Then I erase your brother," he said. "And after that... you. In a very slow and painful way." The weight of it settled over the room, heavy and final. My mind raced, pieces crashing into place. I saw the danger, the trap, the impossibility of it all. "You're asking me to die." I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "No, I'm asking you to work." He turned and walked toward the door, raising three fingers as he delivered the worst words. "You have three days. Just three. After that... you and Anderson will meet your maker." Sean opened the door about stepping out. But then, he paused, his hand still on the door handle. "Oh... and Mara?" he said. "I'll let Anderson go. Maybe you can work with him." He turned and looked at me, his eyes heavy with intent. "But if you try to run, hide, or trick me..." He smiled cruelly. "I won't just kill you myself... the vultures will eat you alive." Then he walked out, leaving the room empty behind him. I was still lost in Sean's words when the giant's mean laughter snapped me back. He watched me closely, then said, "Sean doesn't bluff... get to work immediately, young lady." I swear I'd never heard a voice like that all my life. It sounded demonic, like three people speaking from one body... deep, rough, and terrifying. The worst part? He looked so ugly. I looked at him in disgust, itching to pick up the sound recorder, and throw it directly in his ugly face, but I couldn't. He would just strangle me to death. My eyes followed him as he left the room, the door closing loudly behind him. I slid down onto the couch, my body shaking. Suddenly, a sharp, high-pitched ringing cut through my mind. I grabbed my ears, sweat pouring down, and collapsed to the floor. But it kept going.