CHAPTER 2
1178 Words
HOURS EARLIER
ISABEL’S POV
“ We’ll f**k you bloody, chop you into pieces, and feed you to the dogs if you don’t pay up before midnight."
Yeah. That was the exact message sitting in my inbox. Written in all caps like they were screaming it through the screen.
I stared at the text, my face turning into a grimace. Disgust? Fear? Maybe both. Hard to tell anymore. But one thing was crystal clear, I needed to come up with five grand, and I needed it fast.
And let’s be real; serving overpriced lattes at a coffee shop that smells like burnt beans and disappointment? That wasn't gonna help me.
“s**t,” I muttered, dragging a hand down my face.
“I shouldn’t have taken that damn loan.”
But of course, I had to. I didn’t exactly have a lineup of options at the time. I was broke, and one week away from sleeping in a damn alley. That loan saved me, temporarily. Now it was coming back to bury me.
I was so deep in my thoughts, I didn’t even notice my fingers tapping like crazy on the table or how my teeth were chewing at my bottom lip like it owed me money too.
“Hey!”
I flinched so hard I nearly knocked over the stupid salt shaker.
Snapping my head up, I found the source of the voice. And of course, it was her.
“Isabel! Get over here!”
Her voice was like gravel; loud and dry. My manager. The Ice Queen herself. Always looking like she chewed glass for breakfast and blamed me for it.
I stood up fast and walked over, trying to keep my face neutral even though my heart was racing like I had just run from a hitman. Which, ironically, might be my reality soon.
Her eyes stayed on mine.
“Yes, ma’am. What do you need me to do?”
She looked up at me with that same cold stare.
What the hell did I do now?
Then she dropped the bomb.
“From this moment on, you no longer work here.”
I blinked, trying to process her words.
“Wait, I’m sorry, ma’am. What?”
“Let me say it in a way you can understand: you’re fired. Right now. Effective immediately.”
I stood there frozen. This had to be a joke, right?
“Fired? But what did I even do?” My voice cracked on the last word.
“You seriously don’t know? You are always zoning out like you have got voices in your head. You drop things, you spill drinks, you ruined that guy’s laptop last week, remember? You’re a walking disaster. I’m running a café, not a damn daycare.”
I wanted to defend myself. Say something. But she wasn’t wrong. I had been messing up.
It wasn’t because I didn’t care, I was just constantly thinking about the loan sharks, the threats, the countdown to midnight.
“Ma’am, please…”
“Please leave before I call the cops.”
That was it. No sympathy. No second chance. She just turned and walked away, heels clicking like a final goodbye.
And I stood there like a ghost. Fired. Broke. And five thousand dollars in debt with just hours to pay it back before those psychos came knocking.
What now?
I let out a l sigh and walked over to the counter where my worn-out bag sat like it had been through war with me. I grabbed it, slinging it over my shoulder, and took one last glance at the café.
Good riddance.
There wasn’t much to miss anyway; well, except for the free coffee and the sad little paycheck that helped keep me alive.
It was almost 7:00 p.m., and for some reason, the whole city looked like someone just turned off the lights. Complete blackout.
Weird. Real weird.
Then I remembered.
There had been some kind of announcement about a temporary power outage. City-wide maintenance or whatever.
Still, it didn’t make the night any less creepy.
I shoved my hands into my coat pockets and started walking down the empty street. It was way too quiet. Not even a dog barked in the distance. I was alone.
Alone with my thoughts, and trust me, those weren’t the kind of thoughts you wanted for company.
I was too lost in my own head to notice anything around me, until I heard it.
A soft sound. Close. Right behind me.
I paused. Turned around slowly.
Nothing. Just empty sidewalks and the sound of my own footsteps.
But I swear I heard something. Like someone was following me. I could feel it, that weird sensation in the back of your neck when you know you are not alone.
Oh no.
Nope. I wasn’t sticking around to figure it out.
I picked up the pace, walking faster, clutching my bag tighter. The sound came again, closer this time.
And that was it.
I ran.
Full on sprint. Hair flying, heart beating like it was trying to break out of my chest. I didn’t even know where I was running to. I just ran.
Because whatever or whoever was behind me?
I didn’t want to meet them.
I didn’t stop until my legs screamed and my lungs burned like fire. I ducked behind a random building and pressed myself against the wall, trying to stay hidden.
My breaths were rough. It felt like someone had lit a match inside my chest.
What the hell was that?I peaked to look
“Find her!”
About six men. My eyes on two of them and just my luck, I recognized them instantly.
Loan sharks.
Damn it.
I ducked lower behind the wall, trying to control my breathing.
Of course they would come looking. I should have known.
“Where did she go? Spread out! Don’t let her get away,” one of them barked.
They were close. Too close. But eventually, their voices started to fade into the distance. That was my cue.
Without wasting another second, I ran. Legs aching, lungs burning, I didn’t stop. I ran like my life depended on it, because it literally did.
And finally home.
My crappy little apartment never looked so beautiful.
I jammed the key into the lock, yanked the door open, and slammed it shut behind me. My back hit the door as I gasped for air.
Safe. Finally.
I flicked
Perfect timing.
I let out a shaky breath and turned toward the bed, but stopped dead in my tracks.
No. No. No.
There were shadows. Figures. Three of them.
My heart almost launched itself out of my chest.
What the hell?!
The loan sharks.
They were already inside.
How?
How did they get in?
I didn’t even get a second to move.
“You thought you could run from us?” One of them sneered. “Cute.”
He stepped forward, eyes filled with rage “You are ours now. No more running.”
He snapped his fingers without even blinking. “Take her.”
- Writer
