Rose
The resort stayed quiet. It wasn't supposed to be.
It was supposed to hum with footsteps, whispers, distant laughter, and soft music. But this one held none of that. The hallway to Carlin's office was too quiet. No guards, no staff. Just me, and the echo of my own steps.
I clutched a file against my chest and kept walking.
Caelin had sent me to deliver documents to one of the outer villas. A simple errand. My nerves had been buzzing since morning, ever since I had seen my brother's name on that file.
'Reid Wade'
'Subject neutralized. Scene cleaned'
Every corner of this place suddenly felt like a mouth waiting to swallow me.
Halfway down the corridor, someone called my name.
"Rose."
I stopped and turned, but no one stood behind me.
My pulse quickened faster but I took another step.
Then, a hand clamped over my mouth.
A sharp, bitter smell flooded my nose. My scream died against fabric and skin. I dropped the file. Fingers dug into my arms, bruising, dragging me backward.
I kicked hard.
My heel connected with someone's shin.
"Fucking bitch," a curse hissed near my ear.
"Hold her still," another voice said.
Panic surged through me as I bit down on an arm, my teeth sank into flesh.
"I'm going to fucking kill you," someone swore loudly, and another arm wrapped around my waist, lifting me off the floor.
My feet kicked uselessly in the air, as they pushed me toward a service door.
I clawed at the hand on my mouth, my nails scraping their skin. My vision blurred as the chemical smell burned my lungs, then a needle pricked my neck.
I convulsed, a sob tearing from my throat before everything began to spin.
The ceiling soon spinned into darkness.
The last thing I heard was a voice saying, "Hurry. Before his men come back."
And then darkness took over.
***
I woke up with pains gnawing at my joints, a pounding behind my eyes, a sour taste in my mouth. My wrists burned.
I groaned softly and tried to move, but rope bit into my skin.
My eyes flew open, and all I could see was the concrete ceiling.
A bare bulb swung above me. The floor was cold under my bare feet.
I looked around and realized I was tied to a chair.
My heart slammed so hard I thought it might crack my ribs.
"Where am I? Where—"
I paused when I heard voices.
Muffled. Arguing somewhere beyond a thin wall.
"I told you to be careful—"
"Relax. We got her clean."
A man laughed.
"The famous servant girl, worth more than gold right now."
My stomach dropped.
They weren't whispering, they weren't afraid.
I twisted my wrists, testing the rope but it was tight. Too tight.
"Why do you think he keeps her so close?" another voice said. "Girl must know something."
A third voice cut in, colder. "She definitely knows something."
My breath hitched.
Footsteps suddenly approached, the door creaked open.
Three men entered, but none of them wore Caelin's crest.
One was tall and lean, scar cutting through his eyebrow. Another had tattoos crawling up his neck. The third… The third was a woman.
She wore a fitted black suit, hair slicked back, eyes sharp and calculating.
She dismissed the men with a flick of her fingers, and they stepped outside.
She pulled a chair and sat in front of me, crossing her legs slowly.
"Good evening, Rose Wade," she said.
My blood froze.
"You're not very good at hiding," she continued calmly. "Sneaking into offices, reading things you shouldn't."
I swallowed. "I don't know what you're talking about."
She smirked
"Your brother was braver," she said lightly. "Stupid too."
The room tilted.
"You knew Reid?" I whispered.
She studied my face like a scientist watching a specimen twitch.
"He saw something he wasn't meant to," she said. "Then he ran."
My chest burned.
"You killed him," I gritted.
She shrugged. "Not personally."
My nails dug into my palms.
"What do you want from me?"
Her smile widened.
"To know what Caelin told you."
"Nothing," I cut in almost immediately.
"Liar," she barked.
She leaned forward, elbows on her knees.
"Did you see the file?" she asked softly. "Did you read about the hit?"
I stayed silent.
"Interesting," she murmured. "Because that file doesn't tell the whole story."
She paused mid sentence when footsteps thundered outside, gunfire exploded.
The walls shook.
The woman's head snapped toward the door.
"Already?" she hissed.
Shouts erupted, screams, glass shattering.
She stood abruptly. "Lock her in. We're moving."
One of the men rushed in, yanking my chair upright.
"Move!" he barked.
The building shook again.
Someone yelled, "They're inside!"
The rope around my wrists loosened slightly as the man dragged me.
I twisted, the friction burned my skin.
Another explosion shook the lights, making him stumble.
I took the chance, and threw my weight sideways.
The chair crashed.
Pain shot through my shoulder, but the impact snapped the rope on one wrist.
I ripped my hand free and swung blindly, my palm hit his throat.
He choked, staggering back.
I lunged for the door, and a bullet tore through the wall inches from my head, almost hitting me.
I screamed and ran.
Smoke filled the corridor as I ran. Bodies lay scattered, blood pooling on the floor.
I didn't look, I just ran.
A hand grabbed my hair and yanked me back, but I shrieked and kicked.
My foot connected with something soft. His penis.
The man grunted, loosening his grip.
I snatched a fallen gun, but it was so heavy that it made my hand shake.
I pointed it without aiming and pulled the trigger, the recoil knocked me backward.
The man collapsed, I dropped the gun and stared.
I had shot someone.
"Rose!"
The voice cut through the noise like thunder.
Caelin.
The door at the far end burst open, and he entered like a storm.
I didn't believe I would be so happy to see my brother's killer.
Gun raised, eyes blazing.
He fired twice without slowing down, two men went down.
When he saw me, he crossed the distance in three strides, dropping to his knees in front of me.
"Are you hurt?" he demanded.
His hands were shaking as he cut the rope from my wrists.
"I…no…I think—"
He scanned me rapidly, fingers brushing my arms, my neck, my hair.
"Did they touch you?" he asked, voice deadly.
"No," I replied, shaking my head.
Relief flashed across his face, before fury replaced it.
The woman was dragged in by his men, wrists bound, blood trickling from her lip.
She laughed when she saw him.
"Still collecting strays, Caelin?"
"You kidnapped my girl," he said quietly.
"She kidnapped herself," the woman replied. "Snooping into a business that killed her brother."
My breath caught.
Before the woman could open her mouth to speak again, Caelin blasted her with several bullets. Killing her instantly.
It dawned on me. He had just prevented her from saying the truth, but I would find out anyways.