Chapter 89
Zarek spotted the black sports car through the windshield.
Just twenty feet ahead.
Same license plate.
“Easy does it,” he said, his voice steady and controlled. “Don’t lose them, don’t get too close.”
“Got it,” Liam replied, easing back into professional calm. He adjusted their speed to maintain a safe distance.
Zarek texted Summer with their discovery, knowing she’d alert the police. Meanwhile, he called Hector for backup.
After tailing the car for about fifteen minutes, it turned into a gated community.
They couldn’t follow.
“That’s–that’s Charlotte’s old place with Issac!” Liam exclaimed, recognition dawning.
Zarek watched the black sports car disappear behind the gates, his expression darkening with understanding.
He reached for his phone and called Issac….
Charlotte came to slowly.
The sharp stench of gasoline hit her first, making her gag
It was everywhere–soaking the floor around her, drenching her clothes, her face, even her hair. The cold, oily liquid clung to her skin like a second layer.
She found herself propped against what felt like a sofa, hands and feet bound tight with duct tape.
The room was pitch black.
As her eyes adjusted, shapes emerged from the darkness. She began to make out the layout–the wall of windows directly ahead, the curved sectional sofa, two round coffee tables of different heights, the east–facing doorframe…. one familiar detail after another…..
This was her living room.
No–this was her and Issac’s living room.
She’d lived here for years. She knew every inch of this place.
Who had brought her here?
The
Why here, of all places?
The attack came back to her in vivid detail. She thought she’d been careful, but she’d walked right into their trap.
She tried to stand but couldn’t budge.
Her fingers were completely numb. When she tried to call out, she realized her mouth was sealed shut.
Click–click… click–click…
Sharp footsteps approached from the hallway.
A small silhouette entered the room.
Even in the darkness, Charlotte instantly knew who it was.
Evelyn.
Charlotte went perfectly still.
The shadow sat down beside her, uncomfortably close, toying with something in her hands. A lighter.
“Three whole days I waited for you,” a voice–sweet yet bone–chilling–cut through the silence. “Three. Whole. Days.”
The fancy metal lighter flicked open, sparked, closed. Open, spark, closed. Creating a steady rhythm.
The flame danced at her fingertips, appearing and vanishing.
Her delicate face alternately illuminated then swallowed by darkness.
That flame was like something from hell itself.
One drop to the floor would ignite the gasoline instantly. Charlotte would become a human torch in seconds.
Staring at the flame, Charlotte felt her heart freeze. She found herself holding her breath.
“Scared?” Evelyn noticed the fear in Charlotte’s eyes and waved the flame in a circle around her head. “Don’t worry. It only hurts at first when you catch fire. Then you just turn into a disgusting piece of charcoal. And when Issac sees you….” Her voice took on a dreamy quality. “He’ll be so revolted he’ll throw up. The last image of you in his mind will be this hideous, nauseating thing.”
She burst into high–pitched laughter.
Charlotte kept her expression completely blank.
Any reaction now would only feed Evelyn’s frenzy.
The laughter cut off abruptly. Evelyn reached over and ripped the tape from Charlotte’s mouth, then grabbed her face roughly. “Tell you what. Bark for me like a dog. Tell me you’re worthless trash. Beg for your life–nicely–and maybe I’ll let you walk out of here.”
Chapter 89
Charlotte met her gaze with ice–cold eyes,
Saying nothing.
Not begging. Not cowering
She knew perfectly well this psychopath had zero intention of letting her go.
She was afraid to die, but if death was coming anyway, she wouldn’t become Evelyn’s entertainment.
Seeing her defiance. Evelyn’s palm cracked across her fare. “Won’t beg? Fine. I’ll have someone rape you first, then hack off your limbs one by one, slice your flesh off piece by piece, and then burn whatever’s left along with this entire house!”
The slap left Charlotte’s cheek burning-
Still, she remained silent.
As if she’d forgotten how to speak.
Evelyn grabbed a fistful of her hair, yanking her face close. Her expression was unhinged, her pretty features twisted into something monstrous. “I’m giving you a chance here! Don’t you get it? A chance to live! You should be on your knees thanking me. Just bark like a stupid dog–it won’t kill you. Otherwise, you’ll die screaming. Seriously, you won’t reconsider?”
Charlotte lifted her gaze.
When she finally spoke, her voice was unnervingly calm. “Murder carries a life sentence. Kill me, and you’ll throw your life away to join me. Is that really worth it?”
Evelyn froze mid–motion.
She seemed enraged that instead of dog barking, Charlotte had calmly changed the subject. Even now–captured. beaten, soaked in gasoline–she wasn’t groveling. She remained composed. Dignified, even.
Fury washed over Evelyn’s face.
She slapped Charlotte again and again in blind rage. “Whore! Piece of trash! Fucking bitch!”
Vicious curses bounced off the walls.
Charlotte’s mouth filled with blood.
Her face was so battered it had
gone
numb.
But she gritted her teeth and endured, keeping her voice steady. “Evelyn, if you kill me. Issac will never be with you. He already feels guilty about me. If I die because of him, he’ll carry that guilt forever. He’ll spend the rest of his life remembering his dead wife. Is that what you want?”
Evelyn screamed in her face. “Shut up! Who the hell do you think you are? Issac couldn’t stand you! He was bored to
Chapter
death with you! All he wanted was to be with me. We were together on his business trips. We fucked in hotels, by the pool, in his car–everywhere. He couldn’t get enough of me. He told me he loved me. Coming home to you made him sick! We belong together!”
“If you really belong together,” Charlotte replied, “I’m doing you a favor, aren’t I? At the airport, if I hadn’t slapped You would Issac have rushed to your side and taken you to the hospital?“.
Evelyn hesitated, caught off guard.
Then she laughed bitterly through clenched teeth. “But he still went looking for you afterward! I even leaked that video, letting everyone tear me apart, making myself look terrible–and he still wanted to get back with you because he felt guilty!”
“If you’d played the victim a little longer,” Charlotte said, “or if you hadn’t teamed up with Amanda to attack me, if you’d stuck with your poor innocent act, Issar’s heart would have eventually turned toward you. But you couldn’t wait. Now you want to burn me alive in his home. Are you trying to make damn sure he never forgets me?”
Evelyn fell silent.
Her breathing became shallow and rapid, her thoughts spiraling-
Was that right?
Had she rushed things?
