Shadows of deceit

of the men standing said to th

danger, I could not bring myself to be afraid. Not yet. Not when his touch wa

could manage was a whisper, barely escap

twitched slightly, as if he found amusement in my

said, his voice a soft th

he same time, there was something magnetic about him, something that kept me from entirely hating him. He was not just some thug,he was the kind of man who con

arely leaving my throat. "I

ust cold calculation. "You think you have a choice?" His vo

e of the street. I resisted again, but he was too strong. His fingers cu

his face, opened the door for us. He nodded silently, his eyes never meeting mine. I glanc

" Jack c

was no escape. I was caught. Whateve

ad captured me slid into the seat beside me, his presence overwhelming. The engine of

ything outside. My thoughts were jumbled. I tried to make sense of what was happening, but nothing made

I was not just a simple woman anymore. I was a pawn in a game I did not understand. Every time I glanced

hing was uncertain, and I was surrounded by shadows. The fear of the unknown gripped me tightly, but it was the

me?" I asked, my voice

t him. He was watching me, his gaze intense but unreadab

s eyes never leaving mine.

nstinct told me to fight, to run, but my body felt paralyzed,

that seemed to stretch on forever. The mansion in front of me was massive, dark

e softer now. "Do not worry, Hazel

not have time to question him further. The door open

my skin, and I wrapped my arms around myself for comfort. This place... it f

ce looming. "Come with me," he sa

rious-marble floors, chandeliers, and artwork that looked more like it belonged in a museum than a home. But non

aircase, leading me upstair

in mansions or had Mafia men at her beck and call. I was just Hazel, a small-town girl who h

t of something dangerous. Someth