The Billionaire's Inferno

The elevator chimed, and I stumbled out, arms heavy with white takeaway bags and a bottle of Cabernet that cost more than my wedding gown.

I was humming without thinking, a foolish, broken version of the song I used to sing to Sadie as a baby when the world was still lovely.

Today was not meant to be special for anyone but us. A quiet anniversary, sushi on the sofa, sticky kisses the type of night I thought married people fought to maintain.

The key slid once into the lock. I winced while holding the drink against my hip.

Inside, music drifted down the staircase soft, erotic music, not the type you played alone.

A knot tightened in my gut.

Still, I grinned stupidly and opened the door with my foot.

"Ellis?" I called, laughing slightly.

No answer.

Something was odd.

The scent in the hallway was odd. Jasmine and leather are like a burning fire. Not the vanilla one that I had left lit this morning.

I carefully laid the suitcases down, being painfully aware of each beating. My heels clicked on the floor as I followed the music upstairs to our bedroom.

Then I overheard it.

A chuckle.

High and breathless.

A lady smiles.

And not mine.

The door was open only one inch. Enough.

I pushed it wider.

And my world broke apart.

Ellis my husband was present.

His shirt is falling off one arm.

His hands gripped Lexi's hips.

Lexi. My best friend from college.

Lexi. The woman who toasted our wedding night with champagne and emotional vows.

They did not notice me at first. Perhaps they did and didn't care.

Lexi's face twisted with guilt or perhaps a shame that she had been caught.

Ellis?

Ellis did not blink.

He didn't even stop.

The wine bottle slid through my fingers and broke into a thousand sparkling pieces on the floor.

The sounds eventually caused them to freeze.

Lexi gasped and reached for a blanket.

Ellis turned his head slowly, looking at me as if I were an intrusion.

There's nothing on his face. Don't worry. No apologies.

"You weren't supposed to be home yet," he told me.

Just that.

Flat. Bored.

Finding me there was about as awkward as running out of milk.

Ellis rose slowly, pulling on his shirt with little shame.

Lexi let out a sob and clutched the blanket closer.

I stood there, stuck to the ground. My body would not move, and my mouth would not speak.

Something inside of me shattered in slow time.

"You know," Ellis remarked, buttoning his cuffs as if he had all day, "this is your fault."

I blinked at him.

He smiled weakly like a snake might at a dead mouse.

"You are too stiff, Kate. Too tired. "Too plain."

He irritated them like he was listed things on a store bill.

"Marriage should be exciting. "You weren't."

Lexi moaned again, but Ellis gave her a harsh stare, and she shrank smaller.

I felt the folder before I saw it heavy and planned, thrust into my hands like a final insult.

A thick Manila envelope.

There are divorce papers inside.

Happy anniversary, Kate.

I did not yell.

I did not weep.

I did not throw anything, even though the wine bottle pieces gleamed like little guns about my feet.

I just walked.

Barefoot, through the glass.

Through pain.

The city took me entirely the moment the entry doors hissed open.

The cold air hit my face, removing the last of my dreams.

The doorman offered to order a cab. I shook my head, not meeting his eyes.

My feet took me nowhere.

Everywhere.

It did not matter.

I noticed a flash of movement above me, in a window gleaming bright gold against the New York cityscape.

Our wedding picture sailed from the third-floor balcony, settling at my feet with a muted thud.

The frame cracked neatly along the center.

His face remained unhurt.

Mine broke.

Of course.

I stumbled into the closest bench, my breath breaking out like blades.

Phone.

I needed my phone.

Mother. No answer.

Lexi stupid, betrayal went straight to voicemail.

Sadie goes to daycare.

Please. Please.

The call rang once. Twice. Directly to the automatic message.

But my app thank God for the app displayed a warning.

The pickup has been logged.

An hour ago.

Not by me.

I scanned my texts, feeling anxious.

A message blinked. I pushed play, hands shaking.

Sadie's teacher met her warmly: "Hey, Kate! Thank you for the early service today! Sadie looked tired, but she was eager to return home. I hope everything is OK!"

My stomach sank.

I never picked her up.

Before I could reply, my phone chimed again.

Unknown number.

One line of text: Your daughter is safe. For now.

My throat closed.

I tried calling back but was banned.

Another message was sent: We will contact you. You've made the wrong enemy.

The phone slid from my hands and onto the ground. I looked at it as though it were a bomb.

Perhaps it was.

The street lights blurred.

Noise exploded around me horns, footsteps, laughter but none affected me.

Only one thing mattered right now.

Find Sadie.

No matter the cost.

Across the street, a man sat in the front seat of a black car, obscured by deeper shades as the city lights faded.

Obsidian suit. Dark hair. Eyes like a midnight storm.

He observed me.

Not brutally.

Not even pityingly.

With something nearer to possession.

He handled my grief as if he already owned it.

As if he had been waiting for this moment.

The driver moved nervously. "Sir, it's not the right time."

The man in the suit did not move. His voice was quiet and almost soft.

"She doesn't know it yet," he told her, "but she's mine to protect."

And he turned the key in the ignition.

The automobile stopped next to me so quietly that I nearly missed it.

A door swings open.

A guy walked out, tall and sharp but devastatingly calm.

Black tight suit. Most likely a blacker soul.

He slid his jacket off his shoulders and put it over mine before I could complain.

I jerked back. "I don't need help."

He grinned, one corner of his mouth turned up as if he knew every secret I'd never told.

"That's the first lie you've told tonight," he added quietly.

A beat cop came around the corner.

The visitor showed something that resembled a badge, and the officer acknowledged it and went on without asking.

My skin crawled.

My nerves shouted.

"Who in the hell are you?" I asked.

He placed his hands carelessly in his pockets.

"Kate Arlen Monroe," he announced.

My whole name.

Before I gave it.

"I'm taking you somewhere safe," he explained.

I put my shoes on the ground. "I'm not going anywhere with you."

He did not argue.

He did not plead.

He merely waited.

As if he knew I'd do it eventually.

When my phone buzzed again, it was another text from the blocked number: "Next time, we won't be so nice." I folded.

Fine.

One ride.

The interior of his car smelt like leather and power.

"Ellis isn't who you think he is," the stranger explained softly. "And now... neither are you."

I scowled at him. "You're insane."

He did not deny it.

I only smiled slightly.

A woman's voice cracked in the earpiece attached to his jacket: "Sir, do not deviate from protocol."

He clicked it off without replying.

"You were supposed to stay asleep, Kate," he stated, his voice soft.

"But someone woke you up."

He did not touch me again until the hotel room door snapped shut behind us.

Not till after I'd washed and scrubbed my flesh raw.

Not until he had left clothes and food without saying a word.

It was not until I opened the door that I found him waiting outside like a loyal guard dog dressed as a millionaire.

"Why do you care?" I questioned, my voice shaking.

He looked at me as if I were something precious, breakable, and already broken.

"Because your pain," he answered quietly, "is exactly like mine."

He reached out.

I didn't mean to touch him back.

I didn't mean to let him suck me in.

But the kiss sprang from both of us hungry, furious, and breathless.

And when we finally parted, breathing...

My phone vibrated.

A live video broadcast started.

Sadie.

I am locked in a dark room.

Crying.

The screen turned dark.