Ethan leaned against the cold bricks, his hood pulled low over his eyes. In one hand, he clutched a crumpled notebook filled with names and numbers—his secret business ledger. He checked his phone, watching as a client’s message flashed on the screen: “Need another one handled. Same deal.”
"Another job, another payday," he muttered, stuffing the notebook into his backpack and melting into the dusk.
Ethan spotted Laura near her locker, her long dark hair curtaining her face as she retrieved a textbook. She seemed quiet, almost invisible among the noise, but his client wanted her taken to settle a debt. He approached, feigning a casual smile.
"Hey Laura, can I talk to you for a sec? It's about...something important,"
Laura, her eyes unreadable behind thick lashes, nodded and closed her locker with a soft click.
Ethan led Laura inside, his heart pounding as he rehearsed his plan. The echo of their footsteps filled the cavernous room. He reached for his phone, ready to text his client the signal.
"I know this sounds weird, but I need you to come with me for a minute. It’s really important,"
"Of course, Ethan. I trust you," her voice was soft, almost too eager.
As Ethan fumbled with his phone, Laura stepped closer, her gaze suddenly sharp and unblinking. Before he could react, she snatched the phone from his hand and tossed it aside. Her smile was unsettling, stretching too wide.
"You thought you could take me, Ethan? I've been watching you for weeks. I know everything about your little business,"
Ethan stumbled back, stunned by her intensity.
Laura pulled a folded sheet of paper from her pocket—a printout of Ethan’s ledger, every job and every name highlighted in red. She boxed him in, her voice low and dangerous.
"No one takes me, Ethan. Not unless I let them. And I don’t want you to go anywhere," she whispered, her fingers tracing his jaw possessively.
"Laura, this isn’t funny. You don’t understand what you’re getting into,"
"Oh, I understand perfectly. You belong to me now,"
Ethan realized, with a chill, that he had become the captive in his own game. Laura’s arms tightened around him, her gaze never wavering.
"From now on, we’re together, always. No more secrets, Ethan. I’ll make sure of it,"
He searched for an escape, but the only thing he found was the certainty that Laura was far more dangerous—and devoted—than any debt collector he’d ever known.
