Page 3 of Stiletto's Savior

I breathe deeply, pushing down the panic threatening to bubble over. I need to find her. Time is running out.

With each step, dread wraps tighter around me. I move deeper into the darkness, straining my ears for any sign of her. My heart races. I can’t shake the feeling that something’s very wrong.

“Please be okay…”

I grip my phone tightly, ready to dial Suyin if necessary. The silence is suffocating, and I can’t help but think of all the risks lurking in this godforsaken neighborhood.

I’m halfway down a narrow hallway when I hear something. Muffled voices drift from a room at the end. I freeze. Four men are hunched together. They look up, eyes narrowing as they spot me.

“What the fuck you doing here?” one snarls, towering over the others. His tattoos snake down his arms, dark ink against pale skin, like vines choking a dying tree.

“Where’s SuSu?” I demand, my voice steadier than I feel. “I’m looking for her. She’s my mother.”

They exchange glances, amusement flickering across their faces. I can’t tell if it’s a joke to them or something darker.

"Your mother?" Another one sneers. He leans back, crossing his arms. “What makes you think she’s here?”

“Because she texted me,” I shoot back, frustration bubbling under my skin. “She said to meet her.”

“Yeah? And what’s it to us?” The first guy steps closer, invading my space. I take a step back, heart racing, sensing danger thrumming in the air.

“You shouldn’t have come here, pretty girl,” another one says, grinning. It sends a chill down my spine.

My heart hammers in the confines of my chest.

Instantly, I’m in fight or flight mode, so I run, and I run like hell.

“Get her!” he barks suddenly.

Hands grab me and I’m yanked backward, pain radiating as one grips my hair, slamming me against the wall.

“Stop!” I scream, panic clawing at my throat.

“Someone shut this fuckin’ bitch up!” Another voice rings out, and dread floods my senses.

This was a mistake. I never should have come here.

He grabs my hair, yanking me again with a brutal grip.

“Let go of me!” I scream, panic flooding my veins.

He slams me against the wall, pain radiating through my body like a wildfire.

“Shut up!” he growls, holding me there, his weight pinning me down.

My vision blurs. My heart hammering even harder in my chest.

“Please,” I plead, desperation spilling from my lips.

“Please what?” he hisses, the others closing in, their laughter ringing in my ears.

“Just let me go! All I came here to do was find my mother. Please, let me get out of here!”

“Not a chance, princess.”

I struggle, but it’s futile. Their strength overwhelms me.

I’m pinned against the wall. The guy holding my hair yanks harder. I’m struggling to breathe, trying as hard as I can.

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