Page 1 of Dangerous Contract: Part 2

Chapter One

MONIQUE

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Monique’s eyes fluttered open, lids heavy and reluctant. Her body felt like an invisible force was weighing it down. Vision blurry, she blinked, trying to focus on her surroundings. She blinked again, but the haze over her eyes refused to lift.

Muffled voices reached her ears. The sounds made her head throb. It was all too much – sensory overload. She allowed herself to be pulled under, returning to the darkness. At least in the darkness, there wouldn’t be pain and confusion.

She didn’t know how long she slept, but when she opened her eyes again, they no longer felt as heavy as before. And that haze over her eyes was lifting. Blinking, she focused on the room around her.

The room was dark and decrepit, the air heavy with dampness and decay. It smelled of mold and long-forgotten food, the stench making her stomach churn. Dust tickled her nose and throat, forcing her to swallow in an attempt to keep from sneezing or coughing.

Her gaze drifted up to the rusted chain hanging from the ceiling, its links clinking softly as they swayed in the breeze flowing from the vent a few inches away. The chain was connected to a door that looked like it led to an attic.

Obviously, she wasn’t at home. That attic with the rusted chain was proof. This room was proof. The memories flooding her brain were proof. Tears filled her eyes as those memories bombarded her.

Her dad. The fight. The syringe. Toya. Meka. The gun. The person in the kitchen. Shots fired. Shots fired!

Were her friends okay? Monique tried to move, to stand. Neither of those options was possible. What the hell? She stared down at herself.Damn it.Had her freaking dad done this? She was seated in a chair with her arms tied behind her back, and her ankles were tied together with a rope.

“Finally, you’re awake,” a familiar voice drawled.

Monique stilled, no longer trying to wiggle her arms loose of their confines.That voice.That fucking voice!It was one she knew well and had hoped to never hear again. Yet, it was coming from directly behind her.

Why the hell was it coming from directly behind her? Footsteps sounded, seeming to echo through her skull as he moved around the chair, coming to stand directly in front of her. Monique stared down at the floor, his boots moving into her range of vision.

She refused to look up. She didn’t want to see his face. However, she knew whether she looked up or not, there was no avoiding him. This wasn’t some nightmare. This was her reality. And she’d have to face it soon.Shit!

“I know you hear me, cupcake,” he drawled, using that ridiculous nickname she hated.

To some women, a nickname likecupcakecoming from someone who’s supposed to love you would seem sweet. But he’d called her that as a reminder that she should eat fewer cupcakes. There was nothing sweet about that false term of endearment when coming from him.

“Look at me,” Trevor ordered. “You know I like you to look at me when I’m talking to you.”

Because if she didn’t look at him, it made him feel like he was being ignored. And his fragile ego couldn’t handle being ignored, which was why she continued to ignore him. Also, she didn’t want to look at him.

She wasn’t ready to look at him. And honestly, she didn’t want to think about him at all. There was more important shit for her to think about. Where were Meka and Toya? Were they okay? Were they even... alive?

Where was Raz? He had to be looking for her by now. He would find her. She just had to remain alive until then. And she prayed that Toya and Meka were both alive and well. Yet, in her heart, she feared the worst.

More footsteps sounded, and another set of shoes came into view. Okay, maybe she wasn’t only ignoring him because she didn’t want to see him. She was also afraid. So, damn afraid. And looking up would make this all real.

Monique desperately wished this was a dream. A bad dream. A nightmare she’d eventually awaken from. However, reality was slowly setting in. This was no dream. And she couldn’t continue ignoring it.

Monique slowly raised her head, gaze rising until it connected with a pair of eyes that made her stomach churn worse than the smell of this place they were in. Trevor stood over her, his eyes cold and predatory.

Her gaze raked over him. He looked even skinnier than he had before their divorce. His skin was pale and blotchy. His nose crooked, as if it had been broken recently. There was a healed scar across his jawline that hadn’t been there while they were married.

Damn, divorced didn’t look good on him. But, oh well. That had nothing to do with her. It was almost impossible to believeshe’d once found this man attractive. She had to have been out of her mind.

Beside him stood her father, his gaze equally chilling. These were two men she hated and feared with a passion she hadn’t known she was capable of. And now, she was at their mercy. What the hell did they want from her?

“Where am I?” Monique asked, her throat parched and raw as she resumed her struggle to free her hands. When they didn’t respond, she repeated her question. “Where the hell am I?”

“Somewhere safe,” Trevor replied, his smile cynical and dangerous. “Safe forus, anyway.”

“Wh-what do you mean?” she stammered, her heart pounding like a caged animal desperate for escape.

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