Chapter One – Blood on His Hands
"You shouldn't have seen this, Aurora."
his voice was low and sharp like it could cut right through me
I froze where I stood, the smell of burnt gunpowder still in the air. My eyes went to the body on the pavement as blood slowly spread dark and wet. My fingers shook so much that I couldn't feel the phone anymore. It slipped from my hand and hit the concrete.
I couldn't move.
I couldn't breathe.
"You…" My voice crackedand felt small. "You murdered him."
Lorenzo Vance stood a few feet away, gun still raised, the black metal shining under the parking lot's yellow lights. His suit was perfect like always, the black jacket fitting his tall frame, his white shirt now stained at the cuff with a drop of red.
His dark eyes stayed on me steady and hard to read.
"You weren't supposed to be here," he said, stepping forward calmly, too calm.
my chest was heavy as i stepped back then again my heel caught the edge of the curb and i almost fell.
"Stay back," I said, my voice shaking, "Don't come near me."
He didn't stop walking.
My eyes went to my phone on the ground, the screen was cracked, still glowing a little.
I reached for it fast, my fingers shaking but Lorenzo's shoe came down on it before I could grab it.
He crouched slow picked it up and put it in his pocket like it was his all along
"You think you saw something you understand?" he said, his tone sharp now. "You think you know what just happened?"
"I saw you pull the trigger!" My voice went loud echoing against the empty walls of the parking lot. "He's dead because of you!"
For a moment, something moved in his eyes, not regret, not fear but something colder.
The man on the ground made a low wet groan, it made my stomach twist
he wasn't dead yet.
bile rose up in my throat. I couldn't look at the blood again, I couldn't look at Lorenzo, either, but my eyes still went to him. He was still holding the gun, lowering it now then clicking off the safety with a quiet snap.
He stepped closer.
I stumbled back until my spine hit the hood of my car, the cold metal pressing into my back.
"Why, Lorenzo? Why him?" My voice was barely a whisper now, shaking and small.
his eyes moved over me. "You don't belong in this world, Aurora. You were never supposed to see this part of me."
"Part of you?" I let out a shaky laugh, one I didn't even recognize. "You shot someone like it was nothing!"
he tilted his head a little looking at me like i was something he couldn't figure out.
His voice was softer but it felt worse. "I told you to stay away from places you don't understand."
something in me snapped as the fear turned into anger. "You think you can tell me where I can go? You think you can do this and just get away with it?"
His jaw tightened like it could crack. It was the first time I saw any emotion on his face and it wasn't regret, It was rage cold and sharp like he was daring me to push again.
"You're scared," he said quietly. "But not enough."
He moved faster than I thought, his hand grabbed my wrist before I could react.
I gasped and twisted trying to pull away but his grip was firm and steady.
"Let me go!" I shouted, swinging with my other hand, hitting his chest weakly but It didn't even make him flinch.
Lorenzo leaned in close, his voice was low by my ear. "If I let you walk away, you'll go to the police. You'll talk and then you'll die, Aurora, Not by me but by people worse than me."
"I don't care," I said, still struggling. "I don't care what happens to me but you're a murderer!"
His eyes went darker and something in them made my chest tighten with panic as for one scary moment I thought he would raise the gun, again this time at me.
But he didn't.
He let go of my wrist slowly, almost gently and turned his head toward the black SUV parked behind him. Two men stepped out of it with broad shoulders, cold faces, guns resting at their sides.
Lorenzo's voice was calm again when he spoke. "Take her."
I froze. "What?"
"Take her," he repeated, louder this time. His eyes stayed on me, not blinking. "She's mine now."
My breath caught. "What are you talking about? I'm not yours….. you can't just."
my voice shook but it came out loud, almost a scream as my hands curled into fists even though my knees felt weak.
One of the men grabbed my arm. I screamed and pulled back, kicking, clawing, anything to get free. "Get off me! Let me go!"
The second man moved in, taking my other arm and dragged me toward the SUV. My shoes scraped against the ground, nails catching on pavement as I tried to stop them.
"Lorenzo! You can't do this! You can't!". I screamed, my voice tearing at my throat.
He watched me quietly while I kicked and screamed. My heart was beating so hard it hurt but he didn't move to help, he didn't even flinch.
"Lorenzo!" I shouted again, my voice breaking with desperation.
He just tilted his head a little, his eyes were still unreadable, still cold and his hands were at his sides now, one of them still faintly stained with blood.
That image burned into me, the man I thought I knew, standing there with blood on his hands, watching me get dragged away like I was already his possession.
i kicked harder hitting one of the men on the shin, he cursed but didn't let go
my throat burned from all the screaming.
"please" I begged, my voice shaking "please don't do this"
Lorenzo finally moved, taking one slow step forward. For a second, I thought he would stop this, that he would change his mind but his words cut through the chaos, final and sharp:
"She's mine now."
Then the SUV door was shut behind me, the sound echoing through the night like another gunshot.