Page 42 of No Mercy In Red

I smirked, watching the two most important people in my life get along like they had known each other forever.

When he left, Lara’s expression softened. “What’s going on babe? You look worried.”

“It’s nothing.” I shook it off quickly. “Just... he’s been acting weird and distant. He’s probably just busy.”

She tilted her head sympathetically, squeezing my hand. “Maybe you need a break from obsessing over him. Tonight’s about us—no boys, no bullshit, just fun.”

I laughed, nodding. “Okay, you win. Let’s get ready.”

An hour later, we stood in front of my bedroom mirror, makeup scattered across every surface, music blasting, pre-drinks flowing, gigglesechoing around my apartment. Lara had made me wear a tiny black dress she had pulled from my closet, pairing it with a pair of dangerously high heels that were a twisted ankle waiting to happen. I swore sometimes she thought we were still 21. But tonight wasn’t about comfort, it was about drowning my anxiety and celebrating my best fucking friend.

Lara was stunning, dressed in a shimmering gold mini dress that hugged every curve, her blonde hair cascading around her shoulders. She spun around, striking an exaggerated pose, pushing up her tits. “Damn, we look fucking hot.”

“Obviously.” I winked, taking another shot of vodka, letting the burn chase away any lingering panic that was clawing at my stomach.

Lara lifted her glass, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “To me turning twenty-nine for the third year in a row.”

I rolled my eyes dramatically. “You’re an idiot.”

“An amazing idiot,” she corrected. “Now drink up, grandma.”

I laughed, throwing the drink back, feeling the alcohol begin to ease my mind. Fuck, maybe Lara was right. A night out is exactly what I needed as a distraction from the storm brewing in my chest, the feeling of impending doom that always seemed to loom overhead these days.

We stumbled into the club just after eleven, the bass vibrating through my chest. We headed straight for the bar, ordering three tequila shots each, grimacing at the taste as it burned down my throat. Lara grabbed my hand, dragging me onto the dance floor as the music swallowed me whole. I danced until my lungs burned and my feet ached. At some point, a guy approached me, tall and handsome, his smile overly cocky. But the second he leaned in to whisper in my ear, I held up a hand, shaking my head.

“Sorry, not interested.”

Lara raised her eyebrows as he skulked away. “Wow, you really are whipped for someone you claim isn’t your boyfriend.”

I smiled, my hand once again reaching up to the delicate necklace locked around my throat. “Guess I am.”

As the night wore on, despite her best efforts to keep it a girl’s night, Lara finally locked lips with a guy who had been flirting with her all night - a tall blonde, covered in tattoos. I felt my eyelids getting heavier, the alcohol making the room spin a little.

I tapped her on the shoulder, “I’m gonna head home, Lar. You okay?”

She pulled back briefly, lipstick smudged, her eyes glazed. “I’m fucking great,” she shouted over the music. “Text me when you get home.”

I nodded, squeezing her hand gently before slipping through the crowd. The air outside was cool, almost sobering. Almost. I moved away from the club, heels clicking unevenly on the pavement as I fumbled with my phone to call a cab. Suddenly, strong arms grabbed me roughly from behind, dragging me into a dark alley, slipping a hand over my mouth before I had chance to scream.

“What the fuck —” I barely managed to mumble underneath the hand over my mouth before my vision exploded with sharp, blinding pain.

Everything went dark.

Chapter 31

Max

My head throbbed violently, the pain radiating like shards of glass through my skull.

Groaning, I tried to move, shifting slightly. Panic began surging through me, my heartbeat picking up rapidly when I realised, I couldn’t move. My wrists were bound painfully tight to the arms of a chair, the leather of the cuffs chafing against my skin. The smell that assaulted my nose was familiar—damp, a faint smell of disinfectant. Nausea rolled through me, my chest heaving as I blinked, desperately trying to clear my blurry vision. The dim glow above me illuminated the basement, the shadows playing hauntingly across the familiar bare walls. My father’s basement. My basement. Confusion wracked my brain, how did I get here? One minute I was leaving the club, trying to call a cab...

The hand over my mouth, being dragged backwards, the alleyway. Then... nothing.

My heart sank, terror clawing at me from the inside as reality crashed over me. Someone had kidnapped me and brought me here. How? Who the fuck even knew this place existed other than me and Tony.

“Hello, Maxine.” A cold, almost sinister sounding voice sounded from behind me.

I twisted my head, the movement sending blinding pain through my skull, stars instantly flashing into my vision. I inhaled sharply, regretting the movement as I furiously tried to blink away the spots in my vision. My entire blood froze as he circled around me, crouching down in front of me, lifting my chin with one of the knives from my work bench. The broad, brown-haired cop that came to my office, the one that had been watching me just a little too closely these last few weeks.

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