Page 75 of Toxic B!tch
“It was nothing. He hits like a bitch,” she replies, brushing it off like it doesn’t matter.
“Indigo…”
“Malik…”
We lock eyes, and for a moment, everything between us is raw, unspoken.
“Come on, baby. Just help me get him to the car,” she says, already starting toward the door.
“Fine, but we’re talking about this,” I reply, following her.
“Deal,” she agrees with a grin, and I shake my head, amused, as I help her prepare to drag Elias out of the room.
I grab a blanket off the bed and drape it over Elias. We have to make him look like just another bundle of laundry, nothing to raise any alarms. He’s heavy, dead weight in our hands, but I know we can manage.
We slip out into the hallway with practiced ease. The hotel is upscale, and the hallways are luxuriously furnished, with soft carpeting that muffles our footsteps. I scan the hallway once more. There are a few doors, but the area is mostly quiet. No staff, no guests. Perfect.
Indigo checks the elevator first, her eyes flicking to the security camera above. We both know the elevator could be a gamble in a place like this. Too many eyes, too many chances forsomething to go wrong. The stairs are safer, even if they’re less glamorous.
“Let’s take the back stairs,” I suggest, my voice barely above a whisper.
Indigo nods and leads the way to a discreet door at the end of the hall, away from the public eye. We move through it and down the narrow service staircase, the heavy wood steps creaking under our weight. The hall is dimly lit, the scent of expensive wood polish and floral arrangements lingering in the air.
At the bottom of the stairs, Indigo glances out the service door, doing one last check of the lobby area. We’re in the heart of the hotel, and the lobby’s grandeur makes it feel like we’re in the middle of a movie set. The chandeliers sparkle above, casting warm light over the sleek marble floors, and there’s no sign of any hotel staff yet. We’ve still got time, but I can feel the pressure mounting.
“All clear,” Indigo says, and we step into the quiet alleyway outside. The cold air hits us, a sharp contrast to the warmth of the hotel. I feel the tension in my muscles ease slightly as we move further away from the Aria’s opulent atmosphere.
The parking garage is attached to the hotel, but thankfully, it’s out of sight from the main entrance. We keep low, moving with precision and silence. Each step is calculated, each motion is like we’ve done this a thousand times before.
Indigo opens the trunk, and we lift Elias inside, making sure everything’s in place. I close the trunk softly, glancing around the parking lot once more. It’s so quiet—just the hum of distant traffic, the faint sounds of a luxury car starting somewhere in the distance.
Indigo gets behind the wheel, and I slide into the passenger seat. She starts the engine, and we pull out of the parking lot without a hitch. The sleek black car blends in with the other high-end vehicles parked outside. No one notices us.
We drive off into the night, the lights of the hotel fading behind us as we merge into the street. I take a deep breath. The pressure’s off, for now.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
INDIGO
The air is thick with dust and the lingering scent of rust and oil. This factory has been abandoned for years, forgotten by the city, left to crumble. The only light comes from the single flickering bulb Malik rigged up, casting long, eerie shadows against the cracked concrete and rusted metal beams. It’s perfect.
Elias is still out cold, slumped in the chair Malik secured him to. Heavy-duty rope binds his wrists and ankles, the coarse fibers already biting into his skin. His clothes are reduced to nothing but pathetic tighty-whities, the fabric clinging to his skin in the damp, cold air. I pace in front of him, the distant hum of traffic barely audible through the shattered windows and corroded steel walls. There’s something almost poetic about this—the hunter becoming the hunted. The predator finding himself caged.
Malik leans against a rusted-out conveyor belt, arms crossed, eyes dark with unreadable thoughts. He’s letting me take the lead on this, just like we planned. This isn’t his game—it’s mine.
I reach out, trailing a fingertip along Elias’s jaw before giving his face a sharp slap. Not enough to hurt, just enough to wake him up. He jerks, blinking groggily, his confusion morphing into panic as his situation registers. The ropes. The chair. Me.
“Rise and shine, sweetheart,” I purr, crouching in front of him. “You and I have some things to discuss.”
He yanks at his restraints, but Malik tied him down tight. Foolish of him to think he’d have a chance.
“W-what the hell is this?” His voice cracks, fear creeping in.
I smile, slow and sweet, dragging my nails lightly down his arm. “Oh, Elias. You’re a smart man. Take a guess.”
His breath comes faster now, his mind racing. “I don’t know what you think you’re doing, but you’re making a mistake.”
Malik chuckles behind me, low and cruel. “That so?”
