“Conrad’s woman,” he muttered, leaning in and sniffing her. “Mmm…”
He closed his eyes, looking almost like he was savoring the moment, then opened them again.
Lillian noticed something strange-one of his eyes looked fake.
When he caught her staring, he grabbed her by the neck. “Turns out, Conrad’s woman smells just as disgusting as I thought.”
“My eyes pretty?” he sneered. “Your man dug them out.”
Lillian’s heart skipped a beat. Damn it, this guy’s an enemy of Conrad!
Booth, you son of a bitch!
“I’m just Conrad’s secretary, I’m not…”
“Heh, secretary? What kind of secretary are you?” The man’s hand slid down her jaw and started to trace her neck. “You’re really pretty. I wonder how your body is…”
Before he could finish, Lillian blinked. “Sir, I’m not saying no to sleeping with you, but I’m pretty straightforward about my rates. Conrad hasn’t touched me in a while-he’s got someone new. Plus, he’s been hitting me and burning me, so there’s not much left but my face.”
“I saw a doctor last month, told me to keep applying ointment, so if you want to sleep with me, I’m not stopping you, but just so you know, I don’t have a health report.” Lillian struggled, lifting her right hand. “How much are you offering? What’s your game?”
The man stared at the scars on her hand, then at the way she was eagerly looking at him. He sneered. “You think you can play me?”
Lillian flashed a seductive smile and leaned in as if to kiss him. The man dodged slightly, then slapped her across the face.
“I’m not touching the trash he’s been with. Now, you’re my dog’s gift.”
Lillian’s expression changed instantly. The man pressed a button, and from somewhere, a black dog appeared, walking toward her, showing its sharp teeth.
He tossed her a phone.
“Call Conrad, tell him Hunter is waiting for him.”
Lillian’s chains were unlocked.
She acted fast, grabbing the phone as if afraid he’d change his mind. She dialed Conrad’s number.
The phone rang once, then was abruptly hung up.
The low growl of the dog was right beside her, and she shook as she dialed again.
This time, the phone rang for much longer…
Then, it was hung up again.
“Last chance,” the man said, smiling slightly at her.
The dog was nearly on top of her, so close she could smell its rancid breath.
“Conrad, don’t you want to answer the phone?” Daisy’s voice chimed in, amused.
Conrad toyed with his phone, letting it vibrate again and again, ignoring it.
Daisy looked satisfied. At least he wasn’t running off to be with some other woman.
The phone… still no answer.
Pick up, Conrad! Please, pick up!
Lillian cursed him a thousand times in her mind, and the next second, the man grabbed her by the neck and dragged her down the stairs.
When the door opened, the people downstairs, dancing and laughing, froze.
“Sixty million dollars. Whoever gets to this woman first with a car, she’s theirs.”
“Wow!”
Lillian’s face went pale. The crowd downstairs looked like they were all lowlifes from some corner of the city.
Sixty million? They’d probably kill her for that amount.
“Poor thing,” Hunter murmured as he leaned in close, licking her ear. “It’s a pity that you’re Conrad’s woman. The game’s just getting started tonight.”
******
The night wind howled as Gordon rode his bike to their usual racing spot. As soon as he arrived, someone came running up to him.
“Gordon, you finally made it! I don’t know where these assholes came from, but they’ve blocked the road to the mountain. They won’t let anyone through! They’re talking about a race-who the hell do they think owns this mountain? Who gave them the right to shut down the road?”
This place was rented out by Gordon. Whenever he came to race, no other private cars were allowed up. Everyone in City N’s racing scene knew that.
“Who are they?”
“Not sure. I’m afraid it’s going to turn ugly. A bunch of drunk idiots went up the mountain-some in sports cars, some in race cars, and others on motorcycles. They’re saying the grand prize is fifty million dollars!”
Gordon put on his helmet. “Let’s go check it out.”
He revved the engine, and the sleek curves of the bike shot forward like a black panther in the night. The tail lights flickered like red lightning on the winding mountain road.
The scene was chaotic, with both men and women everywhere.
Champagne bottles were popping, and ribbons flew in the air.
The place was a mess.
As soon as Gordon showed up, someone tried to stop him, but he just barreled through, and the person stepped aside to avoid getting hit. Gordon’s team followed right behind.
Booth was completely freaking out now. He couldn’t get away, and had no idea what Hunter was up to.
Fifty million dollars? Hunter wanted someone to crash into Lillian, but not actually hurt her?
What the hell was this? What kind of game was this?
Lillian couldn’t just disappear underground, and if anything went wrong, he was screwed!
“Hunter, what the hell is this? You said just a little punishment!”
Hunter shoved Booth aside. “You took my money, so what I do is none of your business.”
He pointed a baseball bat at something in the distance.
Everyone turned to look.
At the edge of the cliff, a woman with long hair was tied up to a cross, completely immobile.
Hunter smirked. “Cliff, woman, fifty million dollars. You all know the rules.”
Booth’s lips were trembling as he scrambled to his feet. “You’re insane!!!”
If they couldn’t stop in time, they could crash right into Lillian, using her to soften the blow and stop themselves from falling!
But if that happened, Lillian wouldn’t just be injured-she could end up dead from falling off the cliff into the sea below.
And she was tied up on that wooden frame, so she had no way out. She was just waiting to die.
Booth regretted everything. He wished he’d never gotten involved with this maniac.
The winding road, the race, it was all a matter of life and death.
Win, and fifty million dollars was yours.
It was a game for the rich, where they bought the lives of the poor.
Hunter snapped his fingers, and the cars took off like arrows from a bow.
The noise and chaos, the shouts, were carried away with the speed of the vehicles.
The surroundings fell silent, with only the red light at the top of the mountain spinning.
Just then, a bright light cut through the night sky.
The roar of a motorcycle engine echoed, and Gordon sped up to Hunter’s side, landing smoothly. He removed his helmet, propping his elbow on the handlebar, narrowing his eyes.
“Hunter? I thought it was someone else. Guess it’s just you, huh?” Recognizing him, Gordon leaned back. “When did you get back? Coming onto my turf like this?”
Hunter looked at Gordon, disappointment flickering in his eyes. The person he was waiting for wasn’t Gordon.
“Gordon! You’ve gotta save Lillian! He’s using her as a reward, she’s tied up over there at the cliff! If she stays on that mountain, she’s as good as dead!” Booth was on the ground, yelling and struggling.
Gordon wiped the smirk off his face and stared at the flashing red light, the headlights popping up from the trees along the mountain road, and the screeching sound of tires grinding against the asphalt.