Chapter One
Rain fell in thin silver lines over the city.
Mona pulled her worn jacket tighter around her shoulders as she hurried across the empty school courtyard. Night classes had ended late again. The other students were long gone, picked up by drivers and expensive cars. Only Mona walked home on foot, shoes splashing through puddles, head lowered against the cold.
She didn't complain. She was used to this life. Poor background. No parents. A scholarship student among daughters of CEOs and sons of politicians. She kept her grades high and her voice low. That was how she survived.
She didn't notice the black car parked across the street.
Didn't see the man leaning against it, watching.
Davison.
He adjusted his leather gloves and checked his phone once more.
TARGET CONFIRMED. PROCEED TONIGHT. PAYMENT AFTER CONFIRMATION.
The message came from an anonymous number. But he already knew the sender. A woman. Young. Wealthy. Dangerous. And very determined.
He hadn't asked why she wanted the girl. His work didn't require questions — only results.
Mona reached the corner where the streetlights grew sparse. Her footsteps slowed. Something felt wrong. The air behind her felt heavier.
She turned.
A hand covered her mouth.
Another arm wrapped around her waist.
She struggled, kicking, but the man was solid muscle. The scent of leather and rain filled her nose.
"Quiet," a low voice murmured in her ear. "I won't hurt you if you don't scream."
Fear froze her.
Within seconds, she was inside the car, door slamming shut, engine roaring to life.
Mona's heart pounded so hard she thought it would burst. She tried to speak, but the cloth over her mouth muffled everything.
The man beside her said nothing as the city lights blurred past the window.
His eyes stayed on the road.
Golden-brown. Cold. Focused.
A professional.
An hour later, the car stopped.
They were in the outskirts of the city now. Trees. Darkness. Silence.
Davison pulled her out gently — surprisingly gently — and led her into a small abandoned house hidden between tall pines.
He tied her hands loosely to a chair.
Not tight enough to hurt.
Not loose enough to escape.
He stepped back and studied her.
Mona glared at him, chest rising fast, hair damp from rain, eyes wide with terror.
Davison had kidnapped dozens before.
None had looked at him like this.
Defiant. Even afraid, she refused to bow.
He looked away first.
That annoyed him.
He pulled out his phone and typed a message.
TARGET ACQUIRED. SEND PAYMENT.
Three dots appeared.
Then a reply:
KILL HER. AND SEND PROOF.
Davison stared at the screen.
Then at Mona.
A girl with nothing.
A girl whose death would be meaningless to the world.
Except… something inside him shifted.
A slow, unfamiliar resistance.
He locked his phone.
And spoke for the first time.
"You're Mona, right?"
Her eyes widened.
He already knew her name.
Outside the cabin, thunder rolled.
Inside, Davison crouched in front of her.
"I was paid to end your life tonight," he said quietly.
Mona's breath stopped.
Davison's eyes darkened.
"But I haven't decided yet if I will."