His Nasty Virgin

VIVIAN

All I had to do was wait for Lance to conk out before I swiped his car keys and made for the door, pulling out of the driveway with ease. Did I feel bad about slipping him enough sleep aids to tranquilize a horse? Of course. Was I worried that it would be enough to kill him? Not at all. I made sure to double-check my math before slipping the medication into his tea, which I offered him politely as a kind gesture. I’d apologize once this whole ordeal was over and done with.

I followed the navigation app on my phone to the exact location Molly’s kidnapper requested. Much to my surprise, it led me straight to a busy restaurant, which was a relief. I thought for sure he’d want me to go to some abandoned warehouse or some other textbook villain hideout location.

There were tons of people inside, plus a handful of waitstaff. If anything went sideways, at least there’d be plenty of witnesses to call 9-1-1. A part of me did wonder why he’d choose somewhere so public. Maybe he didn’t want to make a scene. Maybe all he wanted was the USB in exchange for Molly, no funny business.

Either that, or he was trying to lull me into a false sense of security. I proceeded with caution.

I walked up to the hostess standing behind her podium. Before I could even open my mouth, she smiled and said, “Welcome, Miss Jones. We’ve been expecting you. Right this way, please.”

She led me to a table near the back of the restaurant where it was quieter. Not quite closed off but designed for the fancier guests. We reached a booth in the far back corner where a man was already seated, his back to me.

I recognized the cane next to him, leaning against the table. I slid into the booth across from Alistair McCloud, staring him down.

“Where is she?” I demanded through my disbelief. I couldn’t believe the kindly old man was a criminal mastermind.

Alistair casually flipped through the pages of the menu, unperturbed. “She’s somewhere safe.”

“I’m not here to play games,” I snapped. “Release Molly.

I’m the one you’re after.”

“Oh, I know. We realized very early on that she didn’t know what she stumbled across. Not very bright, that friend of yours.” He held his palm open expectantly. “Hand it over.”

I remained perfectly still, poised, and ready to react. On the surface, I was calm. I refused to show him just how rattled I was. I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing he’d gotten what he wanted.

“I don’t think so,” I said. “Not until you let Molly go.”

“I have the patience of a saint, dear. I’ll wait until you feel ready to give me the USB.”

“What’s stopping you from taking it and offing Molly and me right after?”

His nostrils flared. “It brings me no pleasure to do any of this. I’m trying to help you.”

“Help me?” I scoffed. “You’ve got a pretty fucked up definition of help.”

“You’re in over your head, Vivian. The Azure Cartel wanted to kill both of you on sight. If it weren’t for me and my intervention, Molly would be rotting at the bottom of the bay by now. I convinced them to keep her locked away, but their patience has worn thin. Give me the damn USB and I might be able to convince them to let the two of you go.”

I shook my head in disbelief. “I can’t believe I used to look up to you. Did you know you were my role model? How did you even get involved with all this mess?”

The old man stared past me, appearing lost in thought. “Back when I was still new to the world of investing and my firm was but a business venture, back when Blue Cloud Financial was a name no one had ever heard of, I was struggling to get clients. After all, who wanted to invest in an underdog with next to no track record?

“A member of the cartel approached me. He said he’d happily give me a large cut of every investment I purchased on their behalf. It was a win-win. They got to launder their money, and I got a healthy paycheck I could then use to build my empire.” He shifted in the booth as he continued.

“I refused at first. I wasn’t a criminal. I didn’t want to stoop to such horrid tactics. But I can’t stress this enough, Vivian. Being in business for yourself is hard. Very few of us make it. You don’t get to the top without a little help. I brushed the cartel off as long as I could, but by the end of my first year in business, I was this close to losing it all.”

“You were desperate,” I realized aloud.

McCloud nodded. “That’s putting it mildly. I gave everything I had to build the firm. Every penny I had, I stood to lose. So I took them up on the offer. As Blue Cloud Financial grew, so did the amount and number of their investments. Naturally, I had to do it under the name of a shell corporation. How you managed to stumble upon their account records is beyond me.”

I shook my head in dismay. “You’ve been working with them all this time?”

“I’m afraid so, dear.”

“Why not go to the police? Couldn’t they help you? Maybe they’d give you a lighter sentence if you turned the cartel in.”

“A lighter sentence is still a sentence. I’d rather not risk jail time at all.”

“Don’t you feel bad about what you’re doing? You’re helping a group of people who hurt others for a living. Don’t you feel guilty?”

“I’ve made my peace with it. Because of them, I’ve led a very successful life. I’ve never wanted for anything and neither has my family.”

“At the cost of your soul.”

McCloud rolled his eyes. “Spare me the speech. You’d think the same thing if you were in my shoes.”

“No, I wouldn’t. I’m a good person.”

“Everyone’s the hero of their own story. I bet if I offered you a sizable sum of money to stay quiet, you’d take it.” He reached into the inside pocket of his suit jacket and pulled out a checkbook and pen. “Let’s see… How much do you want, Vivian? A million? Two million? You could start a whole new life somewhere in the tropics. New name, new possibilities.”

“Are you trying to buy my silence?”

“Like I said. I’m trying to help. I don’t agree with the cartel’s more violent antics. If you don’t stay quiet, they

will kill you. I see this as the best option for you.”

“How on Earth is this the best option? You want me to give up everything I’ve ever known. You want me to move to God knows where and let you get away with this?”

His eyes were steely and cold. “I take it that’s a no.”

“I’m not taking your money. I won’t be complicit. What’s to stop the cartel from changing their mind and killing me at a later date?” I leaned forward, gripping the edge of the table. “I’m telling everyone. Media outlets. Your clients. The police. There’s no way I’m going to let this slide.”

He sighed, closing his menu with a hard snap, and the restaurant fell completely silent. There wasn’t a hint of conversation to be heard. No clinking of utensils on plates.

No shuffling from inside the kitchen. Complete stillness.

I looked around, alarmed. What was going on?

Alistair McCloud snapped his fingers. Everyone in the restaurant stood up and vacated their seats, save for the handful of intimidating men who I now realized all had

snake tattoos coiled around their throats. Molly was right.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

It was a trap.

“Gentlemen,” he said to the two men nearest us. “Please take Miss Jones to the freezer. I think she needs to cool her head.”