Chapter Twenty-Five
W e quickly left the gazebo running, the dreamlike atmosphere dissipating as reality came crashing back in. Leo insisted on driving once we reached the car, his hand gripping mine tightly as we sped through the quiet streets back to the city.
The thought of leaving Jane’s quaint house and charming town left me feeling disappointed. My heart pounded in my chest, my mind spinning with questions, they were quickly answered with the only reasonable explanation.
Kyle.
It had to be.
I’ve lived in my apartment for the past five years and nothing has ever happened, to me, my neighbors, or even the building. Sometimes when I go on business trips, Trey likes to spend nights there because my place is closer to downtown and all the clubs than his place. He must have been out and about and decided to stay the night, the only reason why I would get a text from him.
Thinking about him or even saying his name doesn’t bring the fear anymore, just a sense of sickness to my stomach. The conclusion I’m coming to is that he’s always been this way, just never acted upon his impulses.
Something changed in him once Kyle saw me with Leo.
“Hey,” Leo said, flickering between the road and me, “He’s going to get what he deserves.”
I could only not, letting out a heavy sigh. What else was there to say? Nothing could have made this moment better—except maybe the fact that I had an amazing boyfriend who has put up with all the crazy bullshit.
When we finally pulled up to my apartment building an hour and half later, confusion seeped in more than panic. Trey had told me the police were there with him and yet no sign of flashing blue and red lights.
It was like any normal night.
Parking the car, we sat there, both of us staring at the building as if trying to make sense of the situation. The lack of police presence was unsettling—a small part of me had been counting on their reassuring visibility, offering security in the chaos that had gripped my life.
Leo squeezed my hand, “It was a drive and Trey could have taken care of everything and is waiting inside.”
He was probably right. Trey could be inside, waiting for us with good news—a mixture of hope and dread swirling together. I wanted this nightmare to be over, for Kyle to be a ghost of the past rather than an imminent threat.
We stepped out of the car, and I felt Leo’s arm snake around my waist, pulling me closer. It was a small comfort, but I clung to it, grounding myself as we walked toward the front entrance.
The lobby was quiet, almost eerily so. The hum of fluorescent lights filled the lobby, a faint drone that seemed to highlight it. Harsh white light reflected off the scuffed linoleum floor, revealing a sagging couch whose faux-leather surface cracked like parched earth. A magazine lay half-open on the low coffee table, its pages curling as if too tired to stay upright. A hinted chemical smell clung to the air, sharp and sour, just barely masked by the sugary scent of vanilla and sandalwood wafting from a wall plu-iin. It was the kind of place where the silence felt alive, where even the smallest shuffle of feet might echo like a shout.
Everything was normal.
“Looks the same,” Leo commented.
“I Was thinking the same thing.”
Making our way to the elevator, a familiar voice startled me.
“Hey Drew.”
Looking over my shoulder, it was my neighbor from down the hall, Mr. Edwards. It was a grumpy old man who made everybody’s life a living hell with the exception of me—not sure what I did to get on his good side, but I’ll take it.
“Hey there Mr. Edwards,” I said.
“Haven’t seen you in a couple of days, everything okay?” he worriedly asked.
I smiled at his worry, “Yes, everything is okay. My boyfriend and I were out of town having a little vacation.”
“Boyfriend!” He shouted, clapping his hands together,” About time, for second I was worried about you.”
“No need to worry, Mr. Edwards,” Leo interjected, “I’ll take good care of him.”
“That’s wonderful. I don’t mean to be rude, but I was on my way out and only meant to stop to check the mail. By the way,” Mr. Edwards said, gesturing for us to get closer, “Your friends are in your apartment, probably surprising you. But you didn’t hear it from me.”
He winked at Leo and myself before turning away and heading out of the lobby doors. Friends? Trey most definitely, but who else could be up there? Unless, this was another way for him to surprise me with a spontaneous party?
I looked over at Leo with a questionable look.
“Don’t look at me, I know nothing,” he says, raising both his hands in the air.
We made our way to the elevator, the doors creaking open as we stepped inside, Leo pressed the button for my floor, and I could feel his eyes on me, watching, waiting. I leaned into him, letting out a slow breath, trying to steady the unease building inside me .
As we approached my floor, the elevator doors slid open with a ding. The hallway was dim and some of the lights flickered the further you looked down the narrow corridor—still nothing out of the ordinary.
The hallway seemed to stretch endless, a tunnel of uncertainty as we walked towards my door. Something felt wrong, out of place, and I couldn’t shake the feeling, no matter how tightly I gripped Leo’s hand.
We approached the door, and I paused, staring at it for a moment. The silence was deafening. My fingers gripped Leo’s intensely, trembling slightly.
“Let me go in first?” Leo suggested, his voice low, barely audible.
“No, if it’s what Mr. Edwards says, then it’s best if I go in first,” I told him, looking into eyes sternly but worrisome.
Leo swallowed hard, “Let’s go inside, then.”
Pulling my keys out, I inserted a key into the deadbolt and as I turned, I felt no lock shift, it was already unlocked. As I stepped inside, my eyes widened in shock. The living room looked like it had been ransacked by a storm. Pillows lay strewn across the floor, one split open, its stuffing spilling out like guts. A lamp lay sideways, its bulb shattered, tiny shards glittering like jagged stars on the hardwood. In the center of the wreckage sat Trey. Thick ropes cut into his wrists, holding him to the chair. Purple bruises bloomed across his cheekbones and jawline, and a thin trail of dried blood curled from the corners of his mouth. His head drooped forward, hair matted to his forehead, his shallow breaths the only sign he was still alive.
Emily slumped beside him, her wrists red and raw beneath the same cruel knot ropes. Blood traced jagged lines down her ashen cheeks, and her head lolled unnaturally, as if even gravity had lost its grip on her fading strength.
Panic surged through me, my heart pounding violently in my chest. My stomach twisted into knots as I struggled to process the scene before me.
Leo moved quickly, rushing to Trey’s side, checking for a pulse. His face was tight with worry, his fingers trembling slightly.
“He’s alive,” Leo said, relief evident in his voice, quickly rushing to Emily, “She is too.”
He glanced at me, his eyes dark with determination.
“We need to get them untied. Drew, call for help. Now.”
I fumbled for my phone, my hands shaking as I dialed nine one one, but before I could complete the call, a sound froze me in place. The floor creaked just to my right, followed by the unmistakable click of a gun being cocked.
“Now, I wouldn’t do that,” Kyle’s voice came, chilling and calm.
My blood ran cold.
There, standing in the kitchen, was Kyle. He was wearing a black hoodie, jeans, shoes, and gloves allowing him to blend with the shadows. His face gaunt and twisted in a mask of anger. His eyes were wide, filled with a manic intensity, and his lips curled into a cruel sneer.
The way he just stood there with his shoulders hunched gave the impression he was ready to strike at any moment.
And in his hand was a shiny revolver.
I could feel the dangerous energy, a cold fury burning as he just stared at me.
“There you are,” Kyle sneered, his voice dripping with malice, “Look at the happy couple, rushing to save the day.”
”What did you do to them?” I asked.
”Nothing really. A bit of a struggle at first. Trey wasn’t that difficult, the man fights like a feather in a tornado. But Em here, she resisted as best as she could, that is until the chloroform did its job, and bam, they weren’t a problem anymore.”
Panic continued to surge through me, but beneath it was a flicker of rage, a fire that started in my chest and spread like wildfire.
How fucking dare he.
How dare he come into my house, hurt the people I love, and threaten us like this. My gaze flickered to Leo, who had stood up ready to act.
“Kyle, put the gun down,” Leo said, his voice laced with steel.
His eyes never left Kyle, his hand subtly raised in a placating gesture, “You don’t want to do this.”
Kyle let out a bitter laughter, shaking his head, “You think you can talk me down? After everything?”
A wave of fear washed over me, but I forced myself to stay calm. I couldn’t let him see how terrified I was.
”Kyle, this isn’t you. Why are you doing this?”
”How can you even ask that? You don’t know me. We went on one date and you threw me away like I was trash,” Kyle started, “When I saw you and him at the restaurant, my intention was to fucking ruin it by telling Leo what to expect, in hopes he would get up and leave, making you feel the same way you made me. But there was something different between you two.”
His grip on the gun tightened.
“Something different?” I asked cautiously, buying us time.
I could feel Leo’s eyes on me, the tension radiating from him. He was ready, ready to move and fight Kyle. But I knew any sudden movement could force Kyle to shoot the gun. I needed to keep Kyle’s focus on me.
“Yeah, different,” Kyle spat, his voice laced with anger, “You actually looked happy with him and it made me sick. I couldn’t just let it go.”
“I’m sorry if I hurt you, but this isn’t the way to fix it. Hurting people, it just isn’t right,” I said, in a calm tone.
“It isn’t right!” Kyle yelled, “What isn’t right is making me think you were into me and then sending me a text the next day telling me it isn’t going to work. That’s not right!”
He started to laugh, a bitter, hollow sound.
”Apologize? You think I care about them, Drew? No. I want you to feel what I felt.”
My eyes flickered to Trey and Emily, still tied and unconscious. This wasn’t about getting even, Kyle had jumped that path and hopped onto revenge. The text I sent the following day had much more of an impact on him than I even intended. Kyle needed mental help at this point.
“Think about this. You still have a choice. You can walk away from this. Put the gun down, let us help you,” Leo said.
Without hesitation, Kyle raised his arm and pulled the trigger of the gun, shooting Leo in the shoulder. Leo fell backwards hitting the floor hard as blood sprayed everywhere.
“Looks like you're the one who needs help,” Kyle hissed.
“Leo!” A cry tearing from my throat, rushing over to Leo.
The metallic scent of blood polluted the air, thick and overwhelming. My heart hammed in my chest, each beat reverberating like a drum in the otherwise silent apartment. Fear and rage filled my veins, swirling together until I couldn’t tell where one ended and the other began.
Kyle’s eyes burned with a wild, almost feral joy, a gleam that made him seem less than human. He took a step closer, the gun steady in his hands but trembling slightly, his lips caught between a triumphant smile and stunned disbelief.
I glanced down at Leo. his face was twisted in agony, each shallow breath a struggle. Blood seeped between his fingers as he pressed his hand over the wound, trying to stanch the flow.
His eyes turned steely before abruptly pivoting toward the dining room. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from Kyle as he slowly pressed the gun to his temple, almost contemplative. Was he lost in thought, or was he already regretting shooting Leo? Turning my focus back to Leo, I pressed my hands on top of his to help stop the bleeding.
“I’m so sorry, Leo,” I said, tears starting to swell in the corners of my eyes.
“This is not your fault,” Leo replied.
“Oh, but it is,” Kyle interjected.
I looked back at the dining area and watched as he grabbed one of the steel chairs, pulling it towards me. The harsh screech of the metal against the floor that left a ringing in my ears.
“Drew,” he said, his voice cold and commanding, “tie Leo up.”
He tossed a length of rope and some zip ties he must have brought with him. It landed in front of me and Leo.
Every muscle in my body screamed against it, but the glint in Kyle’s eyes told me he wouldn’t hesitate to use the gun again. Leo gave me a small nod, telling me it was okay. I helped Leo up and onto the chair Kyle placed next to Trey.
I wanted to fight, to scream, to make Kyle feel every ounce of the fear and pain he was causing. But everybody’s life was dependent on me keeping it together, on playing along until I can get control of this.
Kyle circled us like a predator, the gun never wavering from me.
“See, this is how it should have been from the start,” he said, his voice dripping with condescension. “You are supposed to be listening to me, doing what I want. Isn’t that what a submissive is supposed to do?”
I didn’t answer, my eyes focused on the rope and zip ties.
“What?” Kyle said, gritting his teeth.
He then crowded me, brushing the tip of the gun against my check, biting his bottom lip with a small chuckle.
“I know Leo is the owner of that sex dungeon, Wonderland. And there is no doubt in mind you’re his submissive.”
Swallowing hard, the hot metal of the gun sending visceral chill through my body. His words cleaved the silence, amplifying the turmoil, fear, and anger that waged an unrelenting battle within me.
I needed to strategize, to find a way to secure everyone’s safety. There was no room for error; a single wrong move could mean the end for all of us. I had to keep my emotions in check, stay sharp, even with every fiber of my being.
“You think you understand everything, Kyle,” I said, my voice quivering but with defiance.
Leo’s gaze turned to me, a silent push to remain resolute. Leo, who had stood by me, who was risking everything just by being here. I couldn’t let my fear show. I had to be strong for everyone.
”Leo has nothing to do with what happened between us.” I expressed.
Kyle sneered, pressing the barrel harder against my cheek, his face just inches from mine. I could smell the acrid scent of his sweat, including the deranged glint in his eyes more now that he was up close, feeling his hot breath against my skin.
He was unraveling.
The closer I looked, the more I could see his need for control. It seeped out of every pore, cracking away at his revengeful demeanor.
“Yes, I’m his submissive,” I say to Kyle, my voice steady.
Kyle inched closer, “If you wanted someone to dominate you, all you had to do was ask.”
“I want you to show me,” I said.
For a brief moment, Kyle’s grip slackened on the gun, his eyes seemed to drift as though seeing some distant memory. His lips parted slightly, and I could see the ghost of something, a lost sense of himself. But just as quickly, the hardness returned, his sneer twisting into a snarl.
Stepping back from me, he motioned with the gun for me to get up and distance myself from Leo. Something I said, must have kept him from wanting to continue with tying up Leo. My eyes lingered on Leo who remained silent, grimacing of pain in his face from the pain in his shoulder.
The gun remained on me as I got up from the floor.
“That’s not a bad idea, actually. We can actually do it right here, right now in front of your Master? Let’s show him what it really means to be a dominant handling their submissive,” Kyle said, with an antagonizing tone.
“We can’t do it here, sir,” I said.
“Sir?” Kyle repeated, taking enjoyment of what I said, “It has a nice ring to it. Where would you suggest?”
Without hesitation, “Wonderland. Master Leo has a?—”
Kyle pointed the gun at me, “He is no master here.”
I didn’t flinch.
Facing down the barrel of a gun felt like staring into the edge of my own mortality—a chilling reminder of how fragile life truly is. Forcing myself to maintain composure, Kyle wanted to break me, to strip me of every ounce of courage. I simply couldn’t let that happen. Not while Emily, Trey, and especially Leo needed me.
“My apologies, master,” I said, “At Wonderland, Leo has a private room. I’ll show you everything. Just you and me.”
He mulled over my offer, the gun still trained on my chest.
My boyfriend’s gaze burned through me, silently pleading with me to reconsider. But I had no other choice. This was my only chance to buy us time, to maybe turn the situation around.
“I’m serious, Kyle,” I said, holding his focus. “You want control, right? You want to see what real submission looks like. You want me to submit to you? Then take me there. Leave them,” I gestured towards Leo, Trey, and Em, “They don’t need to be part of this. It’s me you want.”
Kyle’s face softened for a moment, clearly tempted. He lowered the gun just slightly, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. He moved closer, his face inches from mine, his voice dropping to a whisper.
“You think you can manipulate me, Drew?” You think I can’t see through your little game?”
Keeping his eye contact, “No games. You want me to be yours, to do whatever you want. This is your chance.”
He stared at me for what felt like an eternity, the tension between us was almost suffocating. Kyle glanced over at Leo, who was flickering between us as the blood spot in his shoulder was slowly growing.
“Prove it,” he demanded, before meeting my eyes again.
“How can I prove to you, sir?”
“Kiss me,” Kyle said.
A rush of conflicting emotions tore through me at his words. This was a test, a twisted way for Kyle to see if he truly had power over me, and I know what was at stake. I had to push aside the revulsion, the fear of what this act meant. My skin crawled at the thought of what he was asking.
Slowly, I leaned in, closing the distance between us.
“One more thing,” Kyle interrupted. “Kiss me like you are kissing him.”
He gestured over to Leo, who was wide-eyed.
“Make me believe it’s him you’re kissing.”
I didn’t look at Leo.
It was too hard to look at him and be able to kiss Kyle the way he wanted me to. All I had to do was focus and pretend. My mind instantly started flashing scenes of Leo and I, in our most intimate moments, helping me trick my mind.
I steeled myself, slowing down my breaths, and taking another step closer to Kyle. His eyes bore into mine, a twisted mix of triumph and something else, something dark and hungry.
Cupping his face, every movement felt like I was wading through thick mud. My other hand found his shoulder, feeling the tautness of his muscles beneath my fingertips. Kyle’s muscles were tense, every fiber of his body alert and waiting. And as I closed my eyes, forcing myself to picture nothing but Leo, my lips met Kyle’s.
His lips were cold but soft as he pressed into mine. Kyle’s groan reverberated through my chest, and his hand gripped my waist, pulling me closer with an almost frantic need. I swallowed the disgust that threatened to overwhelm me, my stomach churning violently.
Tilting my head, I parted my lips trying to make it convincing, trying to pretend that the man in front of me wasn’t a sociopath, but Leo.
“More,” he demanded, pulling away slightly.
His hand found my waist, tightening his grip as his fingers dug into my flesh, leaving bruises that I knew would appear later.
“Make me feel it, make me believe it,” Kyle insisted.
I deepened the kiss, trying to detach myself from the reality of what what’s happening, as Leo’s presence loomed large in my mind—the strength of his arms wrapped around me, the tenderness in his eyes when he looked at me as he pumped inside of me, the way he always held me. I let that feeling guide me, channeling it into the kiss, pushing the emotion that Kyle wanted. Hoping, praying that it would be enough to satisfy him.
The roughness of Kyle’s stubble scraped against my skin as his lips moved hungrily against mine. It felt endless, like I was drowning, sinking. Every fiber of my being screamed, but I pushed it down, locking it away, forcing myself to stay in the moment.
When I finally pulled back, my chest was heaving, each shallow breath catching in my throat. A hollow ache spread through me, as though a piece of myself had been stripped away and left behind. My gaze settled on Kyle—his eyes still closed, lingering with what just happened, savoring it for as long as he could.
“Yes, that’s it,” he said, licking his bottom softly.
“I’m yours,” I softly told him.
His smile widened.
Kyle finally opened his eyes, and I couldn’t help but notice how his pupils had dilated, darkening his gaze with an intensity that sent a shiver through me. He stepped back, nodding to himself, as though he had just confirmed something only he could understand.
Quickly, he grabbed some duct tape that was hiding out of sight, ripping off a piece that was just enough to cover Leo’s mouth, so that he couldn’t talk before working fast and tying Leo up to the chair.
Grabbing my arm, his grip bruising my skin, “They stay here. You and I, we’re going to Wonderland.”
Leo groaned, a low guttural sound unable to escape past the duct tape, shifting in his chair trying to break free from his restraints.
Kyle’s excitement was chilling, like we were on some grand adventure he had been dreaming about for years. I looked back at my boyfriend, my heart breaking into a thousand pieces. There were so many things I wanted to say, so many words that were caught in my throat.
“I’ll be okay. I love you,” I mouthed to him.
I needed to remind him of it, to hold onto it.
Kyle jerked my arm impatiently, his eyes narrowing.
“Let’s go!”