CHAPTER SIX
LILA
The clown inches closer, inhaling deeply near my neck, as if savoring my scent.
My pulse pounds erratically. This isn’t passion, it’s pure, bone-chilling terror.
“Who knew you’d smell so good, considering you live in that shithole on the West Side?
” He sneers, his voice dripping with twisted amusement behind the grotesque mask.
What the hell? How does he know that?
My heart hammers as I twist sharply, but he’s quicker. With a vicious tug at my braid, he yanks me down against the hard ground. Well, that’s going to leave a bruise.
I thrash wildly, kicking and screaming, but he’s heavier than he looks. His strong hands slam me face-first into the damp, cold earth. The chill seeps through my costume, raising icy goosebumps across my skin.
He fumbles with a zip tie, trying to pin my wrists behind my back as he flips me onto my side. Well, he’s definitely not kinky.
Adrenaline surges, hot and wild. I spit venom. “Is this some sick joke, you piece of shit? Who the fuck are you?” He straddles me, trying to gain control… But I twist hard, my legs snapping up. My knee cracking against his head.
Lila: 1. Dickhead: 0.
He grunts, but I don’t wait. I scramble upright, chest heaving, rage and fear tangling like live wires in my veins. Then he laughs, low and dark, distorted through the modulator. “Oh, Lila. I know you very well… and you know me.”
My blood turns cold. He knows my name. He circles me like a wolf, ready to devour his prey. So, he really does know me… And that realization scrapes across my skin like frostbite.
Gripping my purse tighter, I slip my fingers inside, unzipping the “frying pan purse” Aster rigged with hidden weapons. I stay low, undetected in the shadows, and feel for the essentials, pepper spray… pocketknife… Then… bingo .
The purple taser.
I wrap my fingers around it, steadying my breath, waiting for his next move.
“Oh, I’m hurt,” he drawls, placing a hand over his chest. “You don’t recognize me?” A chilling laugh slithers through the modulator. “Princess?” That single word freezes me deep within my bones. “Or should I say… phony princess?” He rips the tiara from my head and hurls it into the abyss.
My spirit cracks under the weight of his words, splintering like glass. I keep the hard-core facade intact, pretending I’m untouched. But truth is… it hurts more than I want to admit. It feels like high school all over again, like I’m the punchline to some cruel joke. A toy. His toy.
I know I’m not a princess. I’m far from it.
The house I grew up in should’ve been condemned, and we lived off peas, cornbread, and milk to make ends meet.
So, to be dressed like this… yeah, I get why he called me a phony princess.
Because that’s all I am. A fake. And honestly?
I can’t even argue with him. He circles closer, voice laced with pure hatred.
“You mooch off Aster and her parents, pretending you matter, when everyone knows you’re just a desperate charity case.
Her family only puts up with you so they can write off the money they throw at your family for a tax break.
” My pulse quickens. My mind spins, flashing through faces, exes, creeps, admirers.
Every one of them a breadcrumb trail leading to this moment.
“Think harder, princess,” he sneers, voice dripping with mockery.
“You’ve turned me down again and again. And I don’t like being told no.
So I dug a little deeper, tried to figure out what makes you tick…
but instead, I found out who you really are.
” He leans in. “Trash.” The light bulb flickers on.
Ohhh… I’ve turned him down multiple times. That prick. Now I know exactly who you are. And you just picked the wrong girl to piss off.
I back away, but he mirrors every step, a sinister dance of rage.
Steadying myself, I grip the taser, a dangerous smile flickering on my lips.
“Hello… Clint.” Without hesitation, I jam the taser into his ribs and press the button.
Sparks burst forth, and he convulses violently before collapsing with a satisfying thud.
“LILA, YOU DUMB BITCH!” Clint roars, twitching in agony.
In one swift move, I straddle him and rip off his hideous mask, revealing a smug, entitled face beneath. Disgust flares inside me. “Aw, you’re just as ugly as I remembered.”He glares but is still groaning in agony from the most powerful moment of my life.
I feel… in control for the first time in my life. Well, except for that moment with the Phantom. But I’m still not convinced that was even real.
He’s rambling now, desperate to say anything that’ll save him… Newsflash, asshole… nothing’s going to save you.
I tilt his chin up to me and sneer, “That’s for touching my lips and neck without permission, you creep.” Slowly, I bring the taser toward his crotch. His eyes widened with pure panic. Just what I want…
“Lila—wait!” he begs.
My voice drops dangerously low. “And this is for calling me a dumb bitch.”
“NO! PLEASE! I WANT KIDS!” His voice shatters, filled with terror.
My laughter is cold and mocking. “You? Offspring? The world doesn’t deserve that punishment.”
Sweat beads on his forehead. “LILA, PLEASE! I—I CAN HELP YOU!” His desperation turns to sobs. “D-Do you want a job? I can get you into Heartford Cypher International! I’m good friends with the CEO and his right-hand man!”
Heartford.
The company I’ve dreamed of joining for years. The one that once changed my life… and just might save it again.
I lift the taser slightly, my fingers tightening around the grip. Skepticism churns in my gut. I’m not sure if I can trust him. “Don’t screw with me, Clint. I’ve got more weapons in here than patience.”
“I swear!” he exclaims, frantically grabbing his phone. “Look, I’ll email the CEO now! I’ll recommend you and put in a good word… just spare my balls! Please! I’m adding you to the email right now!”
My phone vibrates once, then twice. I glance down.
It’s real.
A message sent directly to the owner… the one I’ve tried to contact hundreds of times.
An opportunity to become the rescue I once needed. This company didn’t just change my life; they gave it back to me. Months of struggle, countless rejected applications, and all it took was threatening a sociopath’s manhood?
A satisfied smirk curves my lips as I step back. “See? Was that so hard?”
Clint exhales shakily. “Shit, I really thought you’d do it.”
“Trust me, I was tempted, but watching you squirm like a pathetic little man-child was way more satisfying.”
He looks around anxiously. “You won’t tell anyone, right? I don’t need this shit on social media.”
I twirl the taser playfully. “Pull that again, and your balls will trend worldwide.”
He chuckles nervously. “Whoa, seriously, chill.”
I narrow my eyes. “Wait, why are you even working here in the maze tonight?”
He shrugs. “Didn’t Aster tell you? The party’s hosted by Beck Heartford, the CEO… the one I just emailed. It’s a fundraiser for cancer research and those who can’t afford treatment.”
Beck Heartford. And the fundraiser is for cancer? Is this fate, or am I being punked right now?
My throat tightens.
The city’s most sought-after bachelor and the brilliant mind behind the company dismantling sex trafficking networks around the world. Who wouldn’t want a man like that? I’m here to help my mom… but maybe, just maybe, I can help myself too by letting him do whatever he wants to me.
Lila. Snap out of it, you horny slut.
I ask, voice casual despite the excitement coursing through my body, “Oh, is he… umm, here tonight?”
Clint perks up. “Yeah! I’m surprised you haven’t seen him. He’s dressed as Batman. He’s like a damn golden retriever. Super nice guy.”
My heart pounds violently as I remember the man who once asked me out. His masculine body pressed against mine on the dance floor, his hard desires unmistakable.
Oh God, I’m so stupid. I literally asked if he was a celebrity.
He probably thinks I’m an idiot. And running off mid-panic attack?
Yeah, that didn’t help. I know I don’t deserve someone like Beck…
But that doesn’t mean I don’t want him. And tonight?
I’m barely holding it together beneath all the chaos.
My knees weaken as excitement and confusion collide, a storm pulsing beneath my skin. An unexpected heat pools between my thighs as I think of him.
He is here tonight, and I watched him enter the maze… Is he hunting? Possibly hunting me? And what about the Phantom…
My head spins.
Could they be the same person? Is the Phantom just another adrenaline-fueled illusion? Is he a figment of my imagination?
“Lila?” Clint’s voice cuts through the haze. I nod sharply and turn toward the darkness of the maze.
An exhilarating realization coils within me. Tonight just became complicated, and I might enjoy every twisted second of it. I take off in a sprint, heart pounding, blood thrumming. It’s not the light guiding me… It’s the heat pooling low in my belly. The thrill. The want. The chase.
“Where are you going?” Clint yells behind me. I don’t look back. “To hunt.”