Chapter 30
CHAPTER THIRTY
ADDIE
Iwoke up with the phantom weight of Vidar’s hands ghosting over my hips. The sheets were cold; the silence of the penthouse was deafening. I didn't let the disappointment settle. Instead, I forged it into armor.
The dress I chose for this morning's assault was a silk slip in a deep, bruised plum that clung to every curve he’d claimed the night before.
If he wanted a partner, he was going to have to deal with the distraction of one.
I spent twenty minutes on my hair and makeup, painting on a version of myself that looked as untouchable as a diamond.
When I stepped into the living area, armed to the teeth, the only person waiting for me was a wall of muscle in a cheap suit.
"Mr. Blackwood left at 5:00 AM, ma'am," the enforcer said. "He won't be back until late this evening. I'm to escort you to the office, oversee your work hours, and ensure your meals are delivered from Fang Dynasty."
A familiar acid burned in my throat. It was exactly like being back under my father’s roof; a gilded cage with a high-speed internet connection and a guard at the door. I didn't argue. I didn't scream. I simply smoothed my silk skirt and gave the wolf in cheap clothing a practiced smile.
"Then we shouldn't keep the markets waiting, should we?"
Inside, I was already mapping the vents and the service elevators of Blackwood Holdings. I would not be a kept prisoner today.
At the office, the digital dossier Vidar had promised was waiting.
He’d given me unprecedented access—keys to the kingdom’s backdoors.
He was watching me; I knew that. Every keystroke was a breadcrumb he’d eventually follow.
I had no plans to wreak havoc on the business; it was the beast I wanted to take down.
But as I dove into the Sterling it was a disappearance.
The fury that settled over me was cold and crystalline. Vidar thought he had mapped my every move. He was wrong. He thought he was playing with a wolf. He hadn't caught on that I was a corporate shark. And I was going to bite his ass.
I stood up and stepped to my glass door. Out in the bullpen, three of Vidar’s enforcers stood like statues near the elevators, their eyes tracking the movement of every suit that passed.
A junior analyst named Sarah stood by the printer. Her hair was the exact shade of auburn as mine, her frame nearly identical to my own.
"Sarah, isn't it? Could you come in here for a moment?"
The girl blinked, startled, and hurried into my office. I shut the door and turned to her with a conspiratorial smile.
"I’ve hit a massive bottleneck on the Sterling audit. I need someone with an eye for detail to cross-reference these ledger entries. It’s a huge task—it’ll take at least an hour—but I’d really appreciate the help."
"Of course, Mrs. Blackwood. I’d be happy to."
"Wonderful. Why don't you sit at my desk? Use my terminal; the permissions are already set."
Sarah settled into my chair. I kept it raised—high enough that her feet didn’t quite touch the ground. The screen blocked her face from anyone coming in the door. From the hallway, all the guards would see was a woman with red hair working diligently at the Director's wife's desk.
I glanced back out into the bullpen. Draped around Sarah's shoulders was a silk wrap. It clashed with my outfit, but that wasn't the point.
"That scarf is beautiful, Sarah. It’s a bit chilly in the corridors today—would you mind if I borrowed it for a quick coffee run? I’ll grab us both a latte while I’m out."
"Oh, please do. But are you sure you don't want me to grab you a coffee?"
"No, you stay right where you are," I said, taking the offered scarf.
I wrapped the garment high around my neck, tucking my chin into the fabric. I grabbed a stack of oversized project files, holding them against my chest so they shielded the lower half of my face, and stepped out of the office.
My heart was as steady as my footsteps. The place was a collection of human and wolf scents, hard to distinguish one from the other while all so closed together.
But a frantic heartbeat would alert the enforcers.
A group of developers was heading toward the elevators.
The men were loud and boisterous as they discussed their lunch plans.
I slipped into the center of their pack, using their height to mask my silhouette.
We passed the enforcers. One of them glanced my way, but Sarah’s scarf and the tower of files in my arms did their job. I was just another anonymous employee running errands.
Instead of the main lobby bank, I peeled off toward the service corridor. I hit the button for the freight elevator; the wait felt like an eternity. When the doors groaned open, I stepped into the dim, industrial box.
The descent was slow. My ears popped as we went down.
When the doors opened again, I was in the delivery bay, surrounded by the smell of exhaust and wet cardboard.
I didn't run—not yet. I walked with purpose past the loading docks, nodding to a delivery driver, and stepped out into the humid roar of Manhattan.
It was still too soon to run, but I picked up my pace to the average New Yorker's speed, which was a power walk.
I was five blocks away from the office, my heels clicking frantically against the pavement, before I saw a yellow cab slowing at the corner.
Like most people my age, I either Uber'd or took public transportation.
I didn't even have cash on me. Hopefully, I could pay with my phone.
I raised my hand. A desperate breath of relief escaped my lungs as they pulled out of traffic and headed towards the curb. But the cab never reached me.
A black SUV surged in front of them, tires screeching. Before I could even scream, the back door swung open. The scent hit me at the same time as massive claws came around my waist.
The smell was bitter, like crushed green things left too long in the dark, laced with rusting metal. The wolfsbane coated the back of my tongue before I even drew a full breath. It burned going in, a cold fire that scraped down my throat and settled heavy in my lungs.
My head went light. My limbs…slowed.
I was hauled off the sidewalk with effortless strength. I didn't fight. I couldn't move. Couldn't twist out of their grasp as they tossed me into the back seat. Couldn't sink my weight to keep my feet on the pavement. My muscles didn’t answer as I tried to strike out.
The door slammed shut, cutting off the light of the city. And then everything in my world went black.