Chapter 3
DOMINIC
F our excruciatingly long months passed with no justice for my baby sister. She used to be a strong and talented interior designer who ran her own firm, but now she was a mere shadow of her former self.
Every day that passed without knowing who the fuck raped my sister, my mind slipped further into darkness and despair.
The world around me had lost all its color, the blood in my veins constantly strumming with violence and a need for vengeance.
The burden of guilt for failing my sister grew heavier as the days passed. But the rapists were fucking ghosts.
I pinched the bridge of my nose as Robert, the private detective I’d hired, droned on and on about the lack of evidence, the charity being a masked event, no significant input from Sophie, and every other obstacle preventing him from finding the criminals.
“I’ll try to talk to Sophie.” I cut him off, absolutely done with his bullshit. “See if she’s able to talk about it. Until then, I need something concrete from you. And if you can’t do your job properly, tell me now. Stop wasting my time. You have twenty-four hours.”
I had barely spoken the last word when he practically fled out of my office.
I tapped the intercom button that connected my line to Kai, my assistant and my younger cousin. “Yes, Mr. Park.”
“Kai, do I have any appointments or anything that requires my immediate attention today?”
“No, Mr. Park. I stopped scheduling anything after five, per your instructions.”
I looked at the clock, and it was 6:15 already.
“Alright, let’s head out. I need to punch something. Or someone.”
A pitiful moan came over the line. “Hyung, I’m really not in the mood to get beaten up today.”
I scoffed. “Then block better and focus on attacking me for a change.”
I cut the line before he could respond, knowing that the little shit would be ready to head out by the time I was out of my office. I sent out my last email, shut down my computer, and walked out.
“I’m not holding back today,” Kai said, falling into step beside me as we headed to the elevator.
“Good. Can’t wait.”
Maxim had already reached the building's front door when we stepped outside.
“The Serpentine Manor,” I told Maxim as we slid into the car.
The Serpentine Manor, like the name suggested, was an exclusive club for the city’s elites.
The widow of a billionaire entrepreneur established it as a way to remind everyone how none of the elites had supported her in her time of need.
Regardless, every single millionaire and billionaire salivated over a membership at her exclusive mansion, which promised seduction, privacy, and entertainment.
The richest snakes of Brooklyn hung out here, brokering deals, building empires, and getting richer and more corrupt by the day.
One good thing about the manor being exclusive to elites was that they loved their pretty faces and pampered asses. Hence, the boxing ring was always empty.
Maxim looked at Kai through the rearview mirror, quirking an eyebrow with a teasing smile. “You ready to get beaten up again, kid?”
Kai was in his late twenties, a decade younger than me. He simply groaned at Maxim. “Not today, Maxim. I’m not gonna hold back this time.”
I shook my head, a small smile pulling at my lips. Kai was one of the few who managed to do that these days. He’d really stepped up in the past few months, taking up the majority of the workload and handling the company while I tried to track down Sophie’s rapists.
Once we’d changed into gym wear and walked into the boxing ring, we found Maxim waiting for us in the ring to be our referee.
“Don’t hold back now,” I teased him.
He was actually a very good boxer. That was why I always sparred with him. But it was fun to see him get riled up before a match. He always punched harder that way.
With a sharp whistle from Maxim, the round was on.
I didn’t wait around or circle Kai. I didn’t have the patience, nor was I aiming to win.
All I needed was to beat the shit out of someone or get beaten myself.
I threw a punch at his jaw, which he easily blocked, landing a quick jab to my stomach in return.
I grabbed his arm and threw him over my shoulder, then slammed him on the mat. He gave me a ruthless smile and swept my ankle, causing me to stumble. He immediately took advantage, landing a solid punch to my nose.
Pain exploded through my nose, my vision blurring as I felt the warm trickle of blood on my upper lip. Adrenaline flooded my system, my pulse hammered, and I bounced on the balls of my feet.
Finally, I felt fucking alive.
I kicked him in his stomach, and not even his block could stop him from stumbling.
“Fuck, you’re in a mood today,” Kai grumbled, shaking his head and circling me, looking for an opening.
“Quit dillydallying and attack. You’re boring me.”
This time, he laughed and launched himself at me. We were a blur of punches and kicks and jabs until blood and sweat ran down our faces, and my vision turned hazy.
All my frustrations, my desperation, my bone-deep terror, and my feverish need for revenge were poured out in every punch and every kick. And Kai took it all and gave it to me harder. I took it all with relish, needing the pain and the punches to assuage the constant guilt haunting me.
He knew I could’ve blocked over half of the jabs I let through. He knew I needed to feel just as much pain as I needed to inflict. He fought me till I no longer could pick my arms up, till my knees gave out, and I dropped on the mat, bruised and bloodied.
Kai offered me his hand to get back up. When he pulled me to a stand and we made our way to the shower rooms, he slapped me on the arm, making me wince. “Fucking block, man.”
“I do. You’re a good fighter.”
He snorted. “I’m good. But I’m not blind.”
I remained silent as we jumped into the shower stalls and cleaned up.
Once we were done, I changed into a pair of pants and a black shirt, rolling the sleeves up to my elbows. I stood in front of the mirror and inspected the injuries. A red bruise bloomed right under my eyes, which I was pretty sure would be purple tomorrow. Aside from that, I looked fine.
Once we were both ready, we silently made our way to the manor’s bar. The mansion hallway was lined with rich emerald tapestry as intricately threaded gold serpents seemed to slither across the walls, while sparkling chandeliers illuminated our way.
The bar itself was a display of extravagance. Only the best liquors lined the shelves. The walls continued the same emerald-and-gold theme. The two of us took a seat directly at the bar. The entire space was large enough to fit about a hundred people.
The two bartenders at the bar already knew us and our usual orders.
“The usual, Mr. Park?” Juliet asked.
She wore a gold dress that wrapped around her body like a second skin.
It stopped right above her knees. The spaghetti straps of the dress showcased the colorful rose-and-thorn design tattooed over her arms. She was pretty and delicate, but that did nothing for me.
It had been a long time since anybody had done anything for me.
I gave her a polite smile. “Yes, please.”
“Mr. Kai, the usual for you as well?”
He gave her a flirtatious smile and winked. “You know it.”
“On it, gentlemen. Let me know if you need anything else.”
Once she left us to serve the other patrons hanging out around the bar, Kai turned to me and asked, “Any progress in finding those fuckers?”
My jaw clenched. “Nope. They’re fucking ghosts.”
He nodded. “How is Sophie?”
Kai was only a year older than her, so he had been close to her since they were kids.
Juliet placed the drinks in front of us. An old-fashioned for me, and a Macallan neat for him. “Thank you,” I told her.
I took a sip of my drink, the whiskey burn warming my throat, before answering Kai. “She’s the same. Silent. Tortured. Doesn’t look at anyone. Hasn’t smiled at anyone. She’s staying with Mom and Dad for the time being, but they’re worried.”
“You think it would help her to go back to living at her own place?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t know who raped Sophie.
Don’t know if they had an ulterior motive.
Don’t know if they intended to kill her.
I’m not sure if they plan to finish the job.
At least the security at Mom and Dad’s is top-notch.
None of us wants to risk putting Sophie in any more danger or stress.
Mom is the only one she’s talked to properly, so I don’t want to take that away from her. ”
He nodded at Juliet as she placed our food in front of us and turned to me as he cut his steak. “I still can’t imagine the cops not finding anything.”
A wave of violent rage flooded my veins at the thought of the cops.
“They’ve done jack shit. Every time I ask them for an update, they seem to have problems. Evidence disappearing.
The officer assigned to our case has been transferred.
No leads. At least they made an effort early on.
But now that it’s been over four months, it’s radio silence from them.
They’ve called it a cold case and moved on.
They’re waiting for a new lead to appear as if it’s just gonna drop out of thin air. ”
I cut into my filet mignon, still burning in anger.
Kai swallowed a bite of his food, strumming his fingers on the bar table. “Do you want me to ask around and see if anyone has a better private detective?”
Robert’s face popped into my head, and I immediately took Kai up on his offer. “Yes, please. The detective we’ve got right now is incompetent as fuck.”
We ate our food in silence for a while, still recovering from our boxing match.
We were quietly nursing our drinks when Juliet stopped in front of us. She bit her lip and tapped on the bar top as if hesitating to speak.
“What is it, Juliet?” I asked, encouraging her .
“Umm, Mr. Park, I wanted to say that…uh…I’m really sorry to hear about your sister.”
My eyes widened, and when I turned to Kai, his expression matched mine.
After Sophie was raped, the rapists had thrown her body in a darkened alley behind the venue.
It was only after Ashley had found her missing and alerted the security that they’d found my sister’s broken body.
My dad had bought everyone’s silence, so the whole ordeal was kept under wraps.
We’d managed to avoid the press and the word of mouth, and we wanted to keep it that way.
So if Juliet knew about my sister, I intended to find out who let it slip. “How did you know about Sophie?”
Juliet turned red at my question and stammered, “Um…sorry, I overheard you talking to Mr. Kai.”
We weren’t exactly quiet, and the staff are strictly ordered to keep things to themselves here. Still, I needed to remind her. “It’s okay, Juliet. But I need you to keep this to yourself. If not for me, then for Sophie.”
“Of course, Mr. Park. Um…I also overheard that the cops haven’t made much progress?”
“Nope,” I answered, taking a sip of the drink.
She was again biting her lip, clearly fretting over something.
“Spit it out, Juliet.”
She nodded and, taking in a deep breath, said, “Umm. I might know someone who could help you out.” With that, she slid a business card across the bar toward me.
My eyes met Kai’s as I picked it up. It was a plain black card with a golden silhouette of a tiger or some other wild cat drawn in the center. Underneath, in bold gold letters, was one word. WILDCATS.
I flipped the card over only to find a phone number on it. No names, no address. Absolutely nothing else.
“What’s Wildcats?” I asked, flipping the card over in my hand before handing it to Kai .
“Shh…” Juliet put a finger to her lips. She looked around quickly, then leaned across the bar. Kai and I mirrored her motion, meeting her midway.
She took another surreptitious look around before saying, “Wildcats are the ones you go to when you can’t get justice through the law. A lot of women contact them when men, as well as the justice system, fail them.”
It sounded like some ridiculous amateur vigilante bullshit, but I kept that thought to myself.
I took the card from Kai and placed it in my pocket. “Thanks for this.”
“I’m sure they’ll be able to help you.”
I nodded, not letting her see the doubt on my face.
As soon as we left the manor and were back in the car, Kai piped up, “You believe her?”
I shrugged. “Not really.”
Yet the card felt like it was burning a hole in my pocket.
Once I was home, I called Mom to check in on Sophie. We talked for a bit about how they had a quiet movie night. I checked in with the security at their place, ensuring nothing was amiss.
When I retired to bed, it was around ten. I plucked the Wildcats’ business card from where I’d placed it on the nightstand and stared at it. I ran a search on them on the internet but found absolutely nothing.
Again and again, I flipped the card in my hand, wondering if I should approach them. I didn’t want to risk sharing what happened to Sophie until it was necessary. But the sheer number of dead ends we’d encountered so far had me fucking downright desperate.
“Fuck it,” I muttered and got my phone out.
It wasn’t exactly business hours, but given the ominous look of the card, I made the call.
The phone rang merely twice before a woman’s voice came on the line. “Hello, please let us know the name of the person who gave you the card.”
Wow. Deciding to humor the person on the call, I said, “Juliet from the Serpentine Manor.”
“Identity confirmed. You’ve reached the Wildcats. How may we help you?” the woman said, her voice significantly warmer and more approachable than before. It didn’t escape my notice that she didn’t state that they were the Wildcats before confirming the reference.
I sat up on the bed and decided to just give the mysterious woman the essential details. “My younger sister was gang-raped by three men a little over four months ago. I’ve tried everything, but those rapists are fucking ghosts. And I need help to find those men. To bring my sister justice.”
There was silence for a beat, and then she said, “Be at Thunder Claw tomorrow at 9 a.m., Mr. Park.”
Before I could agree, the line went dead.
Quickly, I searched Thunder Claw on the phone, and it appeared to be one of the popular bars in Brooklyn.
Well, that wasn’t all that reassuring. Who invited a potential client to a bar at nine o’clock in the morning? Were we meeting to discuss something extremely sensitive or to cure a hangover?
I was debating whether I should go when a text message notification pinged on my phone, displaying the time and address of the location.
And suddenly, I remembered what the lady told me. Be at Thunder Claw tomorrow at 9 a.m., Mr. Park . How the hell did she know who I was?