Chapter 7 Cora
CORA
My heart hammers against my ribs as the three of them circle me like wolves.
Trapped. I’m completely trapped. The maze walls press in as these strangers surround me, their eyes vengeful.
Dominic and Ryder wear practically identical gray half-face skull masks, while Liam wears a darker half-face skull mask.
It gives all of them a far more intimidating appearance, particularly Liam Hayes, whom I’d met at the charity luncheon earlier.
“You walked in here tonight knowing exactly what would happen.”
Dominic’s words scrape against my eardrums. But it’s not his threat that makes my blood run cold.
It’s what he said earlier—about the bruise on my jaw.
The one I spent twenty minutes covering with concealer this morning.
The one I told my father’s assistant was from accidentally walking into a door.
How does he know?
Nobody knows. Not even Mira. I’ve become an expert at hiding the evidence, at crafting excuses, at wearing high necklines and long sleeves even in summer. I’ve built my life around concealing the truth about William Pike, beloved mayor and pillar of the community.
Beloved mayor. Pillar of the community. Monster behind closed doors.
My father’s face flashes in my mind—that familiar transformation from public smile to private rage. I’ve endured it since I was seven, since the day after we buried my mother. As if her death unlocked something in him, something that could only be satisfied by making me hurt.
“She knows exactly what she agreed to.”
I force my gaze up, meeting Dominic’s dark eyes. The look he gives me is nothing like my father’s. My father’s rage is chaotic, unpredictable. Dominic’s is... focused. Controlled. Somehow that’s more terrifying.
These men see a spoiled princess. The mayor’s privileged daughter, who’s never wanted for anything.
The trust fund brat who’s playing at rebellion.
They don’t see the girl who learned to reset her own dislocated finger at thirteen.
She became an expert at applying makeup to hide bruises before she even knew how to use mascara properly.
“I think we hit a nerve, Dom. Look at her—she’s pissed because we figured her out.”
My jaw clenches. They haven’t figured out anything. They’re just three more men who think they know me, who think they can control me. I’ve survived twenty-three years of William Pike. I can survive seventy-two hours with them.
Dominic steps toward me, his eyes never leaving mine. I instinctively back up, but the cold wall stops me. Nowhere left to run.
“Let’s see how rebellious the mayor’s perfect daughter really is,” he says, voice like velvet wrapped around steel.
My breath catches as his hand grips the hem of my dress. The fabric tears easily between his fingers, the sound sharp in the quiet chamber. I should scream. I should fight. But something unfamiliar pulses through me—not just fear, but a strange, traitorous heat.
When Dominic yanks the gray fabric upward, exposing me, I gasp. The cool air hits my skin, and I squeeze my eyes shut in humiliation. Three men watching. Three strangers seeing me like this.
“Look at me,” Dominic commands.
I don’t want to, but my eyes open anyway. His gaze holds mine, dominant and unyielding, as his fingers slide between my thighs. The moment he touches me there, a whimper escapes my lips—part protest, part something else I don’t recognize.
His finger dips inside me, and I feel my body betray me completely. I’m wet. God, I’m wet for him—for them.
Dominic groans, the sound vibrating through his chest. “Well, well. The mayor’s daughter is soaked.” His eyes darken. “Seems like you’ve been gagging for this.”
My face burns with shame. This can’t be happening. I can’t want this. These men hate my father. They want to use me to hurt him. So why is my body responding this way?
I try to summon defiance. “Don’t flatter yourself. It’s just biology.”
Dominic’s smile is wolfish as he pushes his finger deeper, making my knees buckle. “Is that what you tell yourself, baby? That it’s just biology when your pussy gets this wet for three masked men who want to break you?”
My body burns with humiliation as I stand exposed before them, Dominic’s finger still inside me, my own response betraying me completely. I want to disappear, to sink into the floor, to be anywhere but here.
Liam clears his throat, breaking the tension. “While this is certainly entertaining,” he says, his voice smooth as expensive whiskey, “I have to say I’m a bit disappointed.”
Dominic’s eyebrow raises, but his finger doesn’t move.
“We barely had to hunt her at all,” Liam continues, leaning against the wall. “She practically delivered herself to us. Where’s the sport in that?”
My breath catches. Is he suggesting what I think he is?
“Perhaps we should give her another chance,” Liam says, eyes gleaming. “Let her run. See if she can give us a proper chase this time.”
Hope flares in my chest at an unexpected lifeline thrown into the depths of my despair. A chance to escape, to regroup, to find Mira, maybe. My eyes dart between the three men, trying not to look too eager.
Dominic withdraws his finger with deliberate slowness, making me shudder. His jaw tightens as he turns to Liam.
“Now I’ve caught her, I’m not letting her go,” he growls, gripping my arm possessively. “That wasn’t part of the plan.”
My hope begins to fade, but then Ryder steps forward, that dangerous smile playing on his lips.
“I’m with Liam on this one,” he says, eyes traveling over my disheveled appearance. “It makes it more fun.”
My heart pounds as they stare each other down. This could be my only chance.
“Think about it, Dom,” Ryder continues. “The fear in her eyes when we catch her again... knowing exactly what’s waiting for her this time. Tell me that isn’t worth it.”
Dominic’s grip on my arm tightens momentarily before he lets out a frustrated breath.
His eyes darken as he studies my face, his jaw working back and forth. The tension is unbearable as I wait, desperately hoping he’ll agree. Finally, he releases my arm with a frustrated growl.
“Fine,” he snaps. “We do this Liam’s way.”
Relief floods through me so intensely my knees nearly buckle. A chance. I have a chance.
A deep chuckle rumbles from Ryder’s chest as he watches me. “Look at that. I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone so grateful for a head start they’re doomed to waste.”
“Enjoy that feeling while it lasts, sweetheart,” Liam adds, his smooth voice carrying an edge that sends goosebumps racing across my skin. “That relief you’re feeling? It’s going to evaporate the moment your body realizes what’s happening.”
Dominic leans in close, his breath hot against my ear. “When the adrenaline kicks in, when you’re running through that maze knowing all three of us are coming for you...” His fingers trace the curve of my neck. “When every shadow makes you jump, when every sound could be one of us closing in...”
“That’s when you’ll realize we’ve only made this worse for you,” Ryder finishes.
I try to steady my breathing, attempting to hide how their words affect me.
“You have three minutes,” Dominic says, stepping back. “Then we’re coming after you. And this time, we won’t be so gentle when we find you.”
I don’t wait for anything else. The second they create enough space, I bolt past them toward the chamber’s exit, not caring about my torn dress or the way their laughter follows me into the darkness.