Chapter 6
Half an hour later, a sleek black van pulled up outside the hospital in the dead of night. Without a word, two men dressed in black escorted me out of the building, ensuring I wasn’t seen.
The van took me to the outskirts of the city, to an unmarked industrial site disguised as a chemical plant. Beneath the surface, however, lay a secret underground facility unlike anything I’d ever imagined.
It was here that I met him again.
The man who had saved my life in
Dungeness.
The man who called himself the Devil.
He emerged from the shadows like something out of a nightmare–a tall, broad figure with a commanding presence. His face was striking, almost aristocratic, but marred by a long scar that ran from his left eyebrow to his temple. The scar twisted his
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handsome features into something dangerous, almost monstrous.
I remembered the first time I saw him,
back in the desert.
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I had been moments away from death.
The wolves had surrounded me, their hungry eyes glowing in the dark as their leader lunged for my throat. I had closed my eyes, bracing for the end, when a single gunshot rang out.
The alpha wolf collapsed at my feet, its blood soaking into the sand.
Seconds later, a group of men dressed in black tactical gear descended from an SUV. They moved with precision, eliminating the remaining wolves before pulling me to my feet.
And then I saw him–the Devil.
He removed his face mask, revealing the scarred yet commanding visage that
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seemed to belong to someone from another world.
“I’m sorry,” he had said in a voice as cold as the desert night. “Coyotes and wolves… you can’t leave even one alive. They’ll always come back for revenge.”
I had stammered my gratitude, barely able to speak through my terror. When I asked his name, he had smirked and replied,
“Call me Devil. It’s what I am.”
But he hadn’t saved me out of kindness. He had saved me because he knew who I
was.
“You ve been wronged,” he had said, his piercing eyes studying me as if I were a puzzle he intended to solve. “And I ve been wronged too. We both want revenge on the same family. Call me if you survive. Maybe we can help each other.”
He left me with a single bucket of water and a few packs of compressed biscuits, telling me this was my test.
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“If you make it out of Dungeness alive,” he had said, “then you‘ re strong enough to take revenge.
And now, here we were, face to face again.
“You’ve decided?” he asked, his voice low and devoid of emotion.
“Yes,” I said, meeting his icy gaze. “I’ve decided. I want revenge on Arthur and Bella. I‘ ll fulfill our deal.”
The Devil’s lips curled into the faintest hint of a smile, though his eyes remained cold.
“Good,” he said. “Everything is ready. Focus on your recovery first. When the time comes, I’ll tell you what to do.”
He barked a few orders to the medical staff and bodyguards standing nearby before turning to leave.
Just as in the desert, he didn‘ t linger, nor did he offer unnecessary words. He moved like a shadow–silent, purposeful and
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utterly untouchable.
Hostet
The next morning, chaos erupted in the upper circles of Birmingham.
News spread like wildfire: the Lawson Family’s beloved daughter and the Findley Family’s future daughter–in–law had mysteriously vanished from the hospital overnight.
Whispers of scandal, intrigue and betrayal filled the air.
But no one, not even Arthur or Bella, had any idea that I was no longer their victim.
I was the storm waiting on the horizon and when I returned, I would destroy everything they held dear.
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