BEAUTY IN THE BEAST

Shadows And Flames

Ch 131: Shadows and Flames

Kat

Darkness enveloped me, thick and suffocating. My head throbbed, and my mouth was dry, as if I had been wandering a desert for days. I tried to move, but my limbs felt heavy, weighed down by the lingering effects of whatever drug Andrei had used on me. The events leading up to my current predicament were hazy—a blur of motion, the sting of a needle, the jarring ride in a car, and the echo of curses.

I strained my ears, trying to make sense of my surroundings. A faint light seeped through the cracks around the door, illuminating the outlines of the room. The air was thick with the smell of smoke and something else—fear.

Suddenly, the door burst open, and the dim light flooded the room, blinding me momentarily. I squinted against the brightness, my heart pounding in my chest.

"Goddammit!" Andrei's voice was a roar, full of frustration and rage. He stormed into the room, slamming the door behind him. "Everything's gone to hell. I had to burn everything down. All the data, all my work. Gone!"

His words washed over me in a torrent, and my mind struggled to keep up. Burn everything down? Data? Work? My thoughts raced, trying to piece together what he meant.

Andrei paced the room, his anger palpable. "Do you have any idea what I've sacrificed? Years of infiltrating Ace's organization, building my cover as one of his most trusted hackers, and now it's all ruined because of you!"

I forced myself to sit up, my body protesting with every movement. The weight of his words pressed down on me, and a cold realization seeped into my bones. Andrei had been part of Ace's organization, right under my nose.

My voice cracked as I spoke, my throat dry and sore. "Why did you do it? Why go to such lengths?"

His face twisted in anger. "Why? Because I was ordered to. My brothers died because of this, because of you! I had to finish what we started."

I shook my head, trying to make sense of his words. "But why burn everything down? Why leave?"

He stopped pacing and looked at me, his eyes filled with a mix of anger and desperation. "Because Ace found out about it. He figured it out, and it's only a matter of time before he finds me. I had to destroy everything that could lead him to me."

A strange, bitter relief washed over me. If Ace was onto him, then maybe there was a chance I could be rescued. But the thought of Ace, the man I despised more than anything, coming to my aid was almost too much to bear. I had run from him, fled his obsession and control. Freedom was what I craved, but not the kind Ace would offer. Anything was better than falling back into his grasp.

"You won't get away with this," I said, summoning as much strength as I could. "Ace will find you."

His laughter was hollow, devoid of humour. "He might. But by then, it'll be too late. I'll have finished what I started, and you'll be nothing but a memory, Little Terror."

He moved closer, and I shrank back, the cold wall pressing against my spine. "You see, Katherine, this isn't just about you. It's about revenge. It's about making sure everyone pays for what they did to my family."

Tears stung my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing me break. "You're a monster," I whispered.

He smirked. "Maybe. But monsters are what this world needs to balance the scales. And right now, those scales are tipping in my favour."

He turned away, leaving me in the dark once more. The door slammed shut, and I was alone with my thoughts and the suffocating fear that gripped my heart. I had to find a way out. I had to survive. Not for Ace, but for myself. I needed to escape this nightmare and find my own path to freedom, away from the shadows of men like Andrei and Ace.

I want Katherine to just run far far away, from everyone.

-love rky xoxo.