Serpentine Desires

The prey

Lucius wanted me to spy for him.

Spy on Judas. The devil himself.

Oh Lord... what if Judas found out? I'd be as good as dead.

My heart pounded in my chest with an unsteady, suffocating rhythm that threatened almost drowning me in panic.

It didn't help that I was standing in front of his office door.

Kyle was out. And last night he came back late. And before him I was at the penthouse. I didn't know how Lucius played his cards, but he was not a loser player.

He knew what he was dealing with.

And I, I still had no idea what I was doing.
After pondering for more than twelve hours, I came to realize that there was no escaping either of them.

Lucius had given me his word, an assurance that he'd help me escape Judas's clutches, but the question was, how? How did I even know Lucius's help was genuine? And if it was... what would that help look like? Betraying one monster to trust another? I wasn't sure if that was any kind of salvation.

Evidence against Judas.

What evidence was I exactly looking for here?

Dumb, dumb, Sera.

I pressed my palms to my temples, fighting the headache that had formed from hours of overthinking. Judas wasn't an average criminal—he was a damn mobster, a murderer, a psychopath who enjoyed playing with life and death like it was a game. He didn't just kill for power, he killed for fun, for sport. I'd seen that dark glimmer in his eyes more than once.

What was I supposed to prove? That he was evil? Everyone already knew that. The world feared him. His enemies died without question. His allies didn't last long either.

My hands were cold, trembling as I paced back and forth. Was I supposed to gather information about his operations? Spy on his every move, every secret deal he made? I wasn't cut out for this. I wasn't a spy, I wasn't someone who could play with life and death like he could. I could barely look him in the eye sometimes, let alone outsmart him.

My chest tightened as panic clawed at me.
What if he found out? Oh God, what if Judas found out?

He would know. He would see it in my eyes, in my hesitation, the way I flinched every time he touched me. I'd never be able to hide it from him. He was too sharp, too calculating. Judas could read people like open books, and I was no exception.

I would be as good as dead. He wouldn't just kill me. He'd make me suffer, drag it out, make sure I regretted every single second of betrayal.

I bit my lip, tears stinging my eyes. I was trapped.

There was no escaping him, no out. Even Lucius—was he really offering freedom? Or was I just swapping one prison for another? Why had I even considered this?

My breaths came faster, ragged.

There was no winning.

But... what if... there truly was an escape? I'd do anything to go back to my family. To my mother. To my brother. This money... this life... it was not mine. It never was and it never would be. It was Judas's. As long as he wanted. And there would come a day he'd throw me aside, kill me, ruin me when he'd get bored.

What would happen after that?

I didn't want to think about that. So instead, I opened the door.

The alternative was no better—remaining a captive in his cage, forever trapped under his thumb.

My fingers trembled as I reached for the lights handle, cold sweat beading on my forehead.

The room was lit up. Files and papers cluttered the desk, an organized chaos that mirrored his meticulous mind. The lockers in the corner stood like silent sentinels, guarding whatever secrets they contained.

In this cold weather my hands started to sweat as I assessed the room.

My breath hitched as I shut the door behind me. I couldn't afford to make a mistake—not now. The air smelled faintly of leather and smoke, a scent I had long associated with Judas. I glanced at the clock on the wall—he wouldn't be back for another week or so as he said, and this was the time I use to my benefit.

I swallowed hard and forced myself to move. Hands trembled as they skimmed over the papers. Nothing unusual, nothing incriminating.

Just financial records, some notes in Russian, nothing that could help me or Lucius.

My eyes drifted to the drawer—Judas's private drawer, the one he never let me near. This was the same coloured drawer, similar to the one in his mansion.

I hesitated.

Don't do it. My mind screamed. This is wrong. You'll regret this.

But I had to know. I had to find something.
With a shaky breath, I pulled the drawer open, the soft creak cutting through the silence like a knife. At first, it looked like more files. Just papers. Documents. Nothing unusual. But then...

I saw it. A thick folder buried beneath the others, its edges worn and creased, as if it had been opened and closed a hundred times.

I pulled it out slowly, my heart thudding in my ears as I flipped it open.

And that's when I saw them.

Photographs.

Dozens of them.

My breath caught in my throat as I flipped through the images, my fingers trembling.

Women. Naked. Bound. Bruised. Some of their faces twisted in agony, others completely devoid of emotion. Their bodies were marked, scarred, tortured in ways I couldn't begin to imagine.
My stomach churned, bile rising in my throat as I stared at the horrific images. Who were they? What had happened to them?

What had he done to them?

I dropped the folder, stumbling back from the desk as the photos spilled across the floor. I couldn't breathe, couldn't think. Disgust and horror swirled inside me, crashing like waves.
This wasn't just business for him. This was personal. This was cruelty.

How... how could he? I thought he... what did I even think? Was I seriously thinking otherwise?
This was exactly what Judas would do. He was a man who speak violence. Who breathed danger and spit brutality. What was I even expecting?
But going to such lengths... oh lord...

A sob caught in my throat, my hands clutching the edge of the desk as I struggled to steady myself. How many more secrets did this man keep locked away? How deep did his depravity go?

I couldn't do this.

But I had to.

My mind raced, panic rising as I tried to piece together what I'd seen. This was worse than I'd imagined. Much worse. I had to tell someone—Lucius, maybe. But what would he even do with this? How could I—

The sound of footsteps echoed down the hallway.
Oh God.

I shoved the photos back into the drawer, my hands shaking violently. My heart thundered in my chest as I slammed it shut and turned to face the door. The handle rattled.

Before I could hide somewhere the door opened.
My eyes widened as I tried to act natural.

His dark eyes narrowed as he tilted his head.

"What are you doing here?"

******

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