Heart of Stone

Sebastian Knight

Julian Styles was home alone, his wife and daughter out to dinner together. He'd told Adelaide he had some business to finish up, and she'd dismissed him easily enough, pinning him with her blue eyes like she could see right through him. He knew that she knew, but he also knew that she didn't actually know. She likely thought he was sleeping with another woman, and he was, but she would never guess the lengths he'd go to. He'd already sent the woman on her way, tearful and bruised, with enough money to keep her from talking.

The sun had set over the horizon, and he was completely unaware of the set of footsteps that made their way onto his property. Black polished boots silently made their way past any camera views, quick and quiet as a mouse. They seemed made of shadow they moved so deftly in the night, and the fingers belonging to this shadow easily disabled the security system. Creeping up to the glass back door, he took one last look around.

There was no one in sight. The night sky was clear, stars winking to life like silver diamonds, the moon hanging in a beautiful warm crescent, and he smiled. He was the wolf and Julian was the prey. He inserted a tool into the lock and jimmied it open, slipping inside and holding his breath for a moment, but there was no sign of movement. He softly closed the door behind him.

The intruder moved down the hallway on silent feet, having memorized the layout of the mansion from the blueprints he had. He came upon a door, where light spilled from beneath in a small sliver. Slowly and carefully, he tested the knob to find it unlocked. A thrill went through him, realizing Julian Styles was so incredibly confident in himself that he wouldn't be extra cautious at all, despite the terrible deeds he'd done.

He opened the door a crack to peer inside, seeing the figure of a man standing at a window, his back facing the door. A smile came to his lips, the universe having made this entirely too easy for him. He slipped inside, sneaking up behind Julian on silent feet. He picked up a bottle of whiskey on the way and it was only at the last minute that Julian saw movement behind him in the reflection of the glass. Before he could turn around, however, the stranger swung the bottle and it collided with the side of Julian's head, knocking him unconscious.

The stranger hauled Julian over to his desk chair, flinging his unconscious body into it. It was an expensively decorated office space, everything made of fine polished wood and gold accents. It was well-lit, and it suited the stranger's purposes perfectly. He produced a pack of zip ties from his back pocket, and restrained Julian's hands and feet to the arms of the chair. He opened up Julian's laptop that sat before him on the desk, turning it on.

It prompted him to enter a password, and the stranger simply scoffed in amusement. He tried a few different combinations until he got it right, and the screen loaded before him. It had been the daughter's birthday. All too easy.

Julian was beginning to regain consciousness, and the stranger quickly set it up to begin recording, inserting a USB stick into the side of the computer. He stepped back to the shadows behind him, wanting to stay hidden as Julian's eyes fluttered open. He looked around wildly, his arms pulling at his restraints. He froze at the low laughter that was emitted from behind him, swallowing thickly.

"Who are you?" He asked, trying to sound calm but the tremble in his voice was a giveaway to the fear beneath.

"I'll be the one asking the questions here. Who I am isn't important." The stranger answered.

"What do you want?" Julian snapped, tugging at his arms once again.

"I want you to answer for your crimes. I want you to tell the world what you've done. I want you to tell everyone you know how much of a dirt bag you are. So, let's begin, shall we?" The stranger said.

Julian made a sound of frustration, trying futilely to break the zip ties.

"You won't get shit out of me." Julian spat.