Chapter 1 Slapped

The winter night in Krixsas was ruthless, each gust biting sharper than a blade.

The cold seeped through Eleanor Harvey, sinking deeper than skin, until it felt like her bones themselves shivered.

As she tried to sit up, a dizzy spell blurred her vision, spinning the room into a disorienting haze.

Before she could steady herself, a rough hand twisted in her hair, jerking her backward. A harsh slap cracked through the silence, and pain flared bright and hot across her face, her dizziness deepening into a dark, suffocating whirl.

After hours at the autopsy table, Eleanor had been bone-tired, already on her way home when she got drugged and kidnapped.

When she came to, she recognized the faint, sweet odor lingering in the air-a scent she knew all too well from her time in the operating room.

Ether. They had used it to incapacitate her. A commonplace anesthetic, low in toxicity, primarily employed to induce general anesthesia.

The dull ache on her cheek was nothing compared to the confusion clouding her mind. She staggered to the window, prying it open with trembling fingers, and gulped the cold night air that flooded in, gradually cutting through the haze.

Then, a low chuckle slid through the silence.

Eleanor froze, turning slowly to find the source.

In the room's faint, flickering light, a woman lounged in a velvet chair, draped in garish attire and exuding an air of calculated menace.

Behind her loomed two silent, stone-faced men, their bulks casting dark shadows across the walls.

Eleanor's eyes darted among them, tension coiling tighter with every heartbeat.

"Who... are you? Why have you brought me here?"

The woman leaned back, lighting a cigarette with practiced grace, inhaling deeply. Her gaze, sharp as glass, fixed on Eleanor.

"Yesterday, did you happen to perform an autopsy on a woman who allegedly jumped to her death?"

An uneasy prickle crawled up Eleanor's spine, but she nodded, uncertain where this was leading.

The woman's eyes narrowed. "What did the autopsy reveal?"

Eleanor swallowed, the grim details flashing through her mind like fractured memories. "She...she'd been brutalized before she died. Broken bones, extensive bruising, and..."

The woman arched an eyebrow, her lips curving into a faint, almost mocking smile. "And...?"

Gritting her teeth, Eleanor forced herself to continue. "There were unmistakable signs of...assault. Sperms from more than ten people were found in her body."

A low chuckle slipped from the woman's lips, dark and mocking. "I'm Gemma Buckley," she said, her tone lilting with dangerous amusement.

She rose from her seat, moving toward Eleanor with a slow, deliberate grace.

Her smile vanished, replaced by a sharp, predatory coldness.

"Now, I suggest you give me every detail. If you're withholding anything...well, let's just say you'd be wise not to follow in that poor woman's footsteps."

Eleanor's pulse quickened, her breaths shallow.

"Where am I?" she instinctively asked.

"Skyline Casino," came the clipped reply.

Eleanor stiffened.

Skyline Casino? The infamous hub of Krixsas's darkest dealings.

Did the deceased woman work here before she died?

Eleanor's mind raced, recalling the brutal injuries she'd examined.

"Are you...forcing women into...?"

"Careful with your words." Gemma interrupted, her chuckle light as she stubbed out her cigarette. "I simply gave her an opportunity to make some cash, nothing more."

Gemma's gaze sharpened. "She swallowed a memory card. Did you find it?"

Eleanor shook her head.

The cause of death was obvious-a fall from a great height. Hence, there was no reason to perform an internal examination.

Gemma's silence grew heavy as she studied Eleanor, her expression unreadable.

Finally, she asked, "Where is the body?"

"The morgue. At the police station."

Gemma leaned in, her voice a soft but chilling command. "You're going to retrieve that memory card for me."

Eleanor quickly realized what was going on.

The memory card likely held damning evidence of their crimes.

Perhaps the woman hadn't jumped; perhaps she'd been pushed.

After a tense pause, Eleanor gave a slight nod. "Alright."

Gemma's eyebrow arched at Eleanor's swift compliance, but she let it slide.

With a subtle motion from her, the two men behind her stepped forward, their expressions anything but kind.

Eleanor's gaze darted between them. "What are you planning to do?"

Gemma leaned casually against the wall, twirling a camera in her hand with a practiced, almost bored elegance.

"We don't have any reason to trust you, do we? What's to stop you from handing that memory card over to the police?"

Eleanor's eyes narrowed. Turning that evidence over to the police had been her exact plan.

Gemma's smile widened, her voice a silky whisper. "So, we'll need a little...assurance that you'll follow through."

As soon as she finished speaking, Eleanor turned to bolt, shoving past the two men.

She'd barely made it a few steps when an iron grip encircled her waist, lifting her off her feet.

She thrashed wildly, but in seconds, she was thrown back, landing hard on the bed.