Chapter 5: Blood and Vengeance

I caught Aubrey Grant in HorizonTech’s underground parking garage and slapped her to the ground.

My palm stung, and the sound echoed off the concrete. Aubrey staggered, mascara smearing as she glared up at me, eyes wild.

She clutched her face, stunned. Clearly, she hadn’t expected me to hit her.

Her expression twisted from shock to fury, mascara smudged beneath her eyes. The silence stretched, tense as a drawn bow.

I raised my hand to slap her again, but someone grabbed my wrist from behind and shoved me hard against the wall.

The world spun as I crashed into the cold concrete. My heart pounded, rage flaring anew as strong fingers closed around my arm.

"Natalie Carter, is this all you’ve got?"

Derek’s voice was low, mocking. He pressed closer, his breath hot on my neck, making my skin crawl.

Derek pressed close. "If that’s the best you can do, you might as well go home and flip burgers."

He smirked, daring me to fight back. But this time, I wasn’t backing down.

The fight wasn’t over—not by a long shot.