Chapter 5 Over My Dead Body

I kept quiet, glaring at him so hard my eyes burned. Noah didn’t seem to care. He pulled out his phone, pressed one button, and held it to his ear. It rang only once.

“Lucian, where are you?”

I could hear the voice on the other end clearly in the quiet church. “We’re tracking your location, sir. We’re almost at the church.”

Noah ended the call without another word. He slipped the phone back into his pocket and just stood there, watching me like I was already a problem he needed to solve. Minutes later I heard the low rumble of engines outside.

He walked to one of the tall windows, looked out, and let out a short breath. I moved just enough to see past him. Two black SUVs were lined up on the gravel path, engines still running. My stomach twisted hard. Whatever was about to happen, it didn’t feel safe.

“What is this?” I asked, my voice tight. “Who did you call?”

He didn’t answer me. The heavy church door opened. A tall man in a black suit stepped inside, two other men right behind him. He wore an earpiece and looked straight at Noah.

“Noah, are you okay? Where is she?”

Noah reached behind him, grabbed my arm roughly, and pulled me out from where I had been standing. “Take her,” he said, his voice completely cold. “If she doesn’t comply, use any force necessary.”

My mouth fell open. “What did you just say?” I tried to yank my arm free. “You can’t just hand me over like I’m some package!”

He still didn’t look at me. He just turned and walked out of the church, leaving me with three strangers. The door shut behind him with a heavy sound that felt final.

The man called Lucian stepped toward me. I moved back immediately, heart slamming against my ribs.

“Don’t you even dare touch me,” I warned, my voice shaking with anger. “I swear I’ll scream this whole place down.”

He only smirked, like my anger was entertaining to him. “Orders are orders, Miss Foster. Or should I say, the late Miss Foster?”

“Don’t call me that.”

Before I could run, his hands locked around my arms. I twisted and kicked as hard as I could, but he was stronger. He lifted me clean off the ground as if I weighed nothing.

“Let me go!” I screamed, thrashing hard. “Let me go right now! You have no right!”

“Stop fighting,” one of the other men muttered.

“Get your hands off me!” I kicked again, catching Lucian in the shin. He only grunted and adjusted his grip.

“She’s lively,” he said to the others, almost amused.

“I said let me go!” My voice cracked from how hard I was shouting. “Noah! You bastard, come back here!”

One of the men stepped in close. I felt a sharp, heavy hit at the side of my neck. Pain exploded behind my eyes. The church spun. My arms went weak. Everything went black.

When I opened my eyes again, I was lying on a soft, warm bed. A thick blanket covered me from the chest down. The room was large and quiet. Cream-colored walls, heavy dark curtains drawn over the windows, a long wooden dresser against one side, and a single armchair near the foot of the bed. 

Soft light came from a lamp on the nightstand. It looked expensive and completely sealed off from the outside world. There was no clock, no phone, nothing that could tell me where I was or how long I had been unconscious.

My head ached badly. For a second I didn’t know where I was. Then everything from the last twenty-four hours crashed back at once — the ferry, the freezing water, Vivian’s hand over my mouth, the cemetery, Noah’s face when he saw me alive, the church, Lucian’s hands on me, the hit to my neck.

I sat up too fast. Dizziness hit me hard, but I ignored it. I swung my legs off the bed and hurried to the door. I turned the handle with both hands.

Locked.

Panic shot straight through my chest. I started banging on the door with both fists. “Hey! Open this door!” I hit it again, harder. “Noah! I know you can hear me! Open this fucking door right now!”

I kept slamming my hands against the wood until my palms stung. “You can’t lock me in here! Do you hear me? Open the door!”

Finally I heard keys on the other side. The lock clicked and then the door opened. Noah stepped in. He wasn’t wearing a suit this time. Just a white shirt with the top few buttons undone, sleeves rolled to his elbows. He looked tired, but his eyes were sharp the moment they landed on me.

Rage flooded every part of my body so fast I couldn’t stop myself. I walked straight up to him and slapped him across the face as hard as I could. The sound cracked through the quiet room.

“How dare you!” My voice shook with pure hatred. “You kidnapped me! You handed me over to your men like I was nothing! You let them knock me out!”

Noah’s jaw tightened. The red mark from my hand was already showing on his cheek. He stepped forward slowly. I backed up without meaning to until my shoulders hit the wall.

“Wh-what are you doing?” My voice came out smaller than I wanted, and I hated myself for it.

He planted one hand on the wall beside my head and leaned in close. His eyes were ice cold.

“If you hit me one more time,” he said, voice low and dangerous, “I swear to God, Maya, I won’t let you leave this place with your body parts complete.”

I swallowed hard, staring up at him. My heart was racing so fast it hurt. He stayed there for another long second, letting the threat sink in, then slowly stepped back. The moment he moved away I dragged in a shaky breath. My hands were still clenched into fists so tight my nails dug into my palms.

He started pacing the room, back and forth, like he was trying to keep himself under control. Finally he stopped and turned to face me.

“Sit.”

“I’d rather stand.”

“Maya.” He looked straight at me, voice hard. “Sit down. Now.”

Something in his tone made my legs move even though every part of me hated obeying him. I lowered myself onto the edge of the bed. He stayed standing on the other side of a small table near the window.

“The body they buried under your name wasn’t you,” he said without any warning. “Someone planted a double. They used altered medical records — height, blood type, dental work close enough to pass a rushed identification. The funeral was pushed through fast so the world would accept you were gone.”

I stared at him, trying to make the words settle in my head. “You’re telling me there is another woman in my coffin right now?”

“Yes.”

I ran both hands through my hair, shaking my head hard.

“This is all insane. I can’t believe any of this.” I stood up again because sitting still felt impossible. My hands wouldn’t stop trembling. “And you’ve known this since the funeral? You stood there and watched them bury someone else under my name?”

“I confirmed it after,” he said, his voice still even. “The moment Vivian pulled you out of the water, the priority became keeping you hidden while we figured out how deep this went. I didn’t even know you were alive until she called tonight to report that she had rescued you. Then she lost track of you when you ran.”

I froze in place. “Wait. What did you just say? Vivian? How do you know Vivian?”

Noah looked at me without blinking. “Vivian works for me, Maya. She has been assigned to protect you for a long time. That is the only reason you are still alive right now.”

A short, cold laugh left my mouth. It sounded ugly even to me. “You should have left me to die, Noah.” I stepped closer until there were only inches between us. Hatred burned so hot in my chest I could barely breathe properly. “Standing in the same room with you makes me want to puke. Every time I look at your face I remember what you did to my father. I remember what you did to my family. And now you expect me to be grateful that your people dragged me out of the water?”

His eyes stayed locked on mine. He didn’t step back. Slowly, he lifted one hand and brushed a strand of hair away from my face, his fingers light against my cheek.

“That will never happen, Maya,” he said quietly. “Over my dead body.”