Chapter 3 - The First KnockThe heavy oak door of the honeymoon suite vibrated under another aggressive knock.

"Mr. Davis? Open up, sir, or we're going to use the master key."

David tried to yell out, to scream for help, but before the sound could leave his throat, I clamped my palm firmly over his mouth, driving my knee gently into his spine to pin him against the sofa. He muffled a frantic, gurgling protest, his eyes bulging.

"Not a sound, darling," I whispered into his ear, my breath cool and steady. "Unless you want your other nostril rearranged."

I released his mouth just enough for him to wheeze, keeping my hand hovering near his throat. "Tell them everything is fine," I ordered quietly. "In a normal voice. No trembling. If I hear even a hint of a distress signal, your career—and your teeth—are officially history."

David swallowed hard, tasting his own blood. He took a ragged breath, trying to steady his shaking vocal cords.

"I—I'm fine!" he called out toward the door, his voice cracking slightly despite his best efforts. "Just... dropped a heavy suitcase. Everything's under control."

Outside, there was a pause. Muffled murmurs drifted through the wood.

"Are you sure, sir? We heard a scuffle—"

"I said I'm fine!" David snapped, injecting a sudden dose of his usual corporate arrogance into his tone. "Leave us alone! Do not disturb us again unless the ship is sinking!"

Footsteps shuffled outside. A heavy click echoed as the security guard walked away down the carpeted corridor.

David slumped forward, letting out a long, ragged exhale. He looked up at me with a mixture of sheer terror and profound bewilderment. He had spent a year building a cage, only to realize he had locked himself inside with a tiger.

"They'll be back," David whispered, his voice trembling. "My father checks in every night at midnight. If he doesn't hear from me, the second-in-command will come up here with a master key and a dozen men."

I stood up, brushing a microscopic speck of lint off my white cocktail dress. I walked over to the floor-to-ceiling balcony windows, looking out at the vast, ink-black expanse of the Atlantic Ocean. The moon cast a silver sheen over the dark, churning waves.

"Midnight?" I checked my diamond-encrusted watch. "That gives us exactly three hours."

"Three hours for what?" David asked, rubbing his bleeding nose. "What are you planning to do? Swim back to Florida?"

May you like

His chest tightened, a sharp, cold panic piercing through the expensive...

The silence of the boutique hotel room was a heavy, suffocating blanket....

The silence stretched for three agonizing seconds before I found my voic...

I turned around, a sharp, dangerous glint in my eye.

"Swim?" I chuckled softly. "No, David. It's time to take over the ship."