The Hidden Camera Tattoo - Chapter 6: Chapter 6
You are reading The Hidden Camera Tattoo, Chapter 6: Chapter 6. Read more chapters of The Hidden Camera Tattoo.
The morning sun sliced through my curtains like a spotlight, mercilessly illuminating my puffy, sleep-deprived eyes. I winced as I rubbed them - they felt like two overripe plums shoved into my sockets. The dorm stood eerily silent.
I was about to call for Sophia when I caught the saccharine lilt of her voice, dripping with false sweetness. "Tony, baby, I swear on my life - the second that money hits my account, you'll get every penny. Just a little more time? Otherwise..." Her voice trailed off with a threat as delicate as poisoned honey.
Still half-asleep, I caught terrifying snippets: "...payment extension...", "...that pretty little friend of mine..."
"Soph—" My voice died in my throat, still shredded from last night's crying jag. Then I saw it - her fingers plucking my passport photo from the resume on my desk, glancing around like a thief, and tucking it into her pocket.
My stomach dropped. We had dozens of photos together - why steal this one? And what the hell was this money talk about?
Then the puzzle pieces slammed together with terrifying clarity.
Yesterday was no accident.
And Ryan Lowell? Never the victim.
But why drag him into this? Unless...
Ice water flooded my veins. I threw on clothes, baseball cap pulled low, shadowing Sophia as she skittered through campus like a rat fleeing a sinking ship.
Three sharp raps on a rusted factory door. Out waddled Tony - a human-shaped garbage bag stuffed into a designer suit, his piggish eyes gleaming as he pawed at Sophia's face. "Let's see the merchandise first," he wheezed. "If she's as pretty as you say, maybe I'll knock off half your debt."
Sophia handed over my photo with a simper that made me want to vomit. "Fifty grand will be nothing once my dumb little friend wires the money. Just keep that video safe. If she causes trouble... well, you know how to handle difficult girls."
I nearly choked. My photo. My name. Even a rock could've put it together now.
Numbness spread through my limbs as my hand brushed the wall. My "gold" ring scraped concrete, flaking to reveal cheap nickel underneath. I held it up - the morning light exposing every fake detail. A bitter laugh escaped me as I yanked off the swan pendant around my neck and bit down hard.
Snap.
More fake metal.
The jewelry in my palm might as well have been a knife lodged between my ribs. All those late-night talks, the borrowed clothes, the tearful confessions - just bait for the trap.
Sophia hadn't changed. She'd revealed herself.
And Ryan? Their little puppet show had been Oscar-worthy. The perfect patsy to make me believe we were both victims.
My fingers curled into fists, nails biting crescents into my palms. Oh, I'd pay alright. But not how they expected.
The text burned on my screen: "I'll bring the money. But we meet face-to-face. I watch you delete everything."
The callback came instantly, voice distorted but unmistakably Sophia's with that trademark bratty sigh. "8 PM. 388 Walnut. Come alone, come clean, or the video goes viral."
"I understand." My voice sounded robotic even to me.
As I grabbed my bag, a strange calm settled over me. They thought they were hunters.
Funny how quickly prey can become predators.
I was about to call for Sophia when I caught the saccharine lilt of her voice, dripping with false sweetness. "Tony, baby, I swear on my life - the second that money hits my account, you'll get every penny. Just a little more time? Otherwise..." Her voice trailed off with a threat as delicate as poisoned honey.
Still half-asleep, I caught terrifying snippets: "...payment extension...", "...that pretty little friend of mine..."
"Soph—" My voice died in my throat, still shredded from last night's crying jag. Then I saw it - her fingers plucking my passport photo from the resume on my desk, glancing around like a thief, and tucking it into her pocket.
My stomach dropped. We had dozens of photos together - why steal this one? And what the hell was this money talk about?
Then the puzzle pieces slammed together with terrifying clarity.
Yesterday was no accident.
And Ryan Lowell? Never the victim.
But why drag him into this? Unless...
Ice water flooded my veins. I threw on clothes, baseball cap pulled low, shadowing Sophia as she skittered through campus like a rat fleeing a sinking ship.
Three sharp raps on a rusted factory door. Out waddled Tony - a human-shaped garbage bag stuffed into a designer suit, his piggish eyes gleaming as he pawed at Sophia's face. "Let's see the merchandise first," he wheezed. "If she's as pretty as you say, maybe I'll knock off half your debt."
Sophia handed over my photo with a simper that made me want to vomit. "Fifty grand will be nothing once my dumb little friend wires the money. Just keep that video safe. If she causes trouble... well, you know how to handle difficult girls."
I nearly choked. My photo. My name. Even a rock could've put it together now.
Numbness spread through my limbs as my hand brushed the wall. My "gold" ring scraped concrete, flaking to reveal cheap nickel underneath. I held it up - the morning light exposing every fake detail. A bitter laugh escaped me as I yanked off the swan pendant around my neck and bit down hard.
Snap.
More fake metal.
The jewelry in my palm might as well have been a knife lodged between my ribs. All those late-night talks, the borrowed clothes, the tearful confessions - just bait for the trap.
Sophia hadn't changed. She'd revealed herself.
And Ryan? Their little puppet show had been Oscar-worthy. The perfect patsy to make me believe we were both victims.
My fingers curled into fists, nails biting crescents into my palms. Oh, I'd pay alright. But not how they expected.
The text burned on my screen: "I'll bring the money. But we meet face-to-face. I watch you delete everything."
The callback came instantly, voice distorted but unmistakably Sophia's with that trademark bratty sigh. "8 PM. 388 Walnut. Come alone, come clean, or the video goes viral."
"I understand." My voice sounded robotic even to me.
As I grabbed my bag, a strange calm settled over me. They thought they were hunters.
Funny how quickly prey can become predators.
End of The Hidden Camera Tattoo Chapter 6. Continue reading Chapter 7 or return to The Hidden Camera Tattoo book page.