Klaine's Revenge

Chapter 1

Klaine’s POV

I lower the tinted window slightly, letting the cigarette smoke drift outside. My eyes remain fixed on the man stepping out of the hotel beside a woman.

I pull out my camera and press the button quickly, taking the photos. I glance at the digital screen, and once I see everything is clear enough, I start the engine and drive away.

I always took different routes so I wouldn’t attract attention. No one could know my next move.

I park in front of the apartment building and quickly step out of the car, heading inside.

The apartment I lived in was small, but I didn’t mind. I was only one man.

I enter the darkroom and begin developing the photographs I took tonight.

I just needed a little more patience. Just a little longer, because I wasn’t allowed to make mistakes. I had everything planned in my head, every stage, every step.

I had seventeen years to think about nothing else. Every single day, every minute, my mind had focused only on this. That alone had kept me alive. It had kept me from losing my mind in there.

Now I was free, and yet my mind was still chained. I would never truly be free again… maybe only when I saw her once more. In dreams. Or perhaps in the afterlife.

I feel my hands trembling and stare at them blankly… because every time I thought of her, I saw my hands covered in blood and her fragile body lying motionless on the floor.

That image never left me. It never would.

That night changed my life forever. In a single instant, I fell from heaven into the deepest, most burning hell imaginable.

But now it was my turn.

And I had only one purpose. One single purpose eating away at me second by second, because I had nothing else left.

That cursed night had taken my entire life from me, and now I was hollow. Nothing warmed me anymore. Nothing reached me. My heart was cold, just like the rest of me, exactly as her sudden departure had left me.

I run the paper through the solution, watching the images slowly appear. Then I hang them on the thin wire stretched across the room.

I glance over them and smile in satisfaction.

I knew everything. I had calculated everything. I had done my homework down to the smallest detail, because when you have no other purpose left, you do everything slowly and carefully.

And I wasn’t allowed to fail.

I leave the room and head toward the tiny kitchen, grabbing a beer from the fridge. A pizza box from the previous night sits on the table, and I open it quickly. I grab a slice and take a bite.

I had spent the entire day driving around and taking pictures.

Tomorrow I had to send the envelope, and after that I had to show up for the interview. The parole officer watching over me needed to know where I worked, otherwise I’d have problems again.

I throw myself onto the couch and raise the beer to my lips, not stopping until I empty the bottle completely and leave it on the table.

I let my head fall back against the edge of the couch and close my eyes. I felt exhausted. Lately, I had spent too much time outside, following those people.

Sleep slowly begins to drag me under, but I have no desire to get up and go to bed.

Her blue dress lifted slightly as she spun around laughing, showing off her rounded belly. Her blue eyes sparkled brightly, and her golden curls made her look like an angel.

— Honey…

I hear her velvety voice and move toward her, but the moment I try to touch her, she’s gone.

I look around in panic and then I see her fragile body covered in blood. I drop to my knees beside her in terror…

— No… no… no… NOOO!!!

I start screaming and jolt awake in fear. My eyes are filled with tears, just as they had been every single night for seventeen years.

It was always the same dream.

The same nightmare.

Whether asleep or awake, I felt trapped inside an endless loop. The same day. The same cursed day.

More than once I had thought about ending my own life, but I hated the people who had left her death unpunished so much that I could barely wait to be free… just so I could finally give myself that peace.

The man responsible for her death would pay with his life for what he had done.

But I had no intention of killing him quickly.

I wanted to burn his empire to the ground. Piece by piece. Pawn by pawn. Until he was completely alone.

That was my goal.

To see him on his knees in front of me, with the barrel of a gun shoved into his mouth… and make him pull the trigger himself.

I wanted him to take his own life while looking me in the eyes.

I head into the bathroom and splash water onto my face. I stare at my reflection in the mirror.

Once upon a time, those eyes had been full of life.

Now they were dull and empty, just like the rest of me.

I walk into the bedroom and glance at the suit hanging neatly nearby before sitting down on the bed.

I knew I wouldn’t sleep anymore.

Or if I did fall asleep, I’d wake up screaming again.

That had been my nights for seventeen years.

A living hell.

— Klaine Byron?

I hear my name and look toward the young woman standing in front of me. I rise from the chair and greet her politely. She gestures toward the office where the man was waiting for me, and once again I feel my hands begin to shake. I quickly clench them into fists.

I take a deep breath and press down on the handle after knocking softly.

The moment I walk in, the smell of tobacco wraps around me, but I lift my eyes directly to him.

It was the first time I had ever been this close to him, and I felt my blood freezing in my veins.

My steps feel robotic as I slowly approach the desk where he sits.

— Good afternoon, I greet him politely.

— My name is Klaine Byron.

I watch him rise from his chair and extend his hand toward me. I stare at it for a few seconds before finally taking it, shaking firmly and pulling away quickly.

— Xavier Hunter, he introduces himself.

— Have a seat.

I sit down in the empty chair, and he settles back into his own. I feel like I could shatter my teeth from how hard I’m grinding them together.

After seventeen years, I finally had him in front of me, and my stomach twisted violently.

His face had haunted me for years, and yet it seemed he had lived perfectly well, without a single care in the world.

— Are you alright? Would you like a glass of water? You look a little pale.

I shake my head.

I could barely speak in his presence.

— Good… then let’s get straight to the point, he continues.

— As you already know, I’m looking for an experienced driver who can also act as a bodyguard when necessary. Do you think you’re suitable for that?

The way he looked at me with superiority irritated me instantly.

— I’ve been driving since I turned eighteen. I just happened to spend seventeen years in prison, I reply without emotion.

— And while I was there, I trained in boxing and spent a lot of time in the gym. Since getting out, I’ve started driving again. Plus, I know this city like the back of my hand.

I watch him raise an eyebrow and pick up the file lying on his desk. I already knew it was mine.

— It doesn’t say here that you were in prison… why mention it? he asks, tossing the file back onto the desk before leaning against his chair.

— Because I wanted to be honest. And I’m sure you would’ve checked anyway. I doubt you hire people you know nothing about.

— Interesting… he murmurs mostly to himself.

— And if you don’t mind me asking, what were you imprisoned for?

— Murder, I answer quickly.

I notice his gaze sharpen instantly.

His blue eyes study me as if he’s trying to crawl inside my mind, but unfortunately for him, he would never know what was truly inside my head.

— Who did you kill?

He places his elbows on the desk and rests his chin against his clasped hands.

— My wife.

I watch his eyes widen slightly before he leans back into his chair.

— And before you ask why I committed something so horrible, let me just say this… it was a mistake. She was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. I spent seventeen years in prison, but the real prison is here, I say, pointing toward my head.

He says nothing. He just keeps staring at me.

And that stare made my stomach turn.

If I had a gun right now, it would’ve been incredibly easy to kill him.

A soft knock interrupts the silence, and the young woman from earlier steps carefully inside holding a white envelope.

— This arrived for you, Mr. Hunter. I don’t know who it’s from. There’s no signature.

She places the envelope on his desk, and he opens it slowly.

He pulls out the contents.

I watch his expression shift. His eyes darken immediately.

He grabs the photographs and crushes them angrily in his fist.

I simply watch him without reacting.

I already knew what was inside.

And this was only the beginning.

— Klaine… he says quickly.

— You’re hired. Five minutes with you proved you’re more honest than four years of...

He suddenly stops himself.

I rise to my feet and extend my hand toward him, but he only stares briefly before standing as well.

— You’ll be moving in with me.

My eyes widen slightly.

— I need someone available at all times. Are you alright with that, or should I look elsewhere? he asks coldly.

— I have no problem with it, I answer in the same tone.

— Perfect. My assistant will give you all the keys and cards you’ll need. I expect you here at five this evening when I leave the office. The car will be downstairs in the underground parking garage. You’ll drive it. You’ll take care of it.

— Of course, Mr. Hunter.

I turn to leave, but he stops me again.

— And Klaine… I hope you’ll always be this honest with me.

I raise an eyebrow slightly.

— Of course, sir.

I leave the office and head straight for the bathroom.

The moment I lock myself inside a stall, I empty the contents of my stomach.

I could barely stand in front of him without tearing his throat open.

But now I had the job.

The first step was done.

I hadn’t expected him to ask me to move in with him, but maybe that was even better.

Now I’d learn every single move he made.

After receiving all the details from his assistant and having every requirement explained to me, along with every card and key, I stare at the car I’ll be driving before climbing inside.

I pull out my tracking device and confirm that the car is clean… at least for now.

I attach the microphone beneath the seat. Even if I was the one driving it, I didn’t want to miss a single conversation he might have.

The clock reads 4:46 PM.

He would be entering the parking garage in no more than fourteen minutes.

I step out of the car and place my small backpack into the trunk. I didn’t own many things, and knowing I’d mostly be wearing a uniform anyway, I didn’t need extra clothes.

I see him step out of the elevator, and I immediately move toward the back door, opening it for him quickly.

The expression on his face isn’t good. He looks tense.

He slides into the back seat without saying a word.

I move to the driver’s seat, and the moment I get inside, I see him activate the tinted divider separating the front from the back.

I already knew where he lived. His assistant had given me his schedule for the entire week.

I start the engine, enter his address into the GPS, and pull out of the parking garage.

The drive is tense.

At least for me.

Because even though I couldn’t see him, he could see me through that dark divider, and I tried to appear as relaxed as possible.

But around him, I would never be relaxed.

I reach the iron gates and press the access card against the scanner. The gates slowly open, revealing a massive mansion before me.

A bitter taste fills my mouth.

Of course he had everything he wanted.

A man like him always had the world at his feet.

And that only made me hate him more.

He had everything.

I had nothing.

And it was all because of him.

I stop the car in front of the stairs leading up to the house and step out quickly, but the moment I reach for his door, it suddenly opens and he exits while speaking on the phone.

He gestures for me to follow him, and I quickly grab my backpack before walking after him.

Inside the house were several employees, all dressed in uniforms. I stop behind him.

— Maria, this is Klaine. He’ll be working with me. Please show him the room where he’ll be staying and explain which areas he’s allowed, and not allowed, to enter.

I watch him walk up the enormous staircase.

— Good afternoon, sir.

I turn toward the woman speaking to me.

She looked somewhere around fifty, maybe even sixty.

— Come with me. I’ll show you where you’ll be staying.

— The house is divided into two sections: one for the staff and one where Mr. Hunter lives. Only the cleaning staff are allowed in his section. We do share the kitchen, but we never eat with him. We eat in the kitchen, while he eats in the dining room. He has a very strict schedule, and he doesn’t like seeing employees wandering through the house after a certain hour.

As she speaks, I’m already building a clearer picture of him in my head.

She leads me down a narrow hallway before stopping at a door and opening it.

I remain pleasantly surprised by the size and luxury of the room.

— This will be your room. Thomas will come by later to take your measurements for the uniform. Mr. Hunter doesn’t like employees without uniforms.

She steps farther inside.

— Mr. Hunter may seem strict, but he’s an extraordinary man. I’m sure you’ll enjoy working for him.

I watch her leave the room.

“I’m sure I will…” I think sarcastically.

I turn my gaze around the room that would now belong to me.

I had two days off every week, which would give me enough time to plan my next moves in the privacy of my apartment.

I throw myself onto the bed and stare at the high ceiling.

He wasn’t planning on going anywhere tonight, which meant I was free to inspect the entire house.

I get up and carefully remove my suit. Until I received another one, I needed to make sure it didn’t wrinkle.

“Because Mr. Hunter doesn’t like that,” I think mockingly.

I put on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt before stepping outside the room.

I needed to see where the security cameras were… and their blind spots.

I needed to know this house like the back of my hand.

I reach the kitchen and notice everyone working frantically, almost like the kitchen of a restaurant.

— Can I help you with something? one of the men asks.

I shake my head.

I head toward the exit and discover an enormous terrace.

I slowly walk through the flowers.

She loved roses.

Especially white roses.

And this place was filled with them.

I lose myself among them until I reach a small clearing between two trees.

I sit down in the grass and look up at the sky.

The sun was setting, and I close my eyes.

We used to sit outside together all the time, watching sunsets and sunrises.

Those little things remained buried deep inside me.

Things I would never do with her again.

I stretch out on the grass, placing my hands behind my head, and close my eyes.

I hated the fact that this place, his place, was giving me even the smallest feeling of peace.

I don’t open my eyes again until the sky is filled with stars.

I turn my head toward the mansion.

Only a few lights remain on.

Slowly, I rise to my feet.

It was time to learn more about him. To discover every hidden corner of this place.

I enter through another entrance, a smaller one leading directly from the garden, and the long hallway guides me toward a door that I open carefully.

A swimming pool stretches out before me, the water glowing beneath the dim ceiling lights.

I realize I’m staring at it in fascination and slowly move closer, crouching beside the edge.

Then I notice a shape beneath the water.

My eyes widen as I watch him emerge from the surface.

His cold blue eyes lock onto mine like those of a shark.

I immediately stand up, though I don’t move away.

He climbs out of the pool, and my eyes follow the lines of his body.

He was attractive. His physique was balanced, sculpted.

He walks toward a lounge chair and grabs a towel, drying his face and hair, leaving it messy in every direction.

I lift my gaze toward that disheveled hair glistening beneath the neon lights, and suddenly it feels like my mind has gone blank.

All I can do is silently watch every movement he makes.

He slowly approaches me and stops only one step away.

— This area is off-limits to employees, he says.

I lower my gaze to his eyes.

— Sorry… I got lost, I answer quietly.

— I’ll leave.

But his hand immediately wraps around my wrist, stopping me.

— If you want, you can use the pool, he says suddenly.

I glance toward the water.

— No, thank you. I should learn my place. Excuse me.

I pull my hand free from his grip and walk back out through the same door.