Chapter 1
Autumn’s POV
"Rick, I need backup. I’m on the north side," I spoke into my watch as I stepped into the dark cave. The cave walls were jagged and uneven, and a faint, lingering stench—like something dead—hung near the entrance. As I went deeper, my gut confirmed it: something rotten had definitely been here.
I switched on my torch and carefully made my way inside.
“Hello? Hello? Autumn, can you hear me?” Rick's voice crackled through.
“Yes, Rick,” I replied.
“Tell me the situation.”
“Seems quiet. No one's here, but we can't take that chance.”
“Copy. Sending two backup teams your way.”
“Okay.”
I moved forward and found three wooden doors. The place looked abandoned—dusty, neglected. The handles on the doors were corroded and wouldn’t budge no matter how hard I tried.
“I need hydrochloric acid. The handles are jammed.”
“Copy."
Soon, two of my team members arrived and handed me the acid. After a few tense moments, the door creaked open.
“It’s open.”
Two heavily armed teams stood behind me, waiting for my signal. I nodded. One of them kicked the door in—and it burst open.
My breath caught.
The room was filled with small children—tied up, plastic wrappers taped over their mouths. They were thin, sickly, hollow-eyed. It was clear they hadn’t eaten in days.
“We’ve got them,” I radioed. One team quickly led the kids outside, where Rick was waiting with a van.
“The next step could be dangerous. Be careful,” Rick warned.
“Yeah,” I said, already moving toward the second door.
It was empty. So was the third.
That didn’t make sense. Our intel had been solid.
“Rick, the rooms are empty. Are you sure this was the right place?”
Silence stretched a few seconds too long.
Then Rick cursed. “Oh shit. Autumn, get out of that cave. Now! It’s a trap.”
My heart pounded as I signaled the team to clear the area. I pushed down the fear and scanned the rooms again, needing to be sure we hadn’t missed anything.
Then it started.
Gas hissed through the cracks, quickly clouding the air. Nauseating, thick—it burned my lungs.
“Oh, shit!” I gasped. “I have to get out of here.”
My vision blurred. I could barely see. My legs felt like lead. I stumbled toward the light at the cave’s entrance, but every step drained me further. My lungs screamed.
“Autumn! Can you hear me?” Rick shouted through the comm, but I couldn’t respond. My breathing grew shallow.
"Au...t...u...we...c...se...yo..." His voice faded into static.
Then everything went black.
*
I woke up with a pounding headache, my eyes adjusting slowly to the sterile white walls around me. A woman in a white lab coat entered.
“Miss McGregor, how are you feeling?”
I groaned, trying to sit up, holding my head. “Where am I?”
“You’re in the secret headquarters. I’m Dr. Ophelia. You inhaled carbon monoxide—it’s deadly, but thankfully, it didn’t cause permanent damage,” she said, scribbling on her clipboard.
“I think I’m okay now. Can I go?”
She was about to answer when the door slammed open. Noah, Archer, and Serena came in grinning like idiots.
I rolled my eyes. “Oh, come on. Don’t give us that look!” Archer said as they rushed to hug me in their usual over-the-top way.
I had known Noah and Archer since I joined the agency. Serena came three years later and somehow, we all clicked. Dysfunctional, maybe—but we were family.
Dr. Ophelia gave me a stern look. “You’re not cleared to leave until we get approval from higher-ups.” I nodded reluctantly, and she left the room.
“So,” Archer grinned, “party tonight?”
Serena rolled her eyes as Noah smacked him.
“Hey guys... what happened after I blacked out?” I asked. Instantly, the mood changed. Their smiles vanished.
They exchanged a nervous glance.
“Um... someone shot Rick when he came into the cave to find you,” Noah said quietly.
My blood ran cold. My chest tightened.
No. Rick?
He was like a brother to me. The reason I was alive, trained, strong. He was the one who believed in me after I left home. The world tilted.
“Hey, hey, Autumn—don’t panic,” Serena said gently. “He’s okay now. Out of danger.”
I nodded, swallowing the grief that threatened to rise. They left soon after.
That night, my headache worsened. I took the painkillers and tried to rest.
Then my phone rang. A private number. We all used encrypted lines—rule number one for STA agents. I picked up.
“Hello?”
A low, husky chuckle echoed on the other end. Not from my team. Not from headquarters.
I hit the trace button immediately. “Who is this?”
“You know, princess, tracing the call won’t help,” the man said, laughing darkly.
My stomach turned. That voice… it had been calling for weeks. Always silent. Until now.
“Who the fuck are you? If you have guts, come face me.”
“Oh, princess... I tried. Really, I did. But Rick kept getting in the way. So I had to shoot him.”
My heart froze.
“You shot Rick?” I whispered.
“I need you, sweetheart. You’re mine. Only mine.”
“In your dreams, you sick bastard.”
“Mmm, your anger is such a turn-on, kitten.”
I gritted my teeth. “The day I find you, I’ll show you exactly who I am.”
He chuckled again. “Oh, I know who you are. And when I finally have you, you’ll be under me, screaming my name in pleasure.”
Click.
I stared at the phone, my hands trembling. Who the hell was this psychopath?
He knew me. Knew Rick. Knew everything. And still had the nerve to toy with me.
A perverted lunatic playing games with a Special Agent.
He thought he could win. Let him enjoy his fantasy. Because the day I find him- will be his last day.
***
