Chapter 3

They were real pros. They got into character in a heartbeat.

The guy in front had a fierce, intimidating look, his tone downright hostile. "Where's Nova? She owes me one million. If she doesn't pay up soon, I'll cut her hand off."

Three men trailed behind him, one covered in tattoos, another puffing on a cigarette, and the last one brandishing a knife. They looked like bad news.

Wren was left dazed by the slap, frozen in place.

I lazily stepped in front of Wren, putting on my best pitiful face. "Sir, I really can't pay you back. Please, have mercy on me."

I shot the guy a meaningful look, and he instantly got it. He started acting, pointing right at my face and yelling. "No way."

He shoved me aside, his lecherous eyes glued to Wren. "So that's your little sister, huh? She looks all soft and tender. If you can't pay up, I'll ship her off to Mialend and force her to work as a prostitute."

Wren finally snapped back to reality, shrieking as she ducked behind me. "What does Nova's debt have to do with me? Why should I be sold because of her?"

The guy sneered, then shifted his gaze to Henry, who was cowering in the corner, afraid he'd get dragged into the chaos.

Henry had never seen anything like this. He was trembling all over.

"You're Nova's boyfriend, right? Since this miss won't cooperate, I'll just rip out your organs to pay off her debt instead," he warned.

Seeing her beloved boyfriend get threatened, Wren instantly shoved me toward the thug and dashed over to Henry like a madwoman.

"It's Nova's debt. If you want to harvest organs, take hers. She's only 31. Her organs are in perfect shape," she snapped.

I rolled my eyes, then bowed in front of the guy, wringing my hands in fake desperation. "Sir, please, don't take my organs. I still want to live.

"Can you give me a few more days? I swear I'll scrape the money together."

The guy paused for a moment, then wrapped things up with a snarl. "Fine, I'll give you one more week. If I don't see the cash by then, you're dead meat, you damn bitch."

The guys swaggered out, acting all high and mighty.

Once they were gone, I got up and, while Wren was still spaced out, gave her another slap.

Henry tried to grab my hand, but I smacked him across the face, too.

"Wren, I'm your sister. When I'm in trouble, you'd rather protect some random guy than me? What kind of sister are you?" I snapped.

I covered my face, pretending to cry, but behind my hands, I couldn't help grinning.

Those two slaps were so satisfying, but honestly, I was just getting started.

After that little drama, Wren and Henry were totally convinced I was in debt to loan sharks.

Wren never brought up the safety amulet again and started distancing herself from me. "Nova, it's not my problem. Even if I try to help you, it won't change anything."

A cold, vicious glint flashed in her eyes. "If you still think of me as your sister, then keep us out of your trouble."

Her eyes darted around, and she immediately tried to kick me out. "Weren't you planning to go back home? That place is in the middle of nowhere. Go hide from your debts there."

Seeing she'd taken the bait, I waited a beat before speaking. "But what about you? Why don't you go back, and I'll stay here?"

Wren was terrified of dying, but she hated how crappy it was back home. No way she'd ever agree to go.

Sure enough, she looked totally unwilling. "Like hell I'm going back to that dump. I'm crashing at Henry's."

I nodded and was about to leave, but Wren stopped me. "Before you go, make sure to leave us some cash, and get all the Christmas supplies ready. You might not be celebrating, but we still need to eat, right?"

I nodded.

What a damn freeloader. Since she loved stuffing her face with my food, I would make sure she ate till her drop.

I had the delivery guy lug 44 pounds of fresh, bloody pork right into Henry's apartment. Then, while they weren't paying attention, I snuck 30 live, wriggling moles into the kitchen drain and the bathroom.

Still not satisfied, I had someone freshly slaughter 10 pigeons. Wren always claimed pigeon blood was great for beauty, so she gleefully packed them all into the fridge.

Snakes had a crazy good sense of smell, and nothing got them going like fresh blood, raw meat, and moles. With all that lying around, I was sure I'd lure in a whole swarm of them.

To keep them from screwing up my plan, I told Wren the debt collectors would be keeping an eye on them, so they'd better not set foot outside until the first day of the holiday.

Wren and Henry looked super annoyed, basically pushing me out the door.

Before I left, I messed up all the window locks while they weren't paying attention, and even set up a bunch of mini cameras.

I died so horribly in my previous life. Now, I was going to watch their terror and agony unfold, frame by frame.

Once everything was ready, I packed my trunk full of supplies and drove all night back to the countryside.