Chapter 30 Savage

Chapter 30 Savage


Nolie POV

I sat up, hair messy, still flushed. My body was sore, weak, but inside I was burning. Revenge, lust, fear—they all mixed together. “Yeah. First we figure out who the hell was in this house.”

“And after?” Vanya asked.

I thought of Arjona. His hands. His smile. His threats. Rage burned hot in my chest. I need an army. My own people. Loyal only to me.

I clenched the blanket. “After… I’m going to be ready. No one  will ever touch me again. Not without bleeding for it.”

The vow burned in me. It tasted like blood. Like hunger. Like the kind of promise you couldn’t take back once spoken.

By the time I came downstairs, I’d washed, dressed, hair pulled back. Vanya was waiting by the door in tight jeans and boots, casual like it was any other day.

“Verlin left early,” she said. “Business. Something about deliveries. So it’s just us girls.”

“Good,” I muttered.

She smirked. “See? The world runs better when it’s women in charge.”

We started in the kitchen. She pointed at the back door. “That’s where the prints were.”

I stared at the tiles. I still saw them in my head. Wet. Sandy. Too real to ignore.

Then I traced the path with my eyes, still seeing them clear as day. “They led outside,” I said.

I knelt, touching the cold tile, remembering the shape, the drip line toward the threshold.

We followed them out. The dirt was dry now, no clear marks left. Just empty land stretching toward the workers’ quarters.

“Wait,” Vanya said suddenly. “Stand over here.”

I looked up. “Why?”

“Just do it. Feet together. Chin up.” She lifted her phone.

I stood where she wanted. “You’re taking pictures of me… why?”

“Turn to the side.” Click. “Other side.” Click. “Now arms up.” Click-click.

“Vanya.”

She smiled, wicked and sweet. “Surprise. Early wedding gift, future Mrs. Trouble.”

“What surprise?”

She didn’t answer me. Her phone buzzed. She stepped aside and answered. “Yeah. I sent the photos. Start work… No, she’s smaller in the waist than she looks. Build the bodice tight. Rush it. And add the thing we talked about.” She listened, smirked. “Perfect. Text me ETA.”

She hung up and slid her phone into her back pocket.

I folded my arms. “You’re evil.”

“You’ll thank me.” She hooked her arm through mine. “Okay. Footprints checked. Next stop, the workers’ side. If anyone saw a pale creep with a knife, it’s them. And we don’t tell the men a thing.”

“Deal.”

The walk across the land was long, the air heavy with the smell of dirt, gasoline, and faint weed smoke. The processing sheds came into view first—big metal doors cracked open. I peeked inside as we passed.

Piles of dried weed on tables. Men and women in gloves bagging it up. White powder stacked in bricks, wrapped tight in plastic. Cigarette smoke clouding the air. Money being counted at the back by a kid who couldn’t have been older than fifteen.

I swallowed hard. My stomach turned. So this is it. This is the empire I’m supposed to marry into.

Vanya didn’t even blink. “This way.”

We reached one of the smaller houses. She knocked.

A tall man opened the door. Broad shoulders, sweat on his collar, a cowboy hat shading his face. He smelled like dust and tobacco.

“Lady Vanya,” he said in a thick accent, bowing his head. “What bring you here?”

His wife hovered behind him. Slim. Nervous. Wiping her hands on an apron. Her eyes darted to me, then down to the floor.

I stepped forward. “Last night. Did you see anyone near the kitchen door? A man. Pale face. Knife in his hand.”

The man shook his head instantly. “No, miss. Ain’t seen no one. Only me and the wife here.”

The wife flinched. Just barely. But I caught it.

“Can I talk to you?” I asked softly, meeting her eyes. “Woman to woman. Don’t be afraid.”

She hesitated, then stepped forward, voice low, broken English tangled in her accent. “I… I saw him. Pale man. He standin’ outside window. Staring.” Her hands trembled. “I run to call my man, but when I come back… he gone.”

Vanya’s jaw clenched.

I nodded, rage buzzing in my veins. “So we weren’t imagining it. Someone was really there.”

The woman’s eyes darted to the ground again. “Please, don’ say nothin’. I don’ want trouble.”

I leaned in, voice sharp. “He won’t trouble you. “Next time I see him, I’ll put a bullet in his head.”

The woman whimpered, backing away and crossing herself like a prayer could protect her.

The man touched his hat again, face hard. “Best you ladies stay safe,” he muttered then slammed the door shut.

Vanya pulled me back outside. “You’re turning savage.”

“Arjona put me through hell,” I said coldly. “This time, I’ll be ready.”

We were halfway back when the roar of an engine cut through the air.

A sleek, black luxury car rolled up the drive. Glossy. Expensive. Not Zorak’s old jeep.

My heart jumped.

He stepped out.

And beside him

A brunette. Stunning. Legs for days, lips red as blood, hair perfect.

She laughed at something he said. And he let her.

My stomach twisted. She touched his arm like she owned it. And he didn’t stop her.

My throat closed. Air burned in my lungs.

Vanya leaned close, whispering in my ear. “Well… looks like things just got real interesting.”

.