Blackmail is a dangerous game.

It's almost like gambling. You take your chances, throw the dice, see if it works out for the better or for the worse.

But blackmailing my sister's secret boyfriend was more than just a dangerous game.

It was purely suicidal.

The callouses of my fingers brushed softly against the hard concrete of Felix's garage wall, the gritty texture grounding me as I stood there, waiting. The garage was dimly lit, with only a few flickering bulbs casting eerie shadows on the scattered tools and car parts. The smell of oil and something faintly sweet-probably leftover weed-hung in the air, making me feel like I was breathing in the grime of this place, the grime of him.

I wasn't nervous, not really. My heart was beating fast, sure, but it was more from the thrill of what I was about to do. I was here for one reason only, and it had nothing to do with Maeve. She was just a pawn, a means to an end.

Their end.

The door creaked open, and my hand instinctively moved to my pocket, where my phone rested, my only lifeline in this hellhole. Felix emerged from the shadows. He leaned against the hood of an old, beat-up car, a smirk playing on his lips as he looked me up and down.

"Well, well, well, look who's here," he said, his voice dripping with mockery. "Cairo, right? Maeve's little sis? Didn't think you'd have the guts to come here alone."

I didn't flinch under his gaze. I'd expected this reaction, and it only made what I was about to do even more satisfying.

"I know it's you in the video, Felix," I said coldly, my voice steady. "I know what you did to Maeve, and I know how you've been getting away with it. But that stops now."

His smirk widened, and he pushed off the car, taking a few steps closer, towering over me.

"Oh, tough girl now, huh?" He pushed off the car and sauntered closer, his movements slow and deliberate, meant to intimidate. He towered over me, his breath reeking of alcohol and something sour. "You know, I could just toss you out of here and be done with it. Little girls like you... shouldn't be playing in the big leagues."

I met his eyes, unblinking. "I'm not here to play games, Felix. I know what you did to Maeve. She was a fucking minor when you dragged her into your filthy world-when you corrupted her."

Felix raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "Corrupted? You make it sound like I held a gun to her head. Your sister's a big girl-she knew exactly what she was getting into."

"She was 16." I shot back, my voice rising. "While you....were 22. I think it's safe to say there's a clear power imbalance here. But don't you worry, I have something.... that'll help you pay for what you did."

He laughed, a low, condescending sound that made my skin crawl. "You think you've got something on me, huh? Let me guess, that little video that went viral? It was cute, I'll give you that. But you're in way over your head if you think a little blackmail is gonna scare me."

I knew how unfazed of things Felix was. Part of the reason my sister even got obsessed in the first place was because of how brave he seemed. Like nothing could stop him, not even the oceans and the seas.

He leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a menacing whisper. "I've got friends, Cairo. Friends who could make that video disappear, make you
... disappear. So, I suggest you take whatever little threat you came here with and walk right out that door."

But then again, hell hath no fury than a woman scorned, right?

"Maybe you do." I mimicked his actions. "But I also know that your daddy's money... is the only thing keeping you afloat. Without him, you're nothing. Just another punk dealing drugs in a garage."

That wiped the smirk off his face. I saw the flicker of uncertainty in his eyes, but he quickly covered it up.

"You don't know what you're talking about."

I tilted my head. "Don't I?"

"What do you want, Cairo?" he sneered, his voice lower now, more dangerous. "You looking for a cut? Some kind of payoff to keep your mouth shut?"

I allowed myself a small smile, but there was no warmth in it. "$50,000. Cash. You've got two days to get it to me, or your face in that video goes viral-and straight to your daddy. Let's see how much he's willing to bail you out once he finds out the kind of scum you really are."

He laughed, but it was hollow, forced. "You're bluffing. You wouldn't dare. You think you can scare me with your little threats? I've seen worse."

"Try me," I said, my voice flat, emotionless. "See the thing is, Felix, I've got nothing to lose. You, on the other hand... not so much. You know as well as I do that your daddy's not going to let his reputation be dragged through the mud because of you. He'll cut you off the second he finds out."

For a moment, he just stared at me, his face contorting as he tried to find a way out.

But there wasn't one.

He was cornered, and he knew it. "You bitch," he spat, his voice shaking with barely controlled rage. "You think you're so smart, don't you? You're nothing, Cairo. Just a scared little girl playing with fire."

"Maybe," I said, feeling strangely calm now that the words were out. "But I'm a scared little girl with a lot of power right now. And I'm not afraid to use it."

He glared at me, his hands curling into fists, but I didn't back down. We stood there, locked in a silent battle of wills, until finally, he broke.

"You're a fucking cunt."

I shrugged, laughing. "Call me what you want. Just make sure you have my money by the end of the week, or that video goes public. This time, with your face completely visible."

He sucked a deep breath in frustration.

"And once it does, don't bother looking for sympathy from me. I'm not your brother. I don't give a flying fuck about what happens to you."

Felix glared at me, his hands clenched into fists, but he didn't make a move. He knew he couldn't. Not without risking everything. "Fine. You'll get your money," he snarled. "But if you ever come back here, if you even think about trying this again, I'll make you wish you'd never been born."

"I'll take my chances," I replied calmly. "See you in two days."

With that, I turned and walked out of the garage, leaving him standing there, seething. The door slammed behind me, and I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. The rush of adrenaline was still pumping through my veins, but it was more than that. It was the satisfaction of knowing I had him right where I wanted him. Felix might have thought he was the predator, but he'd just found out what it felt like to be the prey.

And the best part? I wasn't even close to being done with him yet.

______________

I sat in the dark, the glow of my laptop screen casting sharp shadows across my face. The house was quiet, everyone else was asleep, but I was wide awake, my mind racing with thoughts.

My fingers tapped impatiently on the keys as I scrolled through Damian Vos's social media, searching for anything-any dirt I could use against him. He was careful, too careful. Almost everything he posted was curated to show his perfect, golden-boy image.

But I knew better. I knew what kind of monster he really was.

My blood boiled just thinking about that night- when he thought he could get away with treating me like some kind of joke, a pawn in that stupid dare.

He probably thought I'd forget, that I'd move on like nothing happened. But I wasn't that kind of girl.

No, I was going to make him regret.

Page after page, post after post, and still nothing. His friends were all just as sick as he was, laughing, joking, living their rich exotic lives like they hadn't done anything wrong.

My frustration was growing by the second until finally, something caught my eye.

It was a picture, buried deep in his timeline, from about three years ago. Damian was grinning, arm around some girl I didn't recognize. She wasn't from our high school, at least not anymore. As I scrolled down, I found more pictures of them, taken four and five years ago.

They seemed to be quite close.

Curious, I clicked on her profile.

Nothing. Her page was practically empty-no new photos, no posts, no friends list. It was like she'd disappeared. But why?

My mind raced with possibilities. There was something here, something worth digging into. I searched for her name: "Lila Pitts."

No results.

Well, almost none. A couple of old tagged photos on other people's profiles, but nothing recent. It was like she'd vanished from the face of the earth.

My fingers hovered over the keyboard. I had to know more. What happened to her? Did Damian do something to her too? It was a long shot, but I had nothing to lose.

I clicked on the messenger icon and typed out a message to her, keeping it vague at first. Just a casual request to meet up, claiming I wanted to ask about Damian. Her response was quick but curt-she wasn't interested in talking.

But I wasn't going to give up that easily. My fingers flew across the keys, typing out a new message before I could second-guess myself.

"Damian tried to assault me at a party last year. I just want to talk to someone who might understand."

It was a very long shot. But I also had nothing to lose.

I hit send, my heart pounding as I waited for a reply. Minutes ticked by, and I started to wonder if she'd just ignore me again. But then, finally, a notification popped up. A reply.

"Meet me tomorrow. Café Rouge at 10 AM."

A small, satisfied smile tugged at my lips.

It's time to find out who you are, Lila Pitts.

____________

The next morning, I walked into Café Rouge, scanning the room for Lila. The place was almost empty, just a couple of people sipping their morning coffee. Then I saw her, sitting in the far corner, staring down into her cup like it held the answers to all of life's problems.

She looked different from her picture. Plainer, simpler. Her hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail, and she wore a loose sweater that seemed a size too big. She didn't stand out at all-if anything, she looked like she was trying to blend into the background, to be invisible.

I walked over, and she looked up as I approached, her eyes guarded. "Lila?" I asked, even though I already knew it was her.

She nodded, gesturing for me to sit down. "You're Cairo, right?"

I nodded, taking a seat across from her. For a moment, neither of us spoke. I studied her, trying to gauge what kind of person she was, what could've happened to her at John Bosco. But her face was unreadable, her expression carefully blank.

Finally, she broke the silence. "You said Damian tried to assault you."

I nodded, the memory of that night flashing through my mind like a nightmare on repeat. "Yeah. At his New Year's party. It was some stupid dare his friends put him up to. He thought it would be funny. I didn't."

She sighed, rubbing her temples as if trying to ward off a headache. "I figured something like that would happen again."

Her words made me lean forward, curiosity piqued. "Again?"

She looked around, as if checking to make sure no one was listening, before leaning in closer. "It happened to me too. Three years ago. I was part of his friend group back then. We were all at a party, drinking,...having fun. I didn't think anything of it when he pulled me aside, but then he started getting... aggressive."

I cringed internally as she went on.

"I tried to push him off, but he didn't listen. When I told the others what he did, they... laughed. Said I was making it up, that Damian would never do something like that."

"They turned on me, Cairo. They made my life hell."

I felt a cold rage building inside me as I listened to her. I wasn't surprised that Damian had done this before, and his friends had covered for him. But hearing it confirmed still made me sick to my stomach.

"Why didn't you tell someone? Your parents, the school?"

She shook her head, her eyes distant, like she was reliving the whole nightmare. "I tried, but... no one believed me. They thought I was just a bitter girl trying to ruin a popular guy's reputation. And Damian,... he's good at playing the victim. He made it look like I was the one who came on to him. The bullying got so bad that I had to change schools just to get away from it."

Her story only fueled the fire inside me. Damian had ruined her life, and now he was trying to do the same to me. But unlike Lila, I wasn't going to let him get away with it.

"I'm sorry you went through that," I said, though the words felt hollow. "But I'm not going to let him get away with it this time."

Lila looked at me, her expression a mix of pity and caution. "You're playing with fire, Cairo. Damian and his friends... they're dangerous. If you try to go after them, they'll destroy you. Just like they did to me."

I smirked, a dark thrill running through me at the thought of what I was planning. "They can try. But I'm not scared of them. I'm going to bring them down, one way or another."

She seemed taken aback by my confidence, or maybe it was my determination. Either way, she hesitated before speaking again. "I don't have any proof of what... he did to me. It happened so fast, and I was too shocked to even think about gathering evidence. But..."

"But?" I prompted, sensing that she was holding something back.

She bit her lip, clearly torn. Then, finally, she spoke. "Damian has HIV. He hasn't told anyone, not even his closest friends. I overheard him talking about it once, but he made sure to keep it a secret. If the report got out..."

My eyes widened slightly at the revelation. Damian, the golden boy, the predator who thought he was untouchable, was hiding something that could ruin him. The possibilities raced through my mind, each one more delicious than the last.

"You're sure?" I asked, just to confirm.

She nodded. "I don't know how long he's had it, but he's definitely been hiding it. If you use this, you need to be careful. If he finds out that you know..."

I cut her off with a cold smile. "Don't worry about me. I know exactly what I'm doing."

Lila studied me for a long moment, then sighed, pushing her chair back as she stood. "Just... be careful, Cairo. I've already lost too much to him. I don't want to see anyone else get hurt."

"I won't be the one getting hurt," I said confidently, watching as she walked away.

Once she was out of sight, I let the smirk return to my face. Damian thought he was untouchable, but he had no idea what was coming.

The game was just beginning, and I had every intention of winning.

__________

#hell hath no fury
than a woman scorned.

xoxo,
Bosedisha