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PROLOGUE
ALEXANDRA
Toxic Paradise – Oliver Francis
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I startle awake.
“Don’t scream.”
The coldness of the gun against my forehead forces me to inhale sharply. My body freezes as my eyes dart around.
He’s wearing a balaclava, dark eyes looking down at me.
The moon is shining into my room, tracing the outline of his body and keeping him in the shadows as my breathing accelerates.
My mouth opens, but his head shakes. “Not a sound.” He presses his weapon harder against my forehead, and my eyes squeeze shut.
This is a nightmare. It must be.
I remember falling asleep tonight. I struggled from the excitement, knowing that when I would wake up, it’d be my eighteenth birthday. Before I kissed my boyfriend, Chester, goodbye at the door, I took a Polaroid of us with my camera. It’s sitting on my desk right now. My last evening as a seventeen-year-old in the arms of my high school sweetheart. Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day. My birthday.
I had a warm shower, got into a sexy nightie, and video-called Chester as soon as he got to his house. He promised me he had a day full of surprises tomorrow.
So, I know this man in my bedroom in the middle of the nighthasto be a product of my imagination. It wouldn’t be the first time I dreamed of someone breaking into my room.
But my dreams usually excite me. My body tingles and I wake up wet. This one feels different, almost like a nightmare.
When I open my eyes again, he’s still here.
“I’m not going to hurt you. I’m just here for the money. As long as you do what you’re told, you’ll be fine. Got it?”
I struggle to fathom what is darker, the room or his low voice.
I nod silently, not having the courage to do anything else. He pulls the gun away from my head while still pointing it at me.
“Sit up,” he orders.
My nightie is a fuchsia color, with see-through lace around my breasts that turns into satin just under and barely covers my behind. A perfect mix of sexiness and innocence, just like I know Chester loves.
I sit up slowly, keeping the sheet to my chest. I can’t get myself to look at him, too scared to accidentally take in details that might make him recognizable. The less I know, the better. I stare at my shaking knees which are covered by my bedding. “Please, don’t hurt me,” I whisper. “I-I can take you to the safe.”
I know there is no other reason this man would be in here. He said so himself.
My parents are rich. Billionaires. Mom comes from old money, and this man broke in to get his share. Whatever is in the safe won’t matter to us; he can have it all.
“I said not a sound,” he snaps harshly, making me jump. “You can talk when I ask questions. Not before.”
I nod, feeling my throat tightening.
“Put your hands behind your back.”
My eyes flick to his. “There’s no need. Please…” I open my mouth to keep going, but he presses the weapon to my right temple. I take the hint and clamp it shut.
Grabbing something in the pocket of his black hoodie, he throws it at me. My eyes dart to the white plastic on my lap, and a whimper escapes me.
