Millie's suspicions didn't go away over the next two weeks. Davyn was definitely hiding something, and whatever it was, it worried him a lot. She could see it in the way he zoned out when he thought she was asleep and in how hectic their schedule had become, with him asking her to stay at the dorm at the last minute. His obsession with fire had also become a little frightening, so she'd given up on candles altogether.

There were times when she just wanted to yell at him, remind him that she was supposed to be in his corner but couldn't if he kept hiding things from her. He always claimed it was work, but what was he working on that made it so hard for him to focus on anything else?

She'd tried prying information out of him, but after she initially brought it up, he became a lot more proficient at deflecting. He paid attention to her, completely lost himself in their conversations, and while they made love. But she had noticed that when he thought she wasn't looking, he fell into the same contemplative state, his gaze lost in the distance, his muscles too tense. It only made her feel worse, as if he didn't trust her with what was happening in his life. And as she pondered on all this, she came to realize that she knew next to nothing about him.

Yes, they were in love, and yes, he'd been wonderful ever since he became her boyfriend, but they hadn't really shared anything heavy since. They just had fun and made each other laugh. He did ask about her day, and she about his, but they didn't get into anything else. No deep talks about the past or the future. Was it intentional?

The thoughts began plaguing her even while she tried to focus on school, and her new obsession disrupted her painting and her piano practice. By the time October came to a close, she felt as if she was losing her mind. So much so that even Freider noticed during one of their coffee meetings.

"What's going on? You seem distracted."

She groaned. "I'm sorry. I've been just... You know when you get that feeling that something is wrong and you can't prove it, but you know it's there?"

Freider's face darkened, and for the briefest moment, he actually looked scary. He reminded her of Davyn in some weird way.

"Oh, I know all about that. Can I help you?"

It was nice of him to ask, and Millie was tempted to vent, but she didn't want to badmouth Davyn in front of anyone. So, she decided to merely address the problem itself.

"Someome close is acting a bit odd, and I have the feeling they're hiding something from me."

Freider pondered on this for a moment. "Did you try asking?"

"Yes. And... Well, I did get an answer, but..."

"You felt it was a lie."

"Not exactly. Just, maybe an overly simplified version of what's actually going on."

"You know, if there's one thing I've learned, it's that our gut feelings are usually correct. If you feel like something is wrong or someone is lying... They usually are."

Millie's stomach clenched painfully, and she looked away. She didn't want to think that Davyn was lying to her. He'd always been independent and did whatever he liked whenever he liked it. Sure, he'd made a lot of concessions for her, but he'd never lost who he was. If he believed she didn't have to know what was bothering him, she knew he wouldn't tell her. But it tore through her because the more it went on, the more she felt as if he were hiding something important.

"Do you want me to investigate?" Freider asked. "I am fairly proficient at shakeouts."

The idea of Freider investigating Davyn had her skin crawling. He'd never forgive her if she did something like that.

"No, but thank you for the offer."

He leaned forward over the table and placed his hands over hers. "I am here for you. To help with whatever you might need. Don't forget that."

She forced a smile and waited a few seconds before pulling her hands away. "Thank you."

Don't read into this. Don't read into this. You're just friends.

But the way Freider was looking at her made her shiver. Was this one of those instances when she should trust her gut that something was wrong?

"I know we haven't known each other for very long, but there's something about you..." He tilted his head, watching her as if she were an intriguing painting. "I just want you to know that you can count on me for anything. Sometimes, we need to know there's someone there to catch us if we take a risk and end up falling."

"That's awfully sweet of you." Especially since he was right, and they barely knew each other. Even if she liked talking to him and having coffee, this was a bit more than she was comfortable with.

Yes, she needed someone to fall back on, but it would definitely not be Freider. It was supposed to be Davyn.

Freider checked his watch. "I have to go, unfortunately. But I'd love to see you again soon. Maybe we could grab lunch?"

"Yes, sure," she said before his words fully registered.

"Great." He left a twenty on the table and stood. "Goodbye, Maxi."

"Bye..." She watched him go, thinking that even Freider had his secrets and his emergencies.

Their talk didn't make her feel any better, so she approached the school with a knot in her throat. Today, she was supposed to go to Davyn's. Maybe she should just lay it out in the open, confess her fears and her unease, and see how he'd take it. It was the fair thing to do, after all.

She made her way through the crowd to get inside the school building and headed towards her locker to deposit her books. The corridors were empty since classes were already over and most of the students had retreated to the study rooms. It all felt eerie and dangerous, especially with the chanting mob outside.

And yet, through the noise coming from outside, she could make out to whispered voices arguing. She halted in the middle of the corridor, her heart thumping against her ribs. She recognized both voices.

Focusing on not making any sound, she moved towards the corner and peaked around it.

Harkin was there, under the stairs leading to the upper story, his hands on his hips. Davyn leaned against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest, looking angrier than Millie had ever seen him.

"Come on," Harkin hissed.

"You can't expect me to fix all your shit all the time," Davyn retorted. "I have a life, you know."

"Your life can wait."

Davyn pushed himself off the wall and poked Harkin's chest. "You don't get to tell me what to do. It's the other way around. And I told you to lay low, you moron."

"I can only lay so low," Harkin mumbled, but his tone was a lot more tame. "Please."

Davyn just growled as an answer and turned his back on Harkin. Millie held in a gasp as she realized he would be heading straight for her. As silently as she could, she hurried back towards her locker and made a show out of opening it and rummaging inside. Her heart beat so loudly that she was sure it would give her away. It also made hearing difficult because when he propped his hand against the neighboring locker, she jumped.

"Lost in thought, darling?" he asked with a grin.

She raised her eyes, taking him in. The smile on his face was teasing, and he no longer looked the least bit upset. It only scared her further. How good was he at hiding his real feelings?

"A little." She closed the locker and turned to him."Are you ready to go?"

He winced dramatically. "Actually, I think I'll have to take a raincheck today."

"What, again? Davyn..."

His smile fell. "Look, I know it sucks. But I do hope it will be all over soon."

"What will be over?"

He wanted to roll his eyes, she could tell, but to his credit, he didn't. "The rush at work. Just take some time for yourself. You can think of me while you do." He winked at her.

Normally, his words would have made her light up with bashfulness, but they made her want to cry now. He was really hiding something from her. What was it and why?

"Don't look so down. I'll make it up to you on the weekend." He leaned over and kissed her forehead.

The heat of his body was so comforting, reminding her of all the good things they shared. She could be wrong. But why was he talking to Harkin then? Would she even get an honest answer if she asked?

"Sleep tight," he said and leaned over to kiss her goodbye.

"That's it? You came here to tell me that you're leaving?"

He raised his eyebrows. "I came here to see you, even if only for a moment. And kiss you because I wish we could spend the night together and I'll miss you. What's going on? You seem off."

"I just wanted to come with you tonight." Ditch Harkin. Please ditch Harkin.

He sighed and wrapped her in his arms, pulling her against him. "I know, darling. To be honest, I never want you to leave my place. But it's better that you keep staying in the dorm, at least officially. And you do need to focus on school and making your dreams come true."

His words brought tears to her eyes. They sounded just right, but they were tainted by her suspicions. Then again, what if he wasn't really up to anything? Could Freider alleviate her fears?

"I'll see you tomorrow."

She nodded and kissed him back this time, basking in the normalcy of being with him like this, even for a few more seconds of bliss. Because she'd made up her mind.

Sending Freider after him was highly unethical. She would do it herself.

So she gave him a headstart, then hurried out and into the parking lot, just as his Mustang headed for the exit. She hurried to the curb and managed to hail a cab before his car disappeared around the corner.

This would make everything clear. If he went home, it would all be over quickly. Though it would also make everything he said a lie. Fortunately, he switched directions, moving further into the city. She clenched her fists, her breathing more shallow with every block. He could have told the truth. This was an area filled with office buildings. Maybe he really was going to work.

He pulled over in front of a fancy looking glass building, and Millie could breathe again. This was it. He wasn't lying. He was really working. She could go back to school and focus on her art. She leaned forward to ask the driver to take her back but froze. Davyn hadn't entered the office building, going around it instead.

She paid for the ride as fast as she could and scurried out of the car. It took her two minutes to reach the corner of the building, a stitch already in her side. He was visible in the distance, walking towards an entirely different building. A much smaller one, with only five stories. There was a black town car parked in front of it already. Davyn disappeared inside.

With quick steps, she made her way towards the building. It could still be his office. She had no idea where he worked.

The door of the town car opened, and a man dressed in a black smart suit stepped out. It took her a few moments to recognize the man as Nicholas Harkin. What was he doing? Why was he wearing a fancy suit? And why was he following Davyn inside the building together with two other men?

Fear grabbed on to her, making her nauseous. Would they beat Davyn up again? But why dress up for it? A million theories, one more unlikely than the other, passed through her mind as she walked to the building, trying to keep a natural pace. When she reached the door, a weight fell into her stomach.

It wasn't an office building, but a derelict one. What were they doing in there? She couldn't tell from outside since the windows revealed an empty hall-like room beyond the front door. For a few seconds, she just stared, her chest fluttering with fear. She couldn't leave like this. She had to know. So, with trembling hands, she tried the door.

It opened, and she found herself in front of a set of stairs. To her left and right were two large rooms devoid of any furniture, wiring hanging out of the ceiling. The only part of the building that was lit seemed to be the stairwell. It was eerily quiet.

Swallowing heavily, she made her way to the second floor, making sure her steps stayed as quiet as possible. Three more hall-like rooms filled this floor, one of which was lit. There was a rough wooden table inside it, filled with papers. She tiptoed over and noticed that they were plans for the building. It wasn't derelict like she'd thought, but under renovation.

She stepped back out, more confused than before, then made her way to the next floor. It was also empty and dark. Where was everyone? She looked up the stairwell.

An arm wrapped around her middle and a rough hand covered her mouth a second before she could let out a scream. It ended up muffled into his palm. Whoever it was shoved her forward, closer to the next set of stairs.

"Hey," the male voice called, making her eardrums ring. "We have an intruder."

Another man looked down over the banister. He had close cropped hair and deep lines around his mouth. A man. A real man, not a high school boy from a gang of bullies.

Millie tried to scream again, kicking her legs out, but she had no chance to escape. The man holding her was too large, and his grip only tightened. Tears streamed down her cheeks as her vision tunneled. What had she gotten herself into?

"Bring her up!" the other man ordered. "Let's see what we have there."

She tried to fight it, but there was no point. Her captor was much stronger than she could ever be, and she was nauseous from the fear. Tears kept sliding down her cheeks as she wailed and sobbed into the hand silencing her.

"It's just a girl!" the man on the landing said once they reached the next floor.

"A little feisty, this one," her captor mumbled.

"Nah, she's scared and crying. I think you should loosen your hold. She looks ready to pass out."

Maybe it would be better to pass out, but she was terrified what they might do to her. There were so many awful possibilities out of which killing her wasn't even the worst one.

"What's going on out here?"

A new voice joined the fray, one very familiar. Nicholas Harking poked his head out from the landing of the next floor, his dark eyebrows scrunched in disapproval.

"We have an intruder, Baron," the man holding her said.

"An intruder?" Harkin sounded doubtful. "Brin her up here."

Could this be better? Would he let her go? Would he even recognize her? She wasn't even sure if she wanted him to or not. But the minutes seemed to fly by with the speed of light, and in no time at all, she found herself facing him.

For a few seconds, he just looked annoyed, and she had hope, but then he grinned.

"I know you. A bit far from your paints, aren't you my dear?"

"You know her, boss?" The man holding her loosened his grip.

"Oh, no, hold her. We're not exactly friends. But you can take your hand off her mouth. There's no one who can hear her scream anyway."

His words sent coiling snakes into Millie's stomach, and the moment her mouth was free, all she could do was whimper. She'd never considered Harkin had this much influence, a real gang of men at his disposal.

"You owe me a lot of money," Harkin said as if they were having a nice chat about the weather. "You're very behind on your payments."

She wanted to yell at him to go to hell, to let her go, to threaten him that Davyn would find him and beat him up again, but even through her haze of terror, she knew that taunting him while she was defenseless was a very bad idea.

"Now tell me," Harkin continued. "Why are you here, snooping around? Do you want to pay me back?"

She shook her head. He didn't seem convinced because he moved closer and patted her pockets. He ended up touching her butt, her pelvis, and she couldn't help but scream.

He only laughed, patting her more, extending his search to areas in which he obviously didn't have pockets. "Come on, you must be here for something. What do you want? Don't make me have to decide for you."

Her scream died into a sob. She had nothing. No lie, no idea what to say to get out of this. She'd been a fool to come here alone.

"Baron," another man called from above, and Harkin finally stepped back and took his hands off her. "The boss wants to see you."

The words made her shudder even more. The boss? She knew what that meant, but she couldn't believe it could be true, that she'd been as thoughtless as to enter Snitch Gravel's lair.

"Tell him I'll be right up," Harkin called back.

The new man, another grown-up, shook his head. "He wants to see her, too."

Something inside her seemed to break. "Oh no, please," she breathed. "I'll leave. I won't say a word about this. I'll--"

"Save your breath," Harkin mumbled. "It doesn't work that way." And he jerked his head towards the stairs.

She tried to plan her heels and prevent going any further, but she was powerless against the man holding her. Tears blurred her vision, and her nose was clogged, making breathing difficult. The next floor actually had a door, and it was the only thing she saw before the man holding her pushed her head down, forcing her to stare at her own feet.

New light flooded the stairwell as Harkin entered the office first. Then, she was thrown forward. She barely managed to reach her hands out before she hit the floor. The impact still knocked the air out of her, but at least she'd avoided hitting her face.

When she raised her eyes, all she could see was a dark wooden desk.

"I don't think there's any point for you to waste your time with this, boss," Harkin said. "I had it covered."

Millie's heart started beating so fast, it made her dizzy.

"With all that noise, it didn't appear like you did," replied a cold voice.

A very familiar voice.

Her blood froze in her veins.

"Get up," Snitch Gravel ordered.

His commanding tone had her raising to her knees, the pulse drumming in her ears. She was imagining it. It couldn't be. There was no way.

But as her eyes cleared the surface of the desk, the world seemed to stop.

Davyn fixed her with the coldest gaze she'd ever seen.

End of part III

Well, Millie, that's what happens when you start poking around. You find things.

This took a dramatic turn. And someone is in trouble. Just in time for the dramatic ending of part III.

Next up... How will Millie get out of this one? Stick around to find out. And don't forget to vote and comment for support.