Binded In Coerce

CHAPTER 1 : AMELIA

The weather seems great today, the sun is finally starting to show after heavy rainfall for the past two days. I roll out of my bed and push open the windows, cold air hits my face and fills the room, cosiness escaping soon.
I glance over the empty bottle of wine, leaning against the headboard slat. I grab it from the other side of the bed and flip it over, my mouth wide open beneath it to catch a few drops left from last night. A few drops fall onto my tongue and I try to give the best to my taste buds regardless of the amount, the alcohol fading into my mouth.
I rest the bottle against my pillow, searching for my phone. Not that I have anything important but I'm sceptical, I threw it last night while alcohol took over my senses.

I flip my sheets in near desperation and It's nowhere to be found. My uncertainty starts to look true. I drop on my knees, carefully looking under my bed, just in case I did not actually mess up and it's just lost. My broke ass cannot afford a new phone right now. It's dark underneath and barely visible to find my cell.

A strident ring sends shivers down my spine, agitated, I jolt up  to realise it's my phone ringing under the bedside table. I hurry to grab it and see Mrs. Beth's name pop up on the screen.
Why is she calling this early, am I supposed to work for her at 7:am in the frickin' morning, not to mention it's Sunday. Mrs. Beth and I met at the bar I work at. She is among the few directors of a high society club. People like her in power share similar criminal records with a serial killer.I have been a great help for her scandalous deeds ever since. She knows I'm great at such things plus, she pays me well for every job. I inhale, drawing air into my lungs and hit the green button, picking up the call.
"Hi Mrs. Beth" I force a smile as if she can see me through my cell.
"Amelia, I have something urgent for you honey" sweetness coating her words as they slip out of her tongue. 

It's very well known that Beth would never consider me on her project unless it's last minute or something Sketchy. It has to be one of the two cases, unless I'm lucky today and she genuinely wants to give me a chance.
"Let's chat at my office" she says before even giving me an opportunity to refuse, not that I'd say 'no' to her but I still love to get freedom to choose.
She hung the call with some extra coated words. God forbid, I hate to even talk to her but till she pays me well, I don't mind working for her and doing some dangerous things. Who knows what I end up with today, a contract or maybe disappointment.
My job as a bar manager at City bar pays me bare minimum, just enough to manage my expenses.
Working for Beth does provide me with extra income, not to mention in the thousands. It gets me money and some thrill. What else does a person need. And the bar requires dealing with a lot of douchebags, the kind who don't tip well and want you to get on your knees for them. Not that, it's my part of the job but it's still a very shitty place to be in, considering my qualifications. If I get to work for Beth, I can make my way up to her event managing company or even get a job at her club.

The front door opens sensing my movement, the air conditioner inside the office causing a sudden shift in my body temperature. I glance at the reception desk, my stilettos clacking along the tiled floor as I approach the receptionist. A woman in her late 20's' greets me warmly and guides me through the aisle. Her feet rest in front of a wooden door with a nameplate on it. I barely manage to read it and enter the room. The room is as big as my bedroom, themed in dark blue, a Grey sofa sits at the corner and the desk is piled with loads of files almost covering the entire of it. The air is cold, almost chilling to the point where I need a warmer. The room even though designed flawlessly, looks uncomfortable to be in. The air conditioner  is near blasting, and here I was thinking the office temperature is too cold. Beth's room must be at least 10 degrees below the average office temperature. A peon walks serving us both iced water, I bet I'm going to regret every sip I'm taking right now when I wake up with a sore throat the next morning.  The Icey glass, numbing my fingers as I slowly swirl the water in my mouth till it's not icey cold before it goes down my throat but it still manages to leave a cold sensation on its way down.
I glance up at Beth, imitating a smile just like I did on the phone call. She is the fakest person I've ever met in my entire life or maybe her smile is just bad "You called me for some urgent work"
"Oh yeah, Amy my dear I am in great trouble" it doesn't sound convincing but I know that she is going to ask me for help. Her face is begging for it before she even says it and I love that she is desperately needing me. A smirk escapes, letting my true emotions reveal. I immediately corrected my face before she could get any hint. "I'm always there for you Mrs. Beth, what's the problem"
Her face tenses, drawing out lines on her forehead.
"A tax laundering proof against me is leaked and our club's database is hacked".
I knew Beth was up to something but this is something bigger than what I could possibly imagine her doing. She's one hell of a bitch but then, she lacks braincells. No wonder she gets into trouble so often.
"Do you know who did it"
" My team has traced the person behind all this, he is a member of royal society" my eyes widen at her response. "Our club has been suffering losses for the past year, and my ownership is at risk. Adrienne you have to help me". My lips seal shut thinking of the possible danger this could bring me. I swallow a lump in my throat
"Beth..." She cut me short, her eyes pleading me to say yes.
"Please Amelia sweetheart" My eyebrows quirk at her fakeness.
"I'll think of it" I decided not to agree to her request till...
"I will pay you whatever you want" She says fast enough for me to not deny her.
The air in the room is suddenly a lot thicker as compared to when I entered. Silence fills the room as none of us utter a single word for the next two minutes.
Beth looks at me with near anticipation, her feet tapping from stress.
I need money, but then is it worth messing with someone that holds power. A pit forms in my stomach, leaving acidic feeling up my throat.
"Twenty thousand dollars"
Beth smiles little at my words
"Done baby" a sigh leaves her mouth.
I definitely could have asked her for a higher price and she would have paid me. I regret agreeing at twenty but then, it's not a bad deal.
"What do I have to do" I ask in suspicion.
"You have to stalk and provide me with information regarding this person"
"Who is it?" God forbid if it's a mafia or some crazy shit. I'm not risking my life for her pennies.
"We could only trace down this address and its allegedly owned by this person"  excitement gleams through her eyes as she discusses her only proof.
"Could u not even get his name"
"He is a powerful person Adrienne, no one dares to tell who this resident place belongs to. Every single person I tried to get his information from refused"
The red sirens ring through my head, but my greedy ass ignores it.
It's better losing money than life gurl
I don't think this job is really my cup of tea, but it's hard to say 'no' to Beth.
"Tomorrow morning, you just have to get us pictures of who exactly resides at this address" she hands me a small piece of paper discreetly.
I have to now stalk some random dude, get his pictures without him knowing. What the actual shit am I ending up in.

                                     
My heart and head are at a war with each other, last night was one of the worst nights I've ever spent thinking. My head is hurting so bad from my sleep depriven last night. I just don't know how I ended up in this contract, everything seems fucked up. If only I was not that greedy over a few thousand dollars, my life won't be at an edge.
I am standing at the address Beth gave me.
The address is a remote countryside area, the only reason I was able to reach this place is that it's close to the bar I work at, yet I haven't seen this area once. The house is surrounded by wild bushes and trees, hyacinth flowers and some grape vines. The garden followed by the front porch is covered in sunflowers and daffodils. The house looks like a 90s architectural masterpiece. Its design, patterns on walls, and overall built screams abundance. No wonder it belongs to one of the richest men in the town but I wonder who.

I stand tip-toed on a huge, at least two foot tall crooked stone, leaning against the garden fence trying to get a good view.  Thanks to my god-gifted genetics for blessing me with such a good height also, this fence is so damn tall. Who even builds a garden fence this tall.
The house is so mundane it feels like a 95 year old man lives at this place. This house smells suspicious or maybe it's just my brain playing tricks on me. Whatever the case is, I just don't feel safe.
Just run
My instincts cuss at me for not listening to them and I ignore them again.
Just when I think it's time for me to browse around the place and gather some additional information...
The still door I had my eyes glued on, flung open.
The shift in air is crazy, the trees are now silent, no insect dared make a sound.

My instincts finally kick in and I decide to hide as quickly as I can, from this spot I'm really vulnerable. I stumbled my way down, tripped and toppled within a fraction a second.
I scream in pain as my back hits the hard concrete floor and my head bumps into another pointy stone.
Fuck.shit. I'm gonna die