Chapter 7 · Steal the Starlight - Chapter 7: Lights Out

"Pay up, Noelle, or we start taking fingers. I don't care if you're playing house with the Golden Girl now."

Two guys were blocking my front door. One was leaning against the frame, picking his teeth with a splinter of wood. The other, a slab of a man named Bax, had me pinned against the wall by my shoulder. He didn't just hold me; he crushed me, his palm smelling like cheap cigars and old sweat.

"I told you three weeks," I spat, trying to wrench my shoulder away. "The payout is coming. Get your hands off me."

"Three weeks is a long time in my world," Bax grunted. He leaned in, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous rasp. "The corp might be paying you to pretend to be a villain, but your debts are very real. You think Wren Starr is gonna pay your rent?"

I glared at him, my heart hammering against my ribs.