The Contracted Stripper

Ryan, Luca, and Ivy spent the next few hours formulating a plan. They knew they couldn’t go to the police Victor had connections everywhere.

They needed to handle this themselves.”I’ll make the exchange,” Ryan said.

“But we need a backup plan in case things go wrong.”

“I’ll follow from a distance,” Luca suggested. “If anything goes south, I’ll be there to help.”

“And I’ll keep digging for more information on Victor,” Ivy added. “We need to know what we’re up against.”Ryan nodded.Please check at N/ôvel(D)rama.Org.

“Alright. Let’s do this.”

The following evening, Ryan stood in a deserted warehouse, the documents in a briefcase by his side.

His heart pounded in his chest as he waited. Luca was hidden nearby, ready to intervene if necessary.

A car pulled up, and a man stepped out. He was tall, with a scar running down his left cheek. “Mr. Kendrick, I presume?” the man said, his voice cold.

“Yes. Do you have Iris and her mother?” Ryan asked, trying to keep his voice steady.

The man smirked. “They’re safe, for now. Do you have the documents?”Ryan lifted the briefcase. “They’re all here.”

“Good. Hand them over,” the man demanded.

Ryan hesitated, glancing around. He didn’t see Luca, but he trusted his friend was close.

He stepped forward and handed the briefcase to the man.

As the man opened it to check the contents, a loud bang echoed through the warehouse.

Ryan turned to see Luca rushing towards him, gun drawn.”Drop it!” Luca shouted.

The man smirked and reached into his jacket. Before Ryan could react, the man pulled out a gun and fired.

Ryan felt a searing pain in his side as he dropped to the ground.

Ryan lay on the cold concrete, gasping for breath. He could hear Luca shouting, but his vision blurred. He fought to stay conscious, but the pain was overwhelming.

“Iris” he whispered, his voice barely audible.

Luca reached Ryan’s side, pressing his hands to the wound to stop the bleeding. “Stay with me, Ryan. You’re going to be okay,” Luca said, his voice strained with panic.

Ryan’s vision darkened, and the last thing he saw was the man’s cold, calculating eyes before everything went black.

Back at the house, Ivy paced nervously. She hadn’t heard from Ryan or Luca since they left for the exchange.

Her phone buzzed, and she grabbed it quickly.”It’s Luca. Ryan’s been shot. We’re at the hospital,” Luca’s voice came through the line, filled with urgency.

Ivy’s heart dropped. “I’ll be there as soon as I can,” she said, hanging up and rushing out the door.

At the hospital, Ivy found Luca in the waiting room, covered in blood. “How is he?” she asked, her voice trembling.

Luca shook his head. “It’s bad, Ivy. They’re doing everything they can.”Ivy felt a surge of anger and determination. “We need to find Victor. He’s behind this. We can’t let him get away with it.”Luca nodded. “I know. But right now, we need to focus on Ryan. We’ll get Victor, I promise.

Ryan lay unconscious in the hospital bed, the sterile smell of antiseptic filling the room.

Ivy stood beside him, her hands trembling as she dialed her parents’ numbers.

“Mom, Dad, it’s Ivy. Ryan’s been shot. We’re at the Hospital,” she said, her voice breaking.

Within moments, Mr. and Mrs. Kendrick rushed into the hospital, their faces pale with worry.

Mrs. Rose’s eyes blazed with fury as she approached Ivy.

“Who did this to my son? What happened?” Mrs. Rose demanded, her voice trembling with anger.

Ivy swallowed hard. “He was trying to find Iris. We were ambushed. I… I didn’t see who shot him.”

Mrs. Rose’s eyes widened with rage. “What were you both thinking? He could have been killed!” she yelled.

Ivy flinched, tears streaming down her face. “I’m sorry, Mom. We just wanted to find Iris.”

Mrs. Rose shook her head and stormed off to find Dr. Parker.

She barged into his office, slamming the door behind her.”What happened to our son? How is he? Is he going to make it?” she demanded, tears streaming down her face.

Dr. Parker stood up, moving to comfort her. “Calm down, honey. I’ve done everything I can. He’s out of immediate danger, but he needs time to recover.

The bullet didn’t do too much harm.”Mrs. Rose sobbed into his chest as he hugged her Passionately, kissing her head. “I told him to stop, but he wouldn’t listen,” she whispered.

There was a knock at the door. They quickly separated, and Mrs. Rose sat down, wiping her tears.

“Come in,” Dr. Parker called. Mr. Kendrick entered, his face etched with concern. “Parker, how’s my son’s condition?”

“He’s out of danger and just needs to recover now,” Dr. Parker replied.”Oh, thank you, Parker. Thank you very much,” Mr. Kendrick said, relief flooding his face.

“Honey,” he called to his wife, “don’t cry. Ryan will be fine. You heard what Dr. Parker said.”Mrs. Rose nodded, still trembling. “I’m just scared, Honey. Ryan never listens.

“Mr. Kendrick sighed. “He’s a man, Rose, and men always do what they think is right.”

Mrs. Rose stood up. “I’m going to Ryan’s room,” she said and left.

As Luca and Ivy waited for news, a man approached them.

He was tall, with a commanding presence and a skull tattoo on his right arm. “I heard you were looking for Victor,” he said, his voice deep and husky.

Ivy and Luca exchanged wary glances. “Who are you?” Ivy asked.

“Name’s Alex. I have some information that might help you,” he said, his eyes intense.

Ivy studied him for a moment before nodding. “Alright, Alex. What do you know?”Alex glanced around to make sure no one was listening. “Victor’s not working alone. He’s part of a larger network. But I can help you find him.”Luca crossed his arms. “And why would you help us?”Alex smirked.

“Let’s just say I have my reasons. And I don’t like Victor.”Ivy felt a glimmer of hope. “Okay, Alex. We’ll work together. But no double-crossing. We need to find Victor and get Ryan out of this mess.”Alex nodded.

“Agreed. I’ll be in touch.”

As Alex walked away, Ivy turned to Luca. “Do you think we can trust him?”Luca sighed. “I don’t know. But we don’t have many options right now.”

Just then, a doctor approached them. “Mr. Kendrick’s surgery was successful, but he’s in critical condition. It’s going to be a tough recovery.”Ivy felt tears welling up in her eyes. “Can we see him?”The doctor nodded. “Briefly. He’s still unconscious.”Ivy and Luca followed the doctor to Ryan’s room.

Seeing him lying there, hooked up to machines, making Ivy’s heartache. She took his hand, squeezing it gently.”We’re going to get you out of this, Ryan. I promise,” she whispered.

As she stood by his side, her phone buzzed with a message. It was from an unknown number. She opened it, her eyes widening as she read the words:

“You think you can stop me? Think again. “Ivy’s blood ran cold. She knew this was far from over. But she was more determined than ever to bring down whoever was involved and save her family.

Mr. Kendrick turned to Dr. Parker. “Are there any complications I should know of?”

Dr. Parker shook his head. “No, not at all. He just needs to recover now.”

As they left the office, Mr. Kendrick spoke. “Your hospital needs more equipment and renovations, don’t you think, Parker?”

“Well, I’m working towards that,” Dr. Parker replied.”That’s good. I’m going to send you a cheque to cover all the expenses,” Mr. Kendrick said.

“No, friend. You have done more than enough. Trust me, I can handle it,” Dr. Parker protested.”You can’t say no to your best friend, can you?” Mr. Kendrick asked.

Dr. Parker sighed in surrender. “Alright, if you insist.”

“Yes, I insist. You have been a good friend to me and my family,” Mr. Kendrick said, patting Dr. Parker on the back.

Mrs. Rose excused herself and got into her car.

She dialed a number, locking the doors and rolling up the windows.

“Hello, are you okay?” she hissed into the phone.”Are you mad? Was that the plan? Why did you shoot my son? You didn’t? Then who did? Really? We both agreed. Don’t fuck with me! I’ve kept my part, trying to get them together. Don’t drag my family into this. I won’t warn you again,” she said before hanging up.

“Fuck!” she screamed, flinging her phone and placing her head on the steering wheel in frustration. Suddenly, there was a knock on her car window.

“Fuck,” she muttered, quickly composing herself. She rolled down the window to see Dr. Parker and her husband standing there.” Rose, are you okay?” he asked, concern etched on his face.

She forced a smile. “Yes, just a bit overwhelmed. How’s Ryan?”

“He’s stable. You can go see him now,” Dr. Parker said, his eyes searching hers.”Thank you,” she whispered, stepping out of the car.