30. Blackmailing Darren

Cara smirked. "Oh, come on, is that how you greet people now? First thing out of your mouth is, 'What do you want?'"

"This is exactly how I talk to people who've got my balls in a vice. Now cut to the chase, what the hell do you want?" Darren shot back, his tone sharp but his voice low.

Cara's gaze flicked to Darren's wife, who stood watching from the porch. "Wow, your wife is gorgeous. You know she could do so much better than you, right?" Cara said, her smile widening mischievously.

"Please, just get to the point," Darren snapped, avoiding eye contact. "But heads up, I don't have ten grand in my account, if that's what this is about."

Cara let out a soft chuckle, hearing the lie clear as day in his thoughts. "So, you've been talking to Bernie, I see. Well, relax, I'm not here for money, so you can stop lying about the money in your bank account." She took a step closer, her voice dropping just slightly.

Darren blinked, relief flickering across his face, though he wondered how she knew he was lying about the money in his bank account. "So, what do you want, then?"

Cara reached into her black handbag and pulled out a zip-lock bag. Inside was a bloodied piece of paper towel. She handed it to Darren.

He frowned, holding it gingerly. "What is this?"

"You work in a lab, don't you?" Cara asked casually.

"Yes, but how—wait, hang on. Are you asking me to analyze this?" Darren asked, his voice tinged with alarm.

Cara nodded. "Exactly. I need you to tell me what kind of creature this blood belongs to and if possible, who it belongs to."

Darren shook his head, already panicking. "I can't do that."

"Why not?" Cara asked, her tone sharp.

"This isn't something I can just walk into the lab with. It's a government facility, we need proper authorization, paperwork, the whole nine yards. It's not as simple as you think. There's a process for this kind of thing, and I can't bypass it," Darren explained, his voice rising with every word.

Cara read his thoughts and quickly realized he was telling the truth. But beneath his reluctance, his thoughts confirmed it, he could find a way around the system, but he'd need the right motivation.

Her voice dropped to a lethal whisper. "You'll do it. And you'll have it done in two days."

"I can't—" Darren started, but Cara cut him off.

"Oh, you absolutely can. If you can find time to screw corpses in the morgue, I'm 100% sure you can handle this little task for me. And if, for some reason, you don't?" Cara smiled sweetly, but her tone turned icy. "I'll make sure your beautiful wife, who's walking over here right now, finds out about your... necrophilia activities. Not just her, everyone you know. When I'm done with you, Darren, you'll be a pariah in this town."

Darren's face went pale. He looked like he wanted to crawl under a rock. "Fine," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "But I'll need three days, not two. Please."

Cara tilted her head, considering. "Three days, then. But if I don't have what I want by then, you know what'll happen."

Darren hid the Zip-lock bag in his pocket before his wife reached them, her brows furrowed in concern. "Dary, what's going on here?"

Darren straightened up, forcing a strained smile. "Oh, nothing, honey. Just chatting."

Cara turned her attention to Sharon, reading her thoughts instantly. Who is this pretty young woman, and why is she talking to my husband?

'Oh my, she is threatened by me.'

[Well, she shouldn't be. You are not a corpse.]

'Damn! Hagrit. You are savage.'

Outwardly, she smiled warmly. "Ma'am, your husband isn't entirely honest with you," Cara said, watching Sharon's expression shift to mild alarm.

"And why is that?" Sharon asked, her tone edging toward agitation.

"First, let me introduce myself. My name is Cara Bolton. Your husband brought me home two nights ago when I was delirious and stranded, not knowing my left from my right."

"Oh! You're the girl who came back to life?" Sharon's eyes widened with recognition.

Cara nodded. "Yes, that's me. Your husband was kind enough to help me get home. You see, I lost my memories, so I'm a bit of a mystery to myself."

Sharon's expression softened. "Aww, my Dary is such a good man. My name is Sharon, by the way." She extended her hand for a handshake.

Cara's smile tightened as she shook her hand. If only you knew the scum you married, she thought

"Yes, Sharon, he's my hero," Cara said, throwing Darren a pointed look that made him visibly cringe.

Sharon leaned in and kissed Darren, who stiffened under her touch. Cara had seen enough. "Well, have a lovely day," she said, stepping back. "I need to get to work now."

"Okay, see you around, Cara," Sharon said, waving as Cara turned and walked away.

Kyle was leaning against his car, waiting impatiently. "What took you so long?" he asked as Cara approached.

She waved him off. "I'm here now. Let's go," she said, dodging the question and sliding into the passenger seat.

Kyle shook his head, muttering under his breath as he got behind the wheel. As they drove off, Cara allowed herself a brief smile.

[So, can I show you your status now?]

'Why do you sound like you asked before and I refused to see it?'

[Well, I wanted to show it to you last night after your session with Ashley, but you said, "good night, Hagrit"]

'Oh, I remember, but you could have told me anytime this morning? You know what, there's no need 'splitting hairs' over this, just show me my status.'

[First off you earned 1000 points last night for giving and receiving pleasure. And this morning you got another 200 for exploiting Darren. And you got 10 Attribute Points]

[Hence this is your status.]

[Sylvester Lancaster AKA Cara Bolton]

[Level 1 (2900/5000)]

[Points: 2900]

[Attribute Points: 60]

[Skills: Charm, Fire-Blast, Combat and Former reflexes]

'Combat skills and former reflexes? Hmm, does this mean I am capable of kicking anyone's ass now?'

[No, not really. Whatever Combat skills you had in your former life have been multiplied and your former reflexes, like driving and computer skills, are going to be sharper and stronger now.]

'Man! I look forward to using this very soon. Especially on those Scott brothers.'

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