The Predators and the Prey Chapter 1

My husband planned to throw me to the lions in Africa so he could swallow my $20 million fortune whole.

But he never expected that the lions wouldn't eat me—they actually let me pet their heads!

What broke him even more was that the cannibal tribe complained my makeup made me taste "toxic" and refused to eat me, setting their sights on his "premium marbling" instead!

In this meticulously planned "black widow" scheme, who is the real prey?

* * *

That day, my husband, Liam, and I were vacationing up in the rural Midwest when we got separated.

He was holding my purse, which had my phone in it. I'm clumsy, easily scared, terrible with directions, have bad eyesight, and tend to speak without thinking.

Someone like me without a phone might as well be completely helpless.

Liam was practically crying with panic, terrified that I had been kidnapped by human traffickers and would spend the rest of my life trapped in some remote mountain holler.

He looked for me for hours and almost called the cops.

Right then, he got a call from an unknown number. A gruff voice asked, "Hey buddy, is your wife named Chloe Vance?"

Liam was overjoyed and quickly said yes.

The next sentence sent chills down his spine.

"She's with me right now. You better hurry."

Liam panicked and begged, "I'll give you whatever you want! Please, don't put her in a car without plates, don't take the backroads without cameras, and whatever you do, don't traffic her deep into the mountains where there's no cell service!"

The guy on the other end let out a hearty laugh. "Then you better hurry up, or it'll be too late."

What made him even more miserable was hearing me scream through the phone: "Liam! Where the hell are you?! Hurry up and come get me!"

Following the address provided, Liam sprinted over, only to see me surrounded by a group of burly men.

He cried, "Baby, are you okay?!"

I told him I was fine and that we needed to thank these nice guys.

I explained that I was terrified, so I quietly asked the guy next to me, "Excuse me, sir, could I borrow your phone to make a call?"

But I couldn't remember Liam's number. Fortunately, before we left, he made me memorize it just in case I got lost.

His number was easy: 555-0199-01XX. I just couldn't remember the last two digits.

The guys were incredibly helpful, dialing numbers one by one. Seeing this, the other guys joined in to help too.

Thank God we tried so many combinations, and we finally got the right one.

Liam wanted to treat the guys to dinner, but they said they had to hit the road and didn't have time.

We watched them drive away into the wind.

Afterward, I asked Liam if I was smart.

He smiled indulgently and said, "Baby, you are so smart. Do you want to go to Africa next month to see the big lions???"