Online Bait

Online Bait

Rachel’s life in quiet Willowbrook, Illinois, feels steady and safe. She has a loving relationship, a kind heart, and every reason to believe she understands the world around her. But behind the anonymity of the internet, Vince is searching for someone vulnerable enough to pull into his web.

When a chance online encounter connects them, Rachel’s sense of security begins to fracture. What starts as digital conversation soon becomes something far more dangerous, exposing the blurred line between trust and manipulation—and the hidden risks of letting a stranger too close.

Raven Wolf’s Online Bait is a gripping psychological thriller about obsession, vulnerability, and the real-life dangers that can hide behind a screen.

Read Online Bait today.

This book contains graphic violence and is intended for readers 18 and older.

Excerpt from the book

Willowbrook, Illinois, always seemed to be a quiet town. To the north, the distant sprawl of Chicago shimmered with restless energy, its skyline a jagged promise on the horizon. But here, on quiet streets lined with old maples and tidy lawns, life moved at a gentler pace. The air was thick with the scent of cut grass and the distant hum of lawnmowers. In the evenings, the sun dipped behind the silos and painted the sky in shades of peach and violet, as if the whole town was exhaling after another long day.

Rachel had lived here her whole life. She knew every shortcut through the back roads, every creak in the floorboards of her childhood home, and every neighbor by name. There was a comfort in the predictability of Willowbrook—a sense that nothing truly bad could happen in a place where everyone waved from their porches and the biggest local scandal was the time Mrs. Donnelly’s cat got stuck in the church bell tower.

Her house sat at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac, a modest ranch with blue shutters and a porch swing that creaked softly in the wind. Rachel loved the little things: the way the morning sunlight filtered through the kitchen window, the smell of fresh coffee, the sound of Dean’s laughter echoing down the hall.

Dean had moved in five years ago, bringing with him a battered guitar, a stack of vinyl records, and a smile that made Rachel’s heart skip. He played in a band—just local gigs and garage rehearsals—but he poured his soul into every note. Most nights, Rachel would curl up in a lawn chair outside the garage, toes tucked under a blanket, and listen as Dean and his friends filled the air with music. Sometimes neighbors wandered over, drawn by the sound, and the little driveway would become a makeshift concert hall. Dean’s fingers danced across the strings, eyes closed, lost in the music, and Rachel felt lucky just to be part of it all.

She loved to shop, too—nothing extravagant, just the thrill of finding a perfect sweater at the thrift store or a new mug for her ever-growing collection. Saturday mornings were her time: a stroll through the farmers’ market, a latte from the corner café, maybe a new book from the library’s used sale. She’d bring home fresh flowers or a loaf of bread, humming along to whatever tune Dean had been playing the night before.

Their life together was simple but full. Dean worked part-time at the music store, teaching lessons to kids and fixing up battered instruments. Rachel worked at the local library, shelving books and helping patrons find their next favorite read. In the evenings, they’d cook dinner together—Rachel chopping vegetables, Dean making a mess of the spices—and eat on the porch, watching the fireflies flicker in the yard.