Chapter 2

Evaria

They dragged me across the floor after snapping cuffs on my wrists as I fought through the haze of the slap.

I screamed, or at least I tried to, but the sound was suspended in my throat as they hoisted me up and tossed me into the backseat of a black SUV.

Through the tinted windows of the car, I saw the reflections of our neighbors. Mrs. Gable stood by her porch, her hand over her mouth, just watching. Nobody stepped forward. Nobody called for help.

Before I could drag myself toward the opposite door in resistance, another guard entered, and the door slammed shut. I was now between two strange abductors.

The engine roared to life, and the heavy vehicle peeled away from the curb. I was shoved into the middle of the leather seat, flanked by two towering suits, while another two sat in the front.

“Who is Kane? Where are you taking me?” I gasped, my voice shaking even though I tried to hold myself together and act brave. “Stop this car! This is illegal! You can't do this!”

“Shut your mouth,” the driver barked, not even glancing at the rearview mirror.

“Help! Someone help me!” I shrieked, throwing my weight against the guard to my left. “Somebody he—”

Before I could scream a second time, a thick strip of packing tape was slapped across my mouth. Then a blindfold was yanked over my eyes, tied at the back of my head.

I was completely blind, muted, and trapped between two walls of muscle. I thrashed, kicking the backs of the front seats, crying hot, angry tears beneath the fabric until my limbs grew heavy.

Finally, after God knows how long, the SUV came to a stop.

The doors flew open, and rough hands hauled me out of the car. The blindfold was ripped from my face.

I blinked, my eyes adjusting to the light. Looking up, my breath caught.

Right in front of me was a towering fortress of a building. A fucking massive estate surrounded by towering woods. It was the kind of mansion I had only ever seen in magazines or movies.

But the men didn't give me time to process it.

They marched me through a cold hallway that screamed money until they threw me into a white room.

I crumpled onto the polished floor, my hands cuffed in front of me.

Every breath I took was muffled, the thick adhesive on my lips tearing at my skin.

I sat there, staring at the floor, unable to comprehend how my life had shattered in the span of a supposed happy dinner.

Suddenly...

“…yes coach. Yeah I know. I will be there in four hours,” a deep voice echoed from the doorway. “Yes. Four hours. Yes coach. Thank you. Bye.”

Then I heard heavy footsteps crossing the room, and a massive shadow fell over me.

I raised my head, my eyes widening as the man took a seat in a leather armchair directly across from me.

My heart stopped.

It couldn't be.

Sharp jawline. Piercing eyes. The broad, punishing shoulders of an elite athlete.

Ryker… Kane?

I was certain… this was… it was him. The famous Blackcrest Titans hockey captain. A national superstar. Don't get me wrong, I was not a fan. But… he was everywhere. Everybody knew him by default. He was practically shoved into our faces every day. From magazines to ads and all. But then that's not even it. Like… What was he…?

He didn't look at me at first. He kept his gaze fixed on the phone in his hands.

“Take that shit out of her mouth,” Ryker commanded.

The guard behind me didn't hesitate. He grabbed the edge of the tape and ripped it off in one motion.

“Ouch!”

A sharp cry of pain escaped me as the skin around my lips burned like fire.

“Did he sign?” Ryker asked, his voice devoid of emotion.

“Yes, Master Kane,” the guard answered, handing over the folder. “Confirmed.”

Wait.

The words of the man who had slapped me rang right there in my head.

“She belongs to Master Kane now.”

It clicked.

The same Kane that they—

Was this—

“You,” I choked out before I could even acknowledge it.

Ryker’s gaze finally shifted from the paperwork, landing on me. It felt like being pinned to a wall.

I let out a harsh, disbelieving laugh.

“Ryker Kane. The golden boy. The famous hockey star. So this is what you guys do behind closed doors? Kidnapping innocent women? Holding them hostage while you act like saints in the public eye?”

He didn't say a word. He just leaned back, watching me with detachment.

I took his silence as a dare, even though my heart was beating with fear and uncertainty.

“You know what?” I asked, looking around. “I... I really don't blame you. I... I blame the coward I got married to. I don't know what kind of debt he owes you, or... or what he did with your money that made you think you could just snatch someone out of their home whenever you like. Still, if you had an ounce of decency, you'd know you need to go after the person who actually owes you, not his wife!” I spat, anger flaring in my chest.

Ryker tilted his head, his eyes narrowed.

“I had no idea Logan was in debt,” I continued, my voice rising as I struggled to my feet, holding my cuffed wrists out. “I didn't know anything! Keeping me here like a common criminal is beneath someone with your reputation. You have a brand to protect, don't you? Tell your men to put me back in the car. Drop me off exactly where they found me. I promise you, I will let this go. I will forget this illegal nightmare ever happened.”

Silence stretched for a few seconds.

Then...

Ryker let out a low sound that was dangerously close to a smirk.

“Debt?” he murmured, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. “You think you're here because of a debt?”

“This!” I snapped, shaking my tied wrists in his face. “This makes me think I'm here for a debt! It's the only logical explanation for this inhumane act. I saw Logan sign your document. He traded his debt to you.”

Ryker’s smirk widened.

“How much do you think your pathetic husband could possibly owe me to make you a valuable trade to my bank account?”

I paused, the sheer arrogance of his words sending a chill straight down my spine.

Before I could even find my tongue, Ryker tossed the folder. It landed with a heavy thud right at my feet, flying open.

“Look,” he said.

My eyes darted down to the stark white page. The bold headline at the top of the contract practically screamed at me.

My blood ran cold.

BILL OF SALE.

It wasn't a debt settlement.

“Your husband sold you to me,” Ryker said, his voice slicing through the silence of the room. “Sold. I bought you. I own you. Legally.”

At this point, my hands began to tremble. My eyes flew to the bottom of the page, recognizing the jagged, frantic signature.

Logan.

I knew it wasn't fake. He had signed it right in front of me. I saw it.

“No,” I whispered, my chest heaving.

“No, this is fake. This...” I laughed, a sad sound of disbelief. “This is a sick joke. It can't... Logan is my husband! He's not my father. He doesn't own me! He doesn't have the right to!”

“The law says yes,” Ryker said, leaning back.

He wasn't budging. This shit was becoming more serious than I imagined. I lost my mind.

“You will let me go!” I screamed, lunging forward, completely forgetting that my hands were tied. “You cannot lock me here! I am not property! I am not a fucking market good!”

I tried to tear past the guards, my eyes locked on Ryker's face, wanting nothing more than to scratch the cold arrogance right off his perfect skin.

The two guards slammed their arms around my waist, dragging me backward.

I struggled like a wild animal, my cuffed wrists twisting against the silver cuffs.

Ryker didn't move an inch. He just stared at my struggling form with a look of cold patience. It was the look you gave a rabid dog—pity mixed with mild irritation.

His eyes briefly dropped to my scraping, bleeding wrists.

“Careful with her wrists,” Ryker said, his voice cutting through my screams.

The guards paused.

“I paid for her intact.”

“You bastard!” I roared, kicking as the guards lifted me completely off my feet.

“Remove the bindings once she's locked in,” Ryker added, turning his back on me as if I were nothing more than a minor scheduling inconvenience. “We will talk when she's ready to listen.”

“Let me go! This is illegal! You can't keep me here! Fucking let me go!”

My throat burned from screaming, but they dragged me out of the room and deeper into the mansion.

They unlocked an iron door and threw me inside. I hit the floor hard, sliding across the cement.

Before I could even scramble up, one of the guards knelt.

“Stay still!” he commanded.

And in one motion, he uncuffed my wrists and bolted back out.

The door slammed shut.

The deadbolt clicked into place.

I scrambled to my feet, rushing the door. I threw my weight against it, banging my hands against the cold metal.

“Open the door! Let me out! Please! Let me out!”

But only silence answered.

I turned around slowly, my eyes taking in my new reality.

This was a dark, isolated basement room. No windows. No luxury. Just a single metal bed tucked by the side.

This was a place that shouldn't even exist in a mansion like this.

And somehow...

I was here.

In it.

Finally, the horror of the truth came in waves, washing through me.

Logan.

My childhood best friend. My protector. The man who held me when my parents died. The only person who was there and had always been for me.

The man whom I looked at and thought... he's my everything.

He had sold me like a piece of meat to a monster?

My knees gave out, and I fell onto the cement, a sob ripping from my chest.

No sound even came out of my mouth at first—just a choked gasp as the tears finally fell free from my eyes, blurring the terrifying darkness of my prison.