Slade kept a hand on her hip, his grip possessive but watchful. He smiled too easily, as if parading her were a victory he could savour forever. But Mia’s eyes never stopped scanning the room, searching. Always searching. She learned quickly that survival wasn’t just about obeying. It was about watching. Listening. Waiting. The crowd surged around them, unaware of the war raging in her heart. Mia forced herself to move with the music, slow and deliberate, a marionette dancing to Slade’s cruel tune. The fabric of the dress clung to her skin, translucent enough to make her feel exposed to every predator’s eye in the room but she didn’t flinch or even care. Not anymore. Her wrists were sore from the delicate chains Slade insisted on for show. The electric collar around her neck was cold, a constant reminder of the cage she was trapped in. Slade’s voice was a constant murmur at her ear, smooth and poisonous. “Play your part, Mia. They’ll pay to watch you. They’ll pay to touch you—exce
They had only met a few days ago. Preparing for the auction had thrown them together, fast and messy. Mitch is a six-foot-four, broad-shouldered, dark hair falling just perfectly, Italian blood running through his veins god. And Lauren, tall, blonde, similar to a model. Sleek and sexy, every inch the soldier and the sister Mia trusted. Flirting had been subtle. A glance here. A smirk there. Words loaded with double meaning and sexual tension. But time? There wasn’t time. Not really. Not until now. Back at the safehouse, the war room had been suffocating. The weight of failure pressed on her chest like iron. Mia was out there, somewhere, captured, broken, and Slade was toying with them all. Axel was a mess, Daniel fighting for his life, and the city wasn’t safe for any of them anymore, not yet anyway. Lauren needed release. Needed a moment to breathe. And Mitch? Mitch was the only one who could give her that. They found each other in the kitchen. It was late, the house quiet
Pain bloomed at the back of his skull like a grenade. Then the darkness peeled back. “Axel. Axel—wake the hell up.” Lauren’s voice. Sharp. Panicked. Her hands gripped his collar, shaking him hard enough to make his teeth rattle. Axel groaned and tried to sit, but the pounding in his head dropped him back onto the floor. Blood dripped warm down the side of his temple. “Fuck,” he rasped. “Mia—where’s Mia?” Lauren’s face tightened. “Slade taken her.” The words sliced through his chest. “She was dragged off stage. Slade’s team overwhelmed us—three of ours down, Daniel’s not breathing.” Her voice cracked. “Mitch is en route. He’s clearing a path now. You need to move.” Axel staggered to his feet, ignoring the wave of nausea that hit him. His ears rang. The last thing he remembered was seeing Daniel’s blood hit the floor. Mia screaming his name. It hadn’t just gone wrong. It had imploded. Lauren shoved a sidearm into his palm. “We don’t have time to stop. Move.” They burst open th
The cold hit her first. The damp and hard concrete crumbled against her back. Metal bit at her wrists and her concussion beginning to clear. Air that stank of mold, piss, and despair surrounded her. Mia’s eyes fluttered open, pupils struggling against the weak, flickering light overhead. Pain throbbed behind her eyes. Her throat was dry, raw, like she’d been screaming. Her body ached in places she didn’t want to name. She tried to sit up, groaning. The collar was still there, a harsh cold metal ring cinched around her neck like a leash for a dog. Memory returned like a knife to her chest as she bit back a sob. The auction, the stage. Slade’s voice booming, his evil laughter. That spotlight that showed everyone in the room how valuable she was to Slade.And then…Axel—crumpling to the ground. Daniel—his blood spilling as he reached for her. Mia shot up, gasping as she relived the memory again in vivid detail. “Axel—Daniel—!” “Shh!” a voice whispered sharply. “Be quiet, you’ll get
She looked like fire and vengeance wrapped in molten silver. From the security feed, Daniel could see every calculated step Mia took down that marbled hallway. Her dress shimmered like liquid, hugging every line of her body. Her hair bounced in soft waves, makeup sharp and seductive but it wasn’t for them. It was armour to face Slade with. And God help anyone who tried to break her tonight. She was ready to end this. Still, it didn’t stop the tight, coiled fear in his gut as he watched on the mini comms cam, she moved deeper and deeper into Slade’s compound. Every part of him wanted to rip her out of that hellhole and lock her away somewhere safe. But this was her choice. Her war. He just had to make sure she lived through it. Axel’s voice crackled through the comms. “Mia, keep your pace steady. You’re being watched from the northeast hall. Two guards. You’re okay. Lauren just confirmed you’re clean through the scanner.” “I’ve got eyes on her too,” Daniel said, his voice lo
She’d looked like a fucking goddess walking out of the dressing room that morning. A vision in silver. Sharp, stunning, dangerous. But all Axel could see was the risk. The way her hands trembled before she slipped on the heels. The way Daniel went silent. The way the air changed when she walked into the war room. Now, she was deep inside Slade’s compound, and every second she was out of sight made Axel’s pulse tick higher. He stood over the tactical table in the van, headset jammed in his ear, watching Mia’s location blink steadily across the digital map. “Northwest camera’s just looped,” Lauren said from the front. “You’re good, Mia. But eyes on you from the northeast hallway—two guards.” Axel’s voice stayed level, even as his gut twisted. “Mia, keep your pace steady. You’re being watched from the northeast hall. Two guards. You’re okay. Lauren just confirmed you’re clean through the scanner.” “I’ve got eyes on her too,” Daniel’s voice crackled in over the comms. Calm. Grounding