I drifted in and out of consciousness as sirens wailed in the distance. When I finally woke again, night had fully fallen and the alley was empty aside from trash blowing on the pavement. My entire body screamed in agony with each shallow breath.‘Did they throw me out, thinking I was dead?’ I thought to myself. Although I felt helpless, I wasn’t sure if I was to be thankful for being alive.Summoning what little strength I had left, I fumbled for my phone with numb fingers. But it was long gone, confiscated by Alessandro when I’d been captured. I was utterly alone, with no way to contact Kian for help.Tears welled up at the hopelessness of the situation. After everything I’d endured, it seemed I’d still come up short. As darkness closed in again, I sagged back against the rough brick wall in defeat.But survival instinct drove me on. I gingerly probed my wounds in the dim light, relieved to find no internal bleeding. My ribs were badly bruised but not outright broken. With immense e
The line crackled with static before her trembling voice filtered through. “Kian…it’s me. I’m alive, but in danger. Please help…”My blood chilled at her words. Isadora was alive, though from the sound of it, barely. After all the chaos with Alessandro’s takedown, I’d assumed the worst when she never resurfaced. Hearing her voice sent a surprising wave of relief through me.I immediately ran a trace on the call, pinpointing her location to a remote farmhouse on the outskirts of the city. So that’s where my feisty little hellcat had been laying low all this time.Wasting no time, I assembled a small team of my most trusted men and we sped through the night towards the coordinates. By the time we arrived in the dusty hamlet, the first light of dawn was bleeding over the horizon.The decrepit farmhouse stood alone amid fields of olive groves. My team fanned out, securing a perimeter while I approached the weathered front door alone. Taking a steadying breath, I raised my fist and pounded
I walked aimlessly down the street, not really paying attention to where I was going. My mind was spinning with everything that had happened in the past 24 hours. It all felt like a cruel nightmare, but the duffel bag slung over my shoulder was a painful reminder that it was a harsh reality.Dmitri, my boyfriend of two years, had dumped me so suddenly and callously. One moment we were making dinner plans for the weekend, and the next he was screaming at me to get out. The look of cold disdain in his eyes as he handed me the check will haunt me forever. I gave him everything—my love, my trust, and my body. And he threw it all away, all for that whore who stood by his side with the most disgusting smirk I wanted to wipe off so badly.I stumbled upon a park and collapsed onto a bench, succumbing to the torrent of tears I’d been holding back. My sobs echoed through the empty place as darkness fell. How could he do this to me? What had I done so wrong to make him stop caring? These questio
I woke the next morning still uneasy about the interactions I witnessed at the bar the night before. Something didn’t seem quite right, but I couldn’t put my finger on exactly what was bothering me. I hoped that with the light of day, things would appear more normal, but deep down, I had a nagging feeling of unease.Shaking off my worries, I went through my morning routine and headed back to work. As soon as I walked in the door, I could sense a strange tension in the air. The staff were whispering to each other more than usual and giving me odd looks. Trying to ignore the uncomfortable vibes, I tied on my apron and got to work, setting up for the afternoon shift.The first few hours passed in a blur of mixing drinks and running food to tables. Business was slower than the day before, but the clientele seemed even more eccentric and unbridled in their behaviour. I felt eyes watching my every move as I served drink orders. A few men lingered too long, making inappropriate comments, whe
As the clock ticked closer to closing time, I couldn’t shake the feeling of dread that had settled deep in my stomach. The air in the club felt heavy with tension, and the whispered conversations among the staff only added to my unease. Despite my best efforts to push aside my worries and focus on my work, the nagging sense that something sinister was happening beneath the surface lingered.As the last few patrons finished their drinks and made their way out, the club’s doors were locked with a finality that sent a shiver down my spine. I exchanged uneasy glances with my coworkers, but none of us dared to voice our concerns aloud.Before I could gather my thoughts, Jeremy appeared at my side, his expression grave. “Isadora, come with me,” he said, gesturing towards a hidden passage at the back of the club. With a sinking feeling in my chest, I followed him, my heart pounding in my ears.The passage led us down a dimly lit staircase, the air growing colder and heavier with each step. M
Kian’s face hardened as he regarded the newcomer, his eyes narrowing with barely concealed hostility. “Viktor,” he greeted, his tone clipped. “I wasn’t expecting you here tonight.”The man named Viktor let out a low chuckle, the sound sending a shiver down my spine. “Surely you didn’t think you could keep your little… soirée hidden from me, did you?” His gaze drifted towards me, and I felt a wave of unease wash over me. “And who is this lovely creature?”Before Kian could respond, Viktor stepped forward, closing the distance between us in a few strides. I shrank back instinctively, my heart hammering in my chest as he reached out and grasped my chin, tilting my face towards his. His touch was rough, calloused, and I fought the urge to recoil.“Such beauty,” he murmured, his eyes raking over my features with a hunger that made my skin crawl. “I can see why you coveted her, Kian.”Kian bristled, his jaw clenched tightly. “She belongs to me, Viktor,” he growled, his tone laced with warni
My eyes fluttered open to the sight of an ornately carved ceiling above a plush, king-sized bed. Sunlight streamed through the gauzy curtains, casting a warm glow over the lavish bedchamber. For a moment, I was disoriented, unsure of where I was or how I’d gotten there.Then the memories of the previous night came rushing back - the masquerade ball, Viktor’s repulsive advances, the explosive altercation between him and Kian. I shuddered as I recalled the wild, possessive look in Kian’s eyes when he proclaimed I belonged to him. His searing kiss, demanding and uncompromising, raising an unsettling mix of fear and desire.“Are you outta your friggin’ mind, Kian?” A gruff voice snarled from beyond the bedroom door. “Bringing in some random piece of ass off the streets like that? For all we know she could be a fuckin’ rat planted by the Feds or one of the Dmitri’s button men!”My blood froze at the venomous accusation. I strained to make out Kian’s response through the thick oak barrier.“
The first few hours of my captivity blurred together in a haze of boredom and restlessness. With nowhere to go and nothing productive to do, the bed was now my gilded cage began to feel increasingly suffocating. “I need to get out of here, even if just for some fresh air,” I blurted one afternoon, whirling to face my ever-present chaperone. “Kyle, please, I’m going stir crazy cooped up like this.” The hulking enforcer didn’t even glance up from casually cleaning the wicked-looking pistol in his meaty hands. “Sorry, you know the boss’s rules. You don’t step one foot off this property without me or one of the other capos to keep an eye on that luscious rump.” He shot me a slow wink, his gaze roving over me with an insolent appreciation that made my skin prickle. “Don’t worry, those pretty stems of yours will get some exercise soon enough when Kian comes calling.” Heat flooded my cheeks at the rude insinuation, suddenly regretting having opened my mouth at all. I huffed and stalked a