Chapter 3

On the way to the warehouse, Declan sighed. “I figured it out. You came back too.”

I laughed without humor. “So what if I did? Are you suddenly going to take my side now?”

“I am sorry,” he murmured.

I shook my head. “That is all you can say?”

He caught my wrist, drew me in, and kissed me before I could turn away. “This is the last time. We will get Sera out. After this, we will get married, and I will spend the rest of my life paying for what I did to you.”

“Can you not see that she is putting on a show?” I asked.

He looked away. “I do not know.”

But his expression said otherwise.

Everyone knew exactly what she was doing. But I was still the one pushed into the fire.

The warehouse sat at the end of a cracked road, far from any streetlights. The air smelled of rust and damp concrete. Graffiti stained the walls, and the only light came from a single bulb hanging from a frayed wire.

This was not a place for negotiation. This was where people came to disappear.

Inside, Seraphina sat on a metal folding chair in the middle of the empty floor. Her wrists were bound to the armrests with zip ties. Her makeup had run down her face in dark streaks, and her expensive dress was torn at the shoulder.

She looked nothing like the perfect sister from the gala.

Two towering men stood behind her.

Matteo ran to her. “Sera, are you all right?”

One of the men stepped forward and shoved him back. “Stay where you are.”

A third man emerged from the shadows. He wore a stained leather jacket and carried a crowbar loosely in one hand. “Mr. Thorne. Mr. Ashford.You took your time.”

Declan ground his teeth. “What do you want?”

“The question is not what I want.” The man tapped the crowbar against his palm. “Your sister-in-law borrowed fifty million. She signed papers. She promised to pay.” He looked at Seraphina and chuckled. “She does not have fifty million. So now we have a problem.”

“We will get the money,” Declan said.

“Of course you will.” The man grinned. “But someone stays until then. If you fail to bring the money on time, we'll find another use for the hostage.”

Matteo shot me a look, and something behind his eyes shifted. “Brielle is a Montgomery too. Why can she not stay instead?”

“What kind of nonsense is that?” Declan’s voice came out low and angry.

Matteo gave him a cold smile. “If Brielle had not stolen the spotlight in Miami, Sera never would have rushed off to prove herself. Sera did nothing wrong. It is only fair that Brielle stays.”

The man with the crowbar nodded slowly. “I like the way you think, Mr. Ashford.” He looked at me. “So? What do you say, little Montgomery?”

Declan’s face twisted with rage. “No. Absolutely not.”

At that exact moment, Seraphina started crying.

“Declan, please. Do not leave me here. I cannot stay another minute in this place.”

She turned her head just enough to look at me over her shoulder. Her eyes were wet, but there was no fear in them. Only triumph. She knew exactly what she was doing.

Declan’s hands opened and closed at his sides. He turned to me, his voice dropping low. “Brielle, you do not want anything bad to happen to your sister. Just stay here. I will get the money and come back for you.”

I stared at him and let out a bitter laugh. “You want to leave me here. In this place. So she can walk out.”

I saw the guilt fighting inside him.

“I will come back,I swear it.”

Matteo stepped closer. “What is the problem? You just have to wait here. Sera has been waiting all night. Why should you be any different?”

I grabbed hold of Declan’s wrist. “Are you really going to stand there and let me die again? Just like that night on the bridge when you did not answer my calls?”

He started to reach for me.

Then Seraphina threw herself forward, straining against the zip ties. “Declan, I am so scared. Please, just take me home.” Her voice cracked perfectly, wet and desperate. But from over his shoulder, she looked at me with eyes that were completely dry.

Every bit of hesitation in Declan’s face disappeared. He took Seraphina’s hand as the men cut the zip ties.

“I am sorry,But you will be all right. I will come back for you.”

The door slammed shut behind them.

Then the engine started, and the sound of the car disappeared into the night.

The warehouse went quiet. The men in cheap jackets stepped back and unbuttoned their jackets. The one with the crowbar set it down and pulled out a phone instead.

“Miss Montgomery,” he said, his tone completely different now. Respectful. “You performed even better than we expected.”

I sat down on the metal chair Seraphina had just left. The two men who had been standing behind her moved to the door and stood guard.

“The money will be transferred within three days,Montgomery assets in Miami as collateral. Through my personal account.”

The man nodded once. “It has been a pleasure making arrangements with you.”

I took off the ring that had monitored my heartbeat and tracked my location for years.

The man took it from me, dropped it to the floor, and crushed it under his boot.

The tracking chip snapped. The pulse monitor went dark.

“No signal. No heartbeat,” he said. “Everyone will believe you died during this negotiation.”Then he looked at me and gave a small bow.

“Miss Montgomery, congratulations on your new life.”