CHAPTER 1 — THE ABDUCTION

LEANDER POV

"Three hours ago, I accepted an award for innovation. Now I was innovating ways to survive a kidnapping."

Conrad had been in the front row, applauding louder than anyone. He'd even mouthed “Proud of you, brother" across the crowd. I'd almost believed him, almost forgotten that he'd been asking about succession protocols for months, always phrased as 'just curious' or 'planning for Elena's sake.'

Now I was bleeding out in the back of a van, hands zip-tied behind my back, my tuxedo soaked with blood and rain.

My consciousness returned in jagged pieces.

The pain came first, a sharp, burning sensation in my stomach where the blade went in. Then I felt the cold metal floor against my face and tasted blood. I forced my eyes open.

It was dark inside, but streetlights flickered past the windows as we moved. Two men sat on the bench across from me. One was massive with a scarred face, gaps where teeth should be.

The younger one looked about twenty-five and couldn't stop fidgeting. He had a tactical knife and was busy wiping my blood off the blade with a rag.The rag was already soaked through. The dripping matched my heartbeat, both getting slower.

I stayed still, watching them, trying to figure out my next move.

"I told you he'd wake up," the scarred one said, grinning to reveal those missing teeth. "He's a tough bastard."

"Conrad said to keep him alive until we reached the cliffs," the younger one replied nervously. "Make sure he's conscious when he goes over."

Conrad.

The name felt like another stab wound. Conrad Vladmoss was my brother-in-law. He'd married my sister Elena five years ago in a ceremony that cost more than most people earn in a lifetime. Charming, ambitious, always with that politician smile that never quite reached his eyes. Now he was willing to betray his own family for the Voss Empire.

I should have seen this coming. Conrad had circled the company like a shark for years, waiting for his chance. But as long as I breathed, the company stayed out of reach. The board remained loyal. The shareholders trusted me. Even my cold father, Richard Voss, respected my sharp business mind.

So Conrad found another way: make me disappear, call it an accident, comfort his grieving sister-wife while taking over the empire.

Clever, I admitted silently.

"How much is he paying you?" I finally spoke, though my voice sounded rough and broken. Every word sent fresh pain through my gut. "I'll triple it."

Gap-Tooth laughed, a wet, ugly sound. "Hear that, Marcus? He thinks this is about money."

"This isn't about money, Mr. Voss," Marcus said, still wiping the knife with careful precision. 

"This is personal. Family business. I'm sure a man like you understands."

I understood perfectly. I'd have done the same in his position. That's what made it so fucking predictable.

I hadn't built my career on feelings or mercy. I crushed my rivals and destroyed anyone who got in my way. Business magazines referred to me as "The Ice King." They meant it as an insult, but I saw it as a badge of honor.

Right now, though, I was losing.

While Gap-Tooth talked about the cliffs and ocean currents, I worked my fingers behind my back, testing the zip ties. They were tight and professional, but not impossible to break, not if you knew where to pull.

My father's voice echoed in my memory: "Always have a contingency and an edge others don't know about."

I'd carried that advice for years. A hidden advantage could mean the difference between life and death.

"We're ten minutes away," the driver called from the front. "Maybe fifteen with this rain."

The storm hammered the van's roof like artillery fire. Through the back windows, I saw the coastal road, cliffs dropping into the black ocean on one side, dense forest on the other.

I needed to buy time to keep them talking.

"Conrad is smarter than I thought," I said, keeping my tone casual, as if we were discussing sales figures rather than my murder. "I underestimated him. I won't make that mistake again."

"You won't get the chance," Marcus pointed out.

"True." I kept working the blade against the zip tie. It was an awkward angle, but I felt the plastic start to fray. "Tell me, did he hire you before or after the gala? I'm curious about the timeline."

"Before," Gap-Tooth said, clearly bragging. "Two weeks of planning. We waited until you left the hotel and grabbed you in the parking garage, right under all those fancy security cameras Conrad made sure were broken tonight."

The tie snapped. I kept my hands positioned behind my back, muscles screaming at me to move, but I forced myself to wait for the right moment.

The van hit a pothole, and everyone lurched.

I lunged.

I drove the blade deep into Gap-Tooth's thigh, aiming right for the femoral artery. I felt the resistance give way, and blood started hitting the metal floor in heavy pulses. He let out a high scream, sounding more like a child than a grown man.

Marcus jumped in, but I was faster, or desperate enough that it didn't matter. The fight turned brutal.The van swerved wildly as my elbow connected with the driver's face through the partition. I heard cartilage crack.

He was younger and quicker, pulling his knife as the van swerved wildly.

"Just kill him!" Gap-Tooth yelled, trying to stop the bleeding.

I blocked Marcus's first strike, but the second one found its mark. The blade sank into my gut just under the ribs.

Everything went white for a second. I looked down at the handle still in Marcus's hand.

"You should have stayed down," Marcus hissed.

I didn't listen. I grabbed his wrist with both hands and yanked the knife away. His scream didn't sound human.

I was past calculating survival odds or strategy now. Pure Alpha rage took over, a wounded animal backed into a corner, willing to take everyone down with me.

The van lurched violently as the driver struggled with a broken nose. I looked at the rear doors; they were rattling, not fully latched.

One last gamble.

I threw myself backward with everything I had left.

My shoulders slammed against the doors. For a split second, they held. The van hit a pothole. The doors rattled. And I realized, they hadn't locked them. Too confident I'd be dead before I could fight back. Amateurs. Then they burst open.

Wind and rain swirled around me as I balanced on the edge, one hand pressed against the deep wound. Marcus gripped my ankle like iron, trying to pull me back.

Below lay nothing but dark forest. The drop would kill me just as fast as the knife.

I looked back and met the young man's eyes.

"Tell Conrad he failed."

Then I kicked free and let myself fall backward into the night.