Ava
"Scream and I'll cut your throat."
The knife pressed against my neck was cold. So cold I could feel it through my skin. The man holding me smelled like cigarettes and something worse. Something rotten.
"Please," I whispered. "I don't have any money."
"We don't want your money, sweetheart." He dragged me into an alley, away from the busy street. Another man appeared, blocking my escape. "We want information about Adrian Blackwood."
My heart stopped. "I don't know anything."
"Liar. You've been living in his mansion for days. You know things." The knife pressed harder. "Tell us everything, and maybe we'll let you live."
I tried to think. Tried to remember anything from my self-defense classes. But my mind was blank with terror.
A black van pulled up. The door slid open, and someone grabbed me from behind. I screamed, but a hand covered my mouth. They threw me inside, and the van sped away.
I was tied to a chair in a dark room. My wrists hurt from the ropes. Blood dripped from a cut on my lip where they'd hit me.
A door opened. Light flooded in, making me squint. A man walked in, and even in my terror, I could tell he was important. He wore an expensive suit. His hair was silver, combed perfectly. He looked like a businessman, not a criminal.
But his eyes were dead. Completely empty.
"Miss Parker. What a pleasure." He pulled up a chair and sat facing me. "My name is Malric Dane. Perhaps Adrian mentioned me?"
"No."
"Interesting. He didn't warn you about his enemies?" Malric smiled, but it made my skin crawl. "Let me educate you. Adrian's father destroyed my business twenty years ago. Killed my brother. Took everything from me. So I took something from him. His precious sister."
Oh god. This was the man who killed Selene.
"I didn't kill her, though," Malric continued, as if reading my mind. "I kept her alive for years. A guest, just like Adrian is keeping you. But she was weak. She couldn't handle the accommodations. Such a pity."
Tears burned my eyes. "You're a monster."
"Perhaps. But so is Adrian. Did he tell you how many people he's killed? How many families he's destroyed?" Malric leaned closer. "You think you're special because he kept you alive? You're not. You're just a tool. And now you're my tool."
He stood and walked to the door. "Make her comfortable. And get her cleaned up. Adrian will want her presentable when he comes to bargain for her life."
They untied me and threw me in a small room. It had a bed, a bathroom, and nothing else. The door locked from the outside.
I sat on the bed, shaking. This couldn't be happening. I'd escaped Adrian only to fall into the hands of someone worse.
Hours passed. Maybe days. They brought me food, but I couldn't eat. My mind kept spinning with fear and regret.
I should have listened to Adrian. He'd warned me his enemies would use me. And I'd been too angry and stubborn to believe him.
The door opened. A woman entered, carrying clothes. She was beautiful, with long dark hair and sharp eyes.
"Put these on. Mr. Dane wants you presentable."
"Who are you?"
"Calista Rose. I work for Mr. Dane." She set the clothes on the bed. "You should cooperate. It'll be easier."
"Easier? He's going to kill me."
"Probably. But not yet. First, he'll use you to hurt Adrian Blackwood. And that should be entertaining." She smiled coldly. "Adrian killed my fiancé two years ago. I've been waiting for revenge ever since."
"I'm sorry about your fiancé, but I'm not part of this. I barely know Adrian."
"You lived in his house. You ate at his table. You comforted him when he learned about his sister." Calista's eyes narrowed. "Oh yes, we know everything. We have people watching that mansion constantly."
She left, locking the door behind her.
I changed into the clothes. A dress, black and simple. Like I was going to a funeral. Maybe my own.
They came for me an hour later. Led me to a large room with cameras and lights. Malric stood waiting, holding a phone.
"Time to call your boyfriend."
"He's not my boyfriend. He kidnapped me."
"And yet, he'll come for you. Love makes people stupid. Even someone as smart as Adrian." Malric dialed a number and put the phone on speaker.
Adrian answered immediately. "Malric."
"Hello, Adrian. I have something of yours."
Silence. Then Adrian's voice, cold as ice. "If you hurt her, I'll burn your entire operation to the ground."
"Threatening me already? How rude. Don't you want proof she's alive?" Malric gestured to me. "Say hello, Miss Parker."
"Adrian, don't come. It's a trap. He wants to—"
Malric slapped me. Hard. I tasted blood.
"Ava!" Adrian's voice was sharp with panic. "Malric, I swear—"
"You'll what? You're in no position to make threats. I have what you want, and you have what I want." Malric smiled. "Your empire. Every territory, every business, every dollar. Sign it all over to me, and I'll let her live."
"You're insane. That's worth billions."
"And she's worth nothing. Just a girl you barely know. So the question is, Adrian, how much is her life really worth to you?" Malric paused. "You have twenty-four hours to decide. Come alone to the old factory on Riverside. Bring the papers transferring everything to me. Or I'll send her back to you in pieces."
He hung up.
I tried to stay calm, but fear overwhelmed me. "He won't come. He barely knows me. You're wasting your time."
"We'll see." Malric walked closer. "You don't understand, do you? Adrian doesn't care about money or power. He cares about control. And right now, he's lost control of you. That will drive him crazy."
They took me back to the small room. I paced, trying to think. I had to escape. Had to find a way out before Adrian did something stupid.
But the door was solid. The window was barred. And guards stood outside constantly.
I was trapped again. Only this time, my captor had no reason to keep me alive.
Hours crawled by. Then the door opened again. Calista entered, carrying food.
"Eat. You look terrible."
"I'm not hungry."
"Suit yourself." She sat on the bed. "Can I ask you something? What's Adrian like now? I haven't seen him since he killed Dante's twin brother."
I stared at her. "Dante had a twin?"
"Damian. Adrian shot him three years ago when he found out Damian was selling family secrets. Right through the heart, no hesitation." She smiled. "That's the man you're protecting. A man who killed his own cousin."
"You're lying."
"Am I? Ask Dante when you see him. If you see him." Calista stood. "Adrian Blackwood is a monster. He ruins everyone he touches. Your life was forfeit the moment you saved him."
She left me alone with those words echoing in my head.
Was it true? Had Adrian really killed his own family member?
I thought about the man I'd seen this morning. Broken and grieving over his sister. That hadn't seemed like a monster. That had seemed like someone in pain.
But maybe monsters could feel pain too.
The door burst open. Gunfire erupted somewhere in the building. Shouting. Screaming.
A guard ran in and grabbed me. "Move. Now."
"What's happening?"
"Blackwood found us. We're evacuating."
He dragged me down a hallway. More gunshots. Closer now. The guard pushed me into a car and jumped in the driver's seat.
We sped through dark streets. I looked back and saw flames rising from the building.
Adrian had come for me. And he'd brought war with him.
The car screeched around a corner. Another car slammed into us from the side. Metal crunched. Glass shattered. The world spun.
When I opened my eyes, I was hanging upside down. Blood dripped from my forehead. The guard wasn't moving.
Strong hands reached through the broken window. "I've got you."
Not Adrian's voice. Someone else.
The hands pulled me free. I looked up into kind eyes. A man I'd never seen before, young with brown hair and a gentle smile.
"Who are you?"
"Dave Dart. I work for Adrian. We need to move. Can you walk?"
I nodded, though everything hurt. Dave helped me to another car. As we drove away, I saw more cars arriving. More gunfire.
"Is Adrian okay?"
"He's alive. Busy burning Malric's operation to the ground, but alive." Dave glanced at me. "You really scared him. I've never seen him like that."
"Like what?"
"Desperate. Adrian Blackwood doesn't do desperate. But when Malric took you, he went insane. Called in every favor, mobilized every soldier. Started a war for you."
I didn't know what to say to that.
We drove for twenty minutes. Finally, we pulled up to a different house. Smaller than the mansion, but still nice.
"Safe house," Dave explained. "You'll stay here until things calm down."
He led me inside. Martha was waiting, her face flooded with relief when she saw me.
"Oh, thank god. Are you hurt?"
"I'm okay. Just bruised."
"Let me clean those cuts." She guided me to a bathroom.
As she worked on my injuries, I asked, "Did Adrian really kill Dante's cousin?"
Martha's hands stilled. "Who told you that?"
"Someone working for Malric."
"It's true. But it's not the whole story." Martha dabbed at the cut on my forehead. "Damian betrayed the family. Got several good people killed. Adrian had no choice."
"There's always a choice."
"Not in their world. In Adrian's world, betrayal means death. It's the only rule that matters."
When she finished, I lay down on a bed. Exhausted. Terrified. Confused.
Adrian had started a war to save me. Why? I was nothing to him. Just a witness he'd kept prisoner.
Unless Malric had been right. Unless I'd become something more without even realizing it.
The door opened. Adrian walked in, covered in blood and soot. His eyes found mine immediately.
"Ava."
He crossed the room in three strides and pulled me into his arms. I should have pushed him away. Should have been angry.
Instead, I held him back.
"Are you hurt?" he asked, his voice rough.
"I'm okay. Are you?"
"Nothing serious." He pulled back to look at me. His hands cupped my face gently, like I was something precious. "I'm sorry. I should have protected you better."
"This isn't your fault."
"It is. Everything is my fault." His thumb brushed across my cheek. "When Malric called, when I heard him hit you, I wanted to destroy the world. Do you understand? I would have burned everything down to get you back."
"Why? I'm nobody."
"You're not nobody." His gray eyes held mine, intense and frightening and something else. Something that made my heart race. "You're mine, Ava. You became mine the moment you saved my life. And I protect what's mine."
Before I could respond, his phone rang. He answered, his expression darkening.
"What? When?" Pause. "I'm on my way."
He looked at me, and I saw real fear in his eyes for the first time.
"What's wrong?"
"It's Dante. Malric took him."