Chapter 16

Sloane shot her hands up, fingers spread, terrified that even a heartbeat's delay could cost her and Emilia their lives.

Were they being targeted for something they did?What had they done to end up getting aimed at by guns?

Those men moved with the recklessness of amateurs rather than the precision of professional killers. For a split second, she wondered if Emilia's secret life as the head of an assassin's group had come to light and drawn all the wrong people.

Emilia's thoughts raced, worried more about Sloane's safety than her own. Instead of jumping into action,she let her whole body shake, fear etched deeply on her face. "Who-" she began.

"Shut up!" A sharp bark from one of the men silenced her. "Both of you, move it! In the van Within moments, they were shoved into the back of the black vehicle, which shot away from the curb and melted into traffic.

Inside the private room at Gilded Fork.

"This is a disaster! They've been taken!" Wilbur blurted out, his hands trembling as he relayed the news.

Elias slammed his wine glass onto the table, his eyes cold as steel. "We're getting them back. No matter what."

Wilbur, already rolling Elias' wheelchair toward the exit, said, "I've got someone tailing the van. We're not letting anything happen to them."

Those thugs had the nerve to abduct the two women just outside Gilded Fork. They were asking for trouble.

By the time they hurried out, the black van had melted into the shadows toward the town's edge. Emilia and Sloane had their hands bound behind them and their mouths sealed with tape.

"You two better sit tight unless you want things to get ugly!" A bald man glared down at themn,his eyes filled with malice. Satisfied with their frightened nods, he turned his back. Bound and gagged, the women had no chance of getting free.

"Boss, the client wants us to rough them up a bit,maybe smack them around and cut them loose?"

The bald man's mouth twisted into a sneer. "That's what the first client ordered, but someone new wants them to suffer even more this time."

"Why don't we have some fun with them? These two are gorgeous. Way better than the usual girls we mess with. This is going to be exciting."

"Looks like it'll take the whole crew to keep them busy tonight,right?"

Their laughter rang out,low and crude.

"Go ahead and enjoy yourselves, but don't go too far. We can fetch a good price for them if they're still breathing," the bald man instructed.

"That's why you're in charge, boss. Always planning for payday. With the cash we'll make off these two,we're set for a while."

Emilia's eyes hardened, a flicker of deadly intent crossing her face.

None of them seemed to realize they were looking straight at their own graves.

Sloane's stomach churned at their words, and she shot a look at Emilia.

That single look from Emilia steadied her, though guilt pinched at her chest. Emilia had given up fighting only to protect her. Otherwise, Emilia would've struck back without hesitation.

On the edge of the city, the van came to a stop beside an old warehouse.

"Get a move on! Slack off and I'll put a bullet in you," snarled the bald man.

Emilia stumbled forward, almost losing her footing as she was shoved along. She worked her fingers behind her back, slowly loosening the ropes.Patience was her weapon now.

Inside the dim warehouse, both women were forced to the floor, their backs pressed against a concrete pillar.

Sloane stayed alert, following every signal Emilia sent her way, ready to jump in the second she was needed.

Before anything else happened, the bald man spoke up. "Keep your hands off them for now. I need to make a call before we move them out."

"Got it, boss." The men lounged nearby, not even bothering to keep a close watch. The thought that either woman could escape never crossed their minds.

In their minds, the women were broken already. They had trembled the whole ride here, nearly in tears, and Free your loved would never dare try to flee. They assumed both were too weak to stand, nothing left but sobbing wrecks.