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The man in a ghost mask chuckles. “You thought you’d be ready for me.” He slowly tilts his head, facing me. “You might have been, if she’d decided to stay. No one can say for certain.”

She…what?

Gilli’s weepy eyes meet mine, full of useless apology. She’s lost her glasses. A red line across the bridge of her nose shows where they used to be. They’ve got her bound with a dark piece of fabric, a second piece over her mouth.

She tried to run.

It was a thought in my mind that she might attempt to bolt. I just didn’t plan on how it would feel to come face to face with the realization.

I glare at Gilli, working my arms, but there’s no getting out of the zip ties. She left us. She just ran without even a goodbye.

My objectivity is screwed.

The plastic bites into my wrists as the goons haul me up to my feet.

“He is a tough one, isn’t he? We’ve been watching you for a few days now,” the masked man purrs. “You chose well for your protector, sweetheart. And we can certainly use someone like him.”

The pain obliterates any last dregs of drowsiness. I gnash my teeth when Mask trails a gloved hand along my jaw.

“The tattoos and the hair…he’ll bring in sick cash,” one of the grunts adds.

Though I show no outward signs, my nostrils flare, and my pulse kicks into hyper drive.

I lash out with an attempt at a roundhouse kick, but my kick goes wide, giving them ample opportunity to force me back down to the floor. They slam me down on my stomach and the one on the right shoves his knee against my side to drive the air out of my lungs while the other moves to my feet.

“He’s tough, too,” Mask adds. “This is payday for us, boys. A two for one special.”

The goon on the left snickers and binds my ankles extra tight for good measure. Immediately my toes start to tingle from decreased circulation.

“Leave her alone,” I mumble. “Don’t fucking touch her. You want me, fine, but?—”

“Leave her alone? No, I don’t think so. Not when she needs to be taught a lesson.” Mask clucks his tongue. “No one gets away from me. Not once I’ve decided to bestow my generosity on them.Shetried to hide.”

Gilli sobs against the gag.

“She doesn’t need your goddamn generosity,” I grind out.

Where is Aiden?

This isn’t the plan. We anticipated a healthy forewarning, if the stalker chose to show himself, but this is ridiculous.

The goon leans the bulk of his weight into my back and I groan as agony spreads through my vertebrae.

“It’s too bad she didn’t take me up on my offer the first time,” Mask says, tilting his head to the ceiling, working his shoulders. “It would have gone so much easier for everyone involved if she had.”

I catalog his movements, his size. Mask isn’t as brutishly tall as his hired muscle, but he’s no breakable twig either. He’s got a few inches of height on me and a lethal knife at his side.

Mask shifts forward to trail his gloved fingers across her cheeks. Gilli jerks back to avoid the touch but he anticipates the movement and follows her, cooing in the back of his throat.

“So beautiful. You’ve always been so beautiful. If only you followed commands.”

“What do you want from us?” I bark.

Mask chuckles and straightens. “I have everything I want. You’ve made it easy for me.”

My stomach drops. This maniac is in my house. He’s got me and Gilli by the balls, and as hard as I try to loosen my wrists and ankles, the zip ties are so tight they’ve got no give. The plastic heats and burns, digging into my skin.

I’m on the edge of panic, teetering. How are we getting out of this?