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Get a fucking hold of yourself. Hysteria won’t help you. You need tothink.

I silently counted to ten and eventually calmed my breaths enough to take stock of my surroundings.

There weren’t many places in New York that could accommodate a warehouse of this size. Certainly none in Manhattan. Of course, we could be in another state entirely.

How long had I been out? Hours? Days? Long enough to spirit me away to a neighboring state like Pennsylvania or at least out of the city.

Judging by the slant and color of the light, it was late afternoon, nearing evening.

My mind whirred. I needed to get out of here while I could, but how?

I wiggled, testing the strength of my ties. The rope wasn’t that thick, but the knots were killer. I didn’t see my bag anywhere, nor did I see any sharp objects I could use to saw through the rope.

Frustration tunneled under my skin.

Breathe. Think.

I was alive, which meant my kidnappers had plans for me. If they’d wanted to kill me, they would’ve.

Whether I would prefer death over their plans was another matter.

Sickening images of what someone could do to a person besides kill them played through my head. My stomach sloshed again, and I forced a shaky inhale through my nose.

Panicking wasn’t going to get me anywhere. I needed a clear head if I was going to get out of this. What would Vuk do?

Vuk.The thought of him twisted my heart into an agonizing knot. Our argument, if it could be called that, seemed like a lifetime ago even though it couldn’t have been more than one or two days. I didn’t know what was going to happen with our relationship, but I would give anything to see his face and hear his voice again. If I didn’t, our last words to each other would’ve been in shock and anger—on my part, at least.

Regret formed a pit in my stomach. Until now, Vuk’s world of hitmen and murder had seemed removed from real life. I’d known it existed, but even during the wedding attack and its aftermath, I’d been so numb that it hadn’t fully registered. Vuk’s men had stopped the attackers, and Jordan had survived despite being shot. The threat had been there, but it hadn’t seemedreal.

Not the way this did.

I glanced at the body again. I fought back another gag. Even if I made it out of here alive, I would never forget that sight.

It gave me a little more empathy for Vuk’s actions. An eye for an eye wasn’t always the best form of justice, but at least it wasaform of justice.

Tears crowded my throat. If only he were here. If only I could tell him everything running through my mind.

But he wasn’t, which meant it was up to me to get myself out of this mess. I refused to die without seeing him and telling him I…

I took another deep inhale and shook my head.Focus, Ayana.One thing at a time.

First order of business: figure out who I was dealing with. Who had the means and motive to kidnap me? Emmanuelle hated me, but she wasn’t exactly the kidnapping type. She was more likely to cut you with words and blackmail. The only other people I could think of was the Brotherhood. They’d already ruined the wedding, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they were trying to use me to get to Vuk.

If that was the case, I was fucked. There was no way I could take on professional killers.

But I had to try.

I wiggled in my seat, trying to loosen my bonds. Nothing.

Sweat gathered beneath my underarms and formed a thin film across my forehead and upper lip. My stomach growled. I hadn’t eaten since the eggs and smoothie I’d gulped down before meeting Vuk at Valhalla. Maybe if I had, I’d have more energy to?—

Footsteps broke the utter silence.

I froze. Acid lined my throat.

The footsteps got louder…

My heartbeats hammered in sync with their steady, ominous rhythm.