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He wasnotgoing to die because of me. I refused to even entertain the possibility.

“I have to go. Lots of things to do, but I wanted to stop by and say hi,” Wentworth said. “Enjoy your time alone while you can.” He laughed again.

I held my breath until he disappeared into the darkening bowels of the warehouse. How many guards were here? What would Vuk be up against if and when he found me?

We have you, and he’ll never jeopardize your life. Not even to save his own.

Tears scorched my throat.

Wentworth and his co-conspirators wouldn’t kill me until Vuk was here. They needed me alive as leverage. But that didn’t mean they couldn’t do other things to me.

I had to free myself. If I couldn’t escape, I could at least hide until I found a way to call for help. It was almost nighttime, and it was always easier to hide in the dark.

I scanned my surroundings again. I didn’t see any cameras, and I was grateful they hadn’t stationed a guard here to keep an eye on me. If I were Vuk, they’d have a dozen armed guards on me at all times. They must not have thought I posed enough of a threat to warrant more resources than some rope and a quickly fading sedative.

That was the upside of the “dumb model” stereotype. People constantly underestimated me.

I reexamined my situation. Trying to break free from the knots was impossible. Even if I got my right ankle out, it wouldn’t help much. I needed to free my hands.

I looked around for the umpteenth time, desperately seeking a hairpin or anything I could use as a makeshift blade.

Nothing.

I was about to give up and try wiggling out of my ties again when my gaze fell on my shoes. As always, I was wearing heels—beautiful, spiky, four-inch stiletto heels. They weren’t a knife or scissors, but they were sharp, and they could be deadly if utilized correctly. Even better, they were pumps, which meant I could slide out of them easily.

A plan took shape in my mind. It was a long shot, but it was better than nothing.

I only hoped I had time to execute it before Wentworth returned.

CHAPTER50

Vuk

We found it.

After three hours of searching, planning, and agonizing, we fucking found it—the warehouse where they’d taken Ayana.

My breath steamed in the chilly evening air as Sean, Bruce, Mav, and I observed the sprawling building from behind a low concrete wall. It was eerily similar to the one I’d bought in Brooklyn. It sat on a desolate lot of cracked concrete and spindly weeds, and there were no signs of life other than a rat that’d scuttled past our hiding place a minute earlier.

A black van was parked outside, and a weak golden light pierced the warehouse’s grimy windows.

There was a five percent chance this was the wrong spot, but Ayana was inside. Ifeltit. Her proximity was a magnet pulling me toward the light, and adrenaline packed my blood, sharpening my senses as we waited for the right moment to strike.

“I told you.” Roman’s cool drawl brought four glares his way. “You owe me.”

“We don’t owe you anything,” Sean growled. “We don’t know for sure that she’s in there.”

His reconnaissance confirmed the presence of the Brotherhood, but he couldn’t say for certain whether they had Ayana.

“She is. Once you rescue her, I’ll take care of the rest.” Roman’s gaze met mine. “So don’t fuck up.”

My eyes narrowed. My finger twitched on the trigger of my gun, and the temperature dropped another ten degrees as I tried to corral the fury that rushed through me every time I looked at his face.

We’d met earlier like he’d asked. He’d had a lot to say—about Ayana’s kidnapping, the other faction, and the truth behind some of the bullshit he’d fed me the past few months.

He was lucky I hadn’t killed him. I came close several times, but hehadprovided crucial intel, even if it was information he should’ve told me long ago.

I also needed Roman for cover tonight. I’d only brought three of my men because walking into a direct gunfight with the Brotherhood was different than an ambush. I had no illusions about overpowering them the way we had Shepherd; this was going to be a nasty battle, and I wasn’t going to lead my entire team to a slaughter.