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They’d left no chance for mistake. As far they were concerned, she was covered and just in case she wasn’t, she had two trackers on her. One in her necklace and one in the sole of her runners—microscopic and hidden.

Creed thought it best for her to wait on the front porch where everyone could see her and so that Bradshaw couldn’t push his way inside and somehow trap her. Inside the house was where there was absolutely no one.

Creed took position behind the barn with one of his men. Case settled on top of the barn with one of his friends, and Dominic took up point across the road that led into his driveway. He said that way he could see to her safety when Bradshaw and his goons were coming, and everything that happened in between.

They were confident they had all of their bases covered.

She was terrified something was going to go wrong.

When the sound of multiple vehicles approaching was heard, her heart nearly burst out of her chest. Four large SUVs pulled up to the house, and she almost collapsed in fear. It wasn’t until that moment that she realized how frightened of him she was.

She watched as all doors opened and men started stepping out. Bradshaw was the last to appear from the lead SUV. He had a triumphant look on his face, almost like he knew something she didn’t. Standing there staring at her while she fought not to fidget under his intense scrutiny, he finally told her, “Your mother used to say how sweet you were; that I should have shown you more compassion. It wasn’t your fault she was a slut.”

Dee stayed silent at his obvious attempt to make her angry.

“How would you feel if you found out the brat you planned to leave an empire to wasn’t your own?”

She had to bite her tongue.

“What would you do if the choice was between yourself or a child you share no DNA with? Would you give yourself up for them? Or hand them over?”

There was a message in his words. He couldn’t have Jaxson, could he? She was terrified. She couldn’t look aroun

d for anyone, or he’d know they were there. Glancing down at her phone, she wondered if she should call Dom.

As soon as she had the thought, Bradshaw’s phone rang, “Yeah?” he answered. “His eyes met hers in triumph at whatever the other person on the line said. “Good, that’ll make this much easier then,” he told them, hanging up.

She waited for him to fill her in when he said to her, “Call him.” She wanted to play stupid so badly, but the tone in his voice and the arrogant gleam in his eyes told her she needed to play it smart.

Calling Dom, she lifted the phone to her ear just as he picked up. “Princess?” he asked.

Her voice shook in fear, yet she wasn’t sure why. “Dominic, somethings wrong.”

“Give it here,” Bradshaw demanded.

Tossing the phone to him, she waited some more. “Hello, Mr. Slade. I like what you’ve done here today. You’re much more organized than I thought you would be, but you forgot one thing. Have a look at the text message coming to you, I’ll wait.”

A minute later, a sadistic smile grew on his face as Dom said something to him. “The choice is yours, Mr. Slade,” was all he told him before tossing the phone back to her.

Bringing it to her ear with a shaking hand, she asked, “Dominic?”

He was too quiet when he finally said, “I’m so fucking sorry, Princess.”

She could almost hear tears in his voice. It was then that she knew the meeting was a setup. How Bradshaw knew what they were going to plan she would probably never know, but she understood that her life was going to change in a huge way and not how she’d anticipated.

“What’s happening?” she asked, petrified of the answer.

“You need to know how much I love you; how much this is going to kill me.” If he were in front of her, she would have seen the tears streaming down his face.

“Dominic, what’s going on?” she begged him, tears in her own eyes now.

Clearing his throat, she could almost feel him turn into the hardened man she’d met seven years ago. Gone was any emotion. “They have Jaxson.”

She hung her head to hide the tears streaming steadily down her face, not wanting anyone to witness her complete heartbreak. To know how devastated she was that Dominic was forced to make the decision between her and his son. Even if he didn’t choose Jax, she wouldn’t let him choose her.

Wiping her face clear of tears, she exerted every ounce of resolve she could find to clear away any emotion that came through her voice or across her face.

“You’ll get him, right?” She had to know he would.