Page 87 of Bratva Jewels Box Set

I chose to forget that night, the night he put a sapphire collar around my neck like some prized dog. “The night I made you mine.” He sucks harder on my skin as his hands run up my side, brushing the underside of my breasts. He is waiting for me to stop him, and I want to. Every instinct in my body is telling me to reach out and push his hand away, but that is going to get me thrown into some cell, away from Gracie, away from freedom.

“I have missed you so fucking much. I hated watching you with those men. You are mine, Zoe,mine. No one else’s, do you understand?” His hands find my breasts, giving them a squeeze.

I try to swallow the bile that is rising in my throat.

“How? How did you see me?” My question is timid; I don’t want him to revert to his boss persona.

“I have my ways. I told you last time if you ever escaped, I would find you, I would come for you. I am a powerful man, Zoe, remember that.” He kicks my legs out, and I close my eyes and try to think of good things. “Put your hands on the glass, Zoe,” he commands.

Tears threaten, but I push them back, now is the time to be strong, he will be testing me. He wants a fight, he wants me to push him away, but I won’t give it to him. He pulls down my sleep shorts and throws them to the side. My heartrate accelerates, and I bite my bottom lip as I try not to think about what he’s going to do to me. His hand grabs my fleshy ass and gives it a squeeze. His hardness is pressed against my back.

“You are still so beautiful.” His hand cups me through my underwear. “No one, no one has compared to you. Why can’t I get you out of my head? Why do you occupy my thoughts? Why do I still fucking care about you?”

I don’t answer his questions because I have no answers for him. I hear the sound of foil behind me, and I pray that I can get through this.

29

TOMAS

Zoe and Gracie have been missing for a week, and we are no closer to finding them. We have rented a new home on the other side of the island, far away from the horrors of what happened at our old home. Mateo has been suffering from nightmares, so there’s no way in the world I would subject him to staying there.

Zoe and Grace’s family have now joined us. I wish we were meeting Zoe’s family for the first time under better circumstances. We asked them to stay with us so we could all be together. It’s our base in the search for the girls. Her parents have been amazing, her dad has been on the phone nonstop since he arrived, pulling favors everywhere he can, thanks to him being an ambassador.

Enrique has exhausted every contact he has in Morocco and is no closer to finding their location, it’s as if once they touched down in Casablanca, they all simply vanished.

Sophie, Zoe and Gracie’s older sister, flew over from the Middle East and is one scarily determined woman. She used all her contacts in the military and the African-based journalists she has worked with and asked them to keep an ear out forany information on Western women being moved around in Morocco by the Russians. She has even investigated non-legal ways of finding them.

Enrique suggested that route should be kept for Plan B, but that might have to happen a lot sooner than we hoped because another day is too long for those girls to be away.

“This is so damn frustrating,” Mateo yells, kicking a stool across the small office space, angry with the slow going of the operation.

I place my hand on his arm, hoping to calm him. I understand his frustration, but I’m at a loss as well. She’s like a needle in a haystack. No matter how much we dig, we can’t seem to find her. “I know it is, but what else can we do? We are exhausting every single resource available to us.”

“I think we should go to Morocco,” Sophie says, walking into the office. “I think we hire mercenaries now. Fuck Interpol, we need to get my sisters back. Every single day they are missing means they are a day closer to being lost to us forever.”

She’s right. As much as I have faith in Enrique’s abilities, Zoe and Grace have been gone for far too long.

“I think Mum and Dad should stay here. It’s too dangerous for them to come with us,” Sophie states.

I agree with her, plus they can keep things going here at base.

“We need boots on the ground, we need to search the bazaars, we need to talk to the locals, ask anyone and everyone. Someone must fucking know something. I think it’s time for Plan B.”

“Sophie’s right,” Mateo jumps in. “We’ve given it a week doing it through the right channels, now we do it our way.”

I frown. We know nothing about finding a missing person, especially someone well hidden by a criminal gang.

“You promised you would do anything to get her back, Tomas.”

I can see the desperation on Mateo’s face. I look at Sophie, who gives me a nod. They are right, it’s time to rescue our girl, no matter the costs.

“I’ll organize the jet. We should be there in a couple of hours.”

Sophie rushes to me and wraps her strong arms around my neck, squeezing me. “Thank you, thank you. I promise we will find them. I will call my guys, and we will go and get them back.” And with that, she bounces out of the room, excitement filling the space where despair once stood.

Mateo smiles for the first time since Zoe and Gracie disappeared. “She’s scary. If she can’t find her sisters, then no one can.”

Hours later, we touch down in Casablanca and set up our own little command center in a luxury home we’ve rented. Zoe’s parents were unhappy about staying in Ibiza, but we know it will be safer.