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Sera spins towards me with intense anger in her eyes. Her breathing is heavy, and her cheeks are flushed.

“You can’t just treat people however you want to and think it’s okay. You aren’t in charge of my life, or your sisters' lives,” she shouts at me, spitting her words out in anger, her fists clenched tightly at her sides. She’s standing strong and confident and ready to take me on.

“My sisters had no right to get involved,” I snap back at her.

“So, you had them dragged away by a bodyguard. Who are you? Who put you in charge?” she hisses.

My heart is pounding as adrenaline courses through me.

I shake my head, trying to shove down the burning rage, made so much more intense by the fear I felt when I got home and found her missing. It took me an hour to track her down. That hour was the worst hour of my life.

I thought they had her. I thought she was being tortured. I was even wondering if she was still alive at that point.

After making some calls, I realized that my sisters had her and I tracked Jade’s car to find out where they were, but it was an hour of pure hell. I was terrified the rivals had taken her. I had the worst thoughts flooding my mind.

“Don’t you fucking get that all I’m trying to do is stop you from getting hurt?” My words flame from my mouth in fear and frustration. The fear of losing her pushes me to become someone I don’t want to be.

“By keeping me a prisoner? By dragging me from a restaurant like I’m a child being punished for breaking some stupid rule? I’m an adult woman, Nico. I’m my own person. I make my own choices for my own life. I don’t belong to you.”

I press my lips together, fighting with her is not making anything better. I’m only getting angrier, more heated, more frustrated. You should belong to me. You do belong to me.

“Why can’t you just do as you’re told, Sera?” I ask tightly.

Sera storms over to me and hits me hard in the chest. It doesn’t hurt me at all, but her expression tells me she might have hurt her own hand.

“Let me go!” she shouts in a rage.

I shake my head. “No,” I snap. “I can’t do that. And if you don’t understand why, then that’s on you. Not me.”

She swings her arm to hit me again and I grab her wrist. As soon as I lock her down, she starts kicking and fighting and shouting louder.

“You’re not the one in control here, Sera,” I say, lifting her off her feet and dropping her onto the sofa on her back so that I can use my entire body to pin her down and stop her from doing this.

She’s going to hurt herself if she doesn’t stop.

Why can’t she see that everything I’m doing is for her own good?

I grab both of her wrists and pin them above her head by wrapping one hand around them. She kicks out and I push her leg to the side, using my weight to hold her down.

She cries in anger, frustrated with me to no end. Her hair has fallen loose around her shoulders. Her eyes are wild and dark. She’s fighting hard, and she’s so fucking sexy my cock has gone rigid against her.

My breath is tight as I stare down at her.

I want to fuck her so badly.

I want to take her, make her see that I own her.

The moment she feels my cock her eyes flare.

We stare at each other, our breathing heavy, my mind racing. Don’t do this, Nico. Control yourself—

Until I kiss her.

My lips crash against hers and I rock my body, thrusting my hips forward to push my cock against her.

The moment I kiss her, my mind goes completely silent. The racing thoughts disappear. It’s only her. There is nothing else.

She spreads her legs wider and returns the kiss with the same urgency I give it. She tilts her hips forward, moaning against my mouth, the anger turning to a wild and burning lust that is consuming both of us.

Without letting go of her wrists, one hand still locked tightly around them, I reach down and tug my pants open, freeing my cock.

My body is screaming in desperation. Every nerve ending is on fire.

She pushes her tongue into my mouth, and I taste the wine, her passion, her rage and her frustration.

I hook my finger in her panties and rip them from her body in one sharp tear. She cries out in fright, but the moment I press my cock against her soaking wet pussy she falls silent, holding her breath, anticipating the pleasure she is about to feel.

I thrust forward and my cock slides into her tight, perfect little pussy. She bucks up against me, tilting her head back. I bury my face in her neck and start pounding into her. There is no slow romance, there is no savoring the moment or the sensation—there is only raw, savage, urgent need.

Each time I slam my cock inside her she cries out with pleasure, and each time I push deeper I forget that there was ever anything to worry about.

I forget about it all. All that matters is her lying beneath me, her body against mine, my cock inside her.

Those beautiful little sounds that are slipping from her lips.

I move, rocking back and forth, the pleasure flooding us both, intensifying. I am overwhelmed with emotion, drowning in love for this girl who came into my life so unexpectedly.

This girl that I want to save.

I can’t lose her.

The world cannot be so cruel to give me someone so perfect and then take her away from me.

My cock pushes deeper, stretching her open as she wraps her legs around my waist.

Her body is shaking, her moans louder and faster.

“Are you going to come, my angel?” I whisper against her hair.

She nods, her eyes squeezed shut, her lips parted. I grab her face with my free hand and pull her lips against mine as I fuck her even faster.

Frustration, fear, love—it all comes pouring out of me until she screams my name.

The sound of my name on her lips, as the orgasm steals her away, is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard. Her body pulses and throbs beneath me, her pussy locked on to me, her muscles tight and flickering with pleasure.

I explode inside her, letting go. Letting go of everything that has been weighing on me. She takes away all my worries, all of that stress and fear.

When it’s over, I wrap her in my arms and hold her, stretched out on the sofa.

I don’t know what to say. I’m scared that any words will steal from this moment, so I stay quiet.

I hold her until she drifts off to sleep.

I wait for her breathing to be deep and peaceful, then pick her up and carry her to bed.

Wrapping the blankets around her body, I think about how delicate and beautiful she is, even though she’s strong and capable, too.

I am supposed to keep her safe. It’s my job to do that.

I won’t let her down.

***

It’s three in the morning and I can’t sleep.

The penthouse is quiet; there is no sound other than my pacing footsteps, barefoot on the heated floors.

Sera is fast asleep, and all I can think about is that I should be doing something. Instead of just being here, waiting, I should be solving the problem.

I pick up my phone and dial Luka, keeping my voice low so I don’t disturb her. I’ve thought about closing her bedroom door, but I want her close to me, not behind closed doors. Not locked away.

“Hey man, what’s up?” he says.

“You don’t sound like you were sleeping?” I ask.

“I wasn’t. Just working a bit. You? What’s the time?”

“It’s three. Can I ask you a favor?”

“Sure,” he says, sighing as though he’s standing up and stretching.

“I need to go to the office. I have some ideas about this whole mess, but I don’t want to leave Sera alone here. You heard about what Jade and Aly did?“

“I heard. Those two never listen. I’m glad you sent them home with a lecture. I also heard that none of the employees were viable suspects—”

“Yes, that’s why I want to get to the office.

And while I’m gone, I don’t want those two sisters of ours coming over again and trying to break her out.

They clearly don’t understand the danger.

Can you come sit with her until I’m back, from now until midday?

” I wait for his response, wondering if I’m overreacting or being too cautious.

But is it possible to be too cautious when the thing I’m protecting is her life?

“Yeah, I’ll bring my laptop and work from there. It’s no problem at all. I’ll see you in thirty minutes.”

I breathe a sigh of relief and hang up the phone to go get ready.

***

Luka arrives just before four, and I’m ready to leave right away. I’m anxious to get to work and sort everything out.

“She’s asleep in the guest room,” I say, keeping my voice low.

“Cool man, I’ll set up in here. I might take a nap on the sofa. But I’ll be here. If Jade and they come back, they’ll have to get through me either way.”

I smile at him, grateful for my family. Even Jade and Aly meant well when they came to ‘rescue’ her. It shows they care, too. But they put her in danger, and I can’t allow that. So, for the time being, I’m pissed off at them. But I still love them. I’ll always love those idiots.

“I’ll have my phone on me. If you need anything, shout. It’s just a precaution, man. But I feel a lot better having you here. There’s a cold beer in the fridge. I think there’s leftover pizza, too.”

“Aah. That sounds like exactly what I need. Pizza.” Luka says, pressing his hand over his stomach. “Please tell me it’s that bacon, pine nut one with the dark sauce.”

I grin. “It is.”

“Fuck yeah,” he says, happily.

I say goodbye and head down to the car. Every time I leave her, I’m anxious about it. But I have no choice. I can’t just sit at home and wait for this mess to fix itself.

I work for hours, focused and dedicated.

The tiredness hits me around eleven in the morning. I guess I’m not superhuman after all. Being awake since two or three in the morning eventually catches up with you. Apparently, three hours' sleep isn’t enough.

I pick up my phone, trying to decide if I should grab something to eat and try to push through till midday or head home and get some rest.

I’ve gotten a lot done, and I definitely have the sense that I’m getting somewhere. I’m closer to getting to the bottom of all of it. I can feel it.

Sighing, I decide I should eat something and try to get a bit more work done. As much as I want to get back to Sera, I need to use my time to the fullest.

My phone rings just as I’m walking towards the elevators.

“Luka. Hey man, how’s it going there?” I ask.

“Nico—she’s gone. She got out. I’m so fucking sorry.”

“What the fuck?” I shout in panic. “How? What the hell happened?”

“I was—she—she snuck out. I fell asleep, but—“ he stammers.

“I’m coming home. Don’t fucking move,” I snap, running towards the elevator and slamming my finger against the button.

I close my eyes and take three deep, slow breathes. I can’t freak out. It’s not Luka’s fault. I can’t keep taking my anger out on my siblings. I need them with me.

All the way home, driving back to my apartment, I keep telling myself she’s okay. I need to stay calm—she’ll be fine. I’ll talk to Luka. We can get the guys together and get out there to look for her.

It’s going to be okay.

Upstairs, Luka is in a state.

"Fuck, man,” he says, his brows knitted together and his eyes dark as I walk into the penthouse. “I’m so sorry.”

I sigh, holding up my hands. “It’s okay. Just tell me what happened.”

“I had your house key clipped to my belt. I fell asleep for maybe an hour, around nine-thirty maybe. When I woke up, it was ten-thirty. At first, I didn’t realize she was gone.

I went to warm up the rest of the pizza and realized the keys weren’t there—that’s when I noticed she was gone.

The keys were unclipped from my belt, and she had snuck out.

She’s been so quiet, just sitting in her room all morning—“

“It’s okay, man. It’s not your fault. Seriously. But we have to find her.”

Luka nods. “I called the guys. They’re already heading out with their eyes open. I’m going to check her apartment—Yilian is on his way here to look around the building and ask on the streets if anyone has seen her. We’re going to find her.”

“Okay, go, call me if you hear or see anything.”

Luka nods and runs towards the door. He tugs it open and disappears through it, leaving his laptop, notebook, and a half-finished beer on the coffee table.

I take a deep breath. Another one.

Where would she go?

Images flash through my mind, her body beneath mine, her lips parted, sweet little sounds in my ears, her skin, smooth and beautiful.

I shake the picture away.

Where would she go?

She’s on foot. I don’t know of any friends that she has in town. She doesn’t have family. She has to go home, even if only for a short while. I think Luka is right. She has to go home before she can plot out her next move.

I run from my apartment, wanting to catch up with Luka.