Page 123 of Nails

The guy was talking, saying disgusting things, but she barely registered the words.She was too busy calculating.Her right wrist was still cuffed to the headboard.Her left hand?Free.And under the pillow.

Her fingers tightened around the handle of the knife.The woman, whoever she was, had been real.

“You don’t have to make this difficult,” the man said, his voice slick and smug.He climbed up on the bed and straddled her waist.“I paid good money for you.”

“You bought a fantasy, not a fight,” Riley spat.

His smirk faltered right before Riley struck.

With a guttural cry, she pulled the knife out and slashed the blade across his forearm as he reached for her.Blood spurted, and he howled, stumbling back with a roar of rage.But she wasn’t done.She twisted her body, yanking against the cuff with everything she had.It didn’t give.No matter.She adjusted her angle, braced her knee, and slashed again, catching him across the thigh.

“You little—!”

He lunged at her.She dodged, but not fast enough, and he grabbed her by the hair, yanking hard.Pain shot through her scalp, but the adrenaline had taken over now.She stabbed blindly and caught something soft.He let go with a shriek and staggered back again, bleeding and swearing.The other man rushed in, but Riley picked up the vase next to the bed and flung it at his head before he could get close.It bought her seconds.

Seconds, she prayed, would be enough.

“Go!Go!Go!”Bear shouted.

The door to the compound exploded inward with a thunderous crack as Nails and the team swept through the foggy perimeter.Smoke grenades hissed.Boots thundered over marble floors.Commands were shouted in Mandarin and English.The chaos was deafening.

But all Nails heard was her name pounding in his skull—Riley.

They had tracked her AirTag to the far end of the estate, where it was isolated and overlooking the cliffside.A perfect place to hide a high-profile prize.His jaw clenched as he moved with lethal precision down the main corridor, sweeping each room alongside Bear and Joker.

He couldn’t stop thinking about that auction photo.By the time they landed in Hainan, he was informed that the winning bidder had paid one point eight million for her.

Over my dead body.

“Second floor, east wing!”one of the Hong Kong officers called.

Nails didn’t wait.He bolted up the stairs, his rifle tight in his grip, Bear right behind him.

“Breach on your signal,” Bear muttered.

Nails didn’t even wait.He kicked the door.

The room burst open to reveal two men.One was already bleeding, shirt torn, holding his arm, and the other was holding what looked like a gun, and walking toward Riley.

Riley was handcuffed, holding a knife in one hand and covered in blood.Hopefully, none of it was hers.

“DOWN!”Nails roared.

The second man turned his weapon, but Joker’s shot rang out first, dropping him instantly.The other tried to run, but Bear tackled him to the floor, fists flying.

Nails didn’t even hear it all.He was already at Riley’s side.

“Jesus, Riley,” he breathed, dropping to his knees as she sagged back in relief.

“You took your sweet time,” she rasped with a broken laugh, then flinched when she tried to pull her arm down, but the cuff yanked it back.

“Hang on, sweetheart.”Nails grabbed the knife from her shaking hand and used it to pop the cuff around her wrist.Her wrist was raw.His chest burned seeing it.

“Are you hurt anywhere else?”he asked, looking her over.

“No.The blood is from him,” she said, motioning to the guy that Bear had taken down.

She didn’t cry.She didn’t break.She reached for him instead.And Nails didn’t hesitate.He pulled her into his arms, holding her like he’d never let go again.