Big mistake.
I let my breathing falter. Just once. A hitch. Enough to sell panic.
One of them noticed.
“Hey,” a voice snapped. “She’s fading.”
Footsteps. A hand on my shoulder.
“Stay with us, Miss Hart.”
That’s when I moved.
I slammed my heels forward, hard—caught the edge of the seat frame, jerked sideways, and twisted with everything I had. The wire inside the cuff bit into my wrist, skin tearing, pain flashing white-hot—
—but the plastic cracked.
I rolled out of the seat as the guard shouted, bodies colliding in the narrow aisle. Someone reached for me. Someone else swore loudly.
I ducked low, pivoted, and drove my shoulder into a knee.
Bones met bone.
A howl filled the cabin.
I yanked the hood off and sucked in air, lungs burning. The interior snapped into focus—dim red lighting, cargo netting, four men, all suddenly very awake.
I grabbed the nearest weapon.
A mistake.
The butt of a rifle slammed into my ribs.
Pain exploded through my side, breath tearing from my chest as I hit the floor hard. Hands dragged me back, boots pinning my legs. My half-broken cuff was gone—lost somewhere beneath the seats.
“Restrain her!” someone barked.
They did.
Tighter this time. Wrists wrenched behind my back, zip ties cinched until fire raced up my arms. A knee pressed between my shoulders, crushing.
I tasted blood.
But I smiled anyway.
“Didn’t take you for the quiet type,” one of them muttered.
I lifted my head just enough to meet his eyes.
“Tell your boss,” I rasped, “that Pierce is already closer than he thinks.”
His face drained of color.
The man above us cursed. “Sedate her. Now.”
The needle slid into my arm before I could fight again. Cold burned through my veins, heavy and fast.
As the world tilted sideways, I focused on one thing—
