“Let me go!”
“Hmm. Tempting. But I never claimed to be the good guy.” His brow furrowed for a moment before a slow grin cut across his face. “Now, this has been fun—really—but, you know… duty calls.” His fingers curled around my necklace, giving it a sharp tug. The chain snapped against my skin, the sudden sting making me flinch as he dangled it between his fingers, studying the pendant. “Now this looks like real gold. Maybe it’s worth something.”
“You’re going to regret this,” I snarled, my wrists aching from how hard I pulled against the restraints.
Ryder looked around, arms wide. “Sorry, but I can’t seem to find any fucks to give.”
“You seriously can’t be this heartless, can you?” My voice became shrill when he didn’t respond, instead studying his phone. “Ryder?”
“Sorry, blondie, I think it’s my time to go.”
“Wait!” The word ripped out of me, bouncing off the concrete walls until it sounded like a hundred voices screaming back.
The place was some kind of warehouse, abandoned if I went by the cobwebs and dust. There was a breeze, but if it was cold I couldn’t feel it. My body was too numb.
“Please wait. You can’t just leave me! You heartless arse?—”
A rag was shoved between my teeth, his touch harsh as he quickly secured it with tape. I grunted, thrashing, tears and snot smearing against his palm when I tried to wrench my head away. But his grip was relentless, one hand in my hair to keep me in place while the other brushed against my cheek, almost gentle.
“You’re so pretty when you cry,” he whispered, leaning down to press his lips against the tape blocking mine. “I warned you before, Violet. I’m far from the hero.”
With a wink, he turned, and I could do nothing but scream, the sound muffled.
He left me alone, with nothing but the insects, the birds and ghosts, who were all probably mocking my stupidity.
Panic crept up on me, heavy and suffocating, pressing down on my chest until every breath felt like I was draggingair through cement. The ropes pressed around my wrists, biting each time I pulled. Still, I managed the smallest wiggle, a shift just enough to remind me of the weight in my palm.
I breathed through my nose, listening to the wind, and then the distant rain to calm myself. My fingers pressed against the hard object, a strange ridge down the centre that opened when I added pressure.
But it was no use; I had no idea what it was. It could be a strange rock for all I knew, considering Ryder’s sense of humour was childish at best. Tugging my wrists, I felt them move slightly, as if the rope was slowly loosening.
I calmed myself, my pulse a jackhammer as I slowly wiggled, easing the knots until I managed to…
Footsteps, and my head jerked up to find three men walking towards me. Two stopped by the door, while the third man, a blond with pinched eyes, approached with sure steps. He said nothing as he leaned down, using a blade to cut the straps off the dress Ryder must have put me in. The fabric pooled low on my waist, revealing my breasts to the room.
A bird squawked, the breeze finally registering on my skin as a terrified shiver involuntarily rocked my body. The stranger pulled me forward, my arms screaming as they were caught behind as he pressed a finger to my shoulder, right above my birthmark.
Stepping back, he stared at me a moment before reaching for his phone.“Sie ist es.”
He didn’t speak again, the receiver too quiet for me to hear, not that I understood anyway. Another shiver caught me, and he nodded to one of the two men. One approached, cutting the restraints from my wrists and legs.
“Any sudden movements, and we’ll restrain you again,” he said with a distinctive East End accent. “Understood?”
I pulled the ruined dress up with a nod, and he ripped the tape off my mouth in a single movement. My skin stung, but I swallowed back a whimper, waiting for him to resume his position by the door before I spat out the cloth and subtly opened my palm.
Ryder had left me his knife.
“Ja, wir nehmen sie jetzt mit,”the leader said, his tone cold before he clicked off the handset. “We have our instructions.” He spoke over his shoulder, talking to the two other men.
“Hans Jürgen, what do you want to do about Geraldine Hoffman?”
I sat up straighter at the mention of mum, that name strange to hear.
The man named Jürgen turned to face me, his eyes hard. “We’ll find her,” he said. “And when we do, I’m sure the boss will want to kill her himself.”
Chapter 36
Ryder
