Page 120 of Power & Punishment

“We’re not here to kill you,” he says, his voice grating against my ears. “If you come with us willingly, no one gets hurt.”

I scoff, keeping my gun raised. “I’ve heard that one before.”

The intruder’s eyes gleam underneath his mask. “Very well,” he begins, taking a step forward. “I like a woman that plays hard to get.”

I sneer at him, but before I can respond, chaos erupts.

Keith lunges for the metal chair beside him, causing one of the men to fire their gun. The sound explodes through the warehouse, and the distraction gives Keith the opportunity to throw the chair, buying us a half second to sprint toward the side exit.

“Run!”

I pump my legs as hard as I can, concrete pounding underneath my boots and my breath rattling inside my lungs.

Another gunshot goes off, exploding the glass window beside us. I cover my face to block the glass shards, stumbling a little. Keith grabs my arm and yanks me upright.

We make it through the exit and almost onto the loading dock before another man appears around the corner. I slam straight into him.

A strong arm locks me against the man’s chest. I thrash my head against him, kicking and screaming. Anything to get free. But then a gloved hand clamps over my mouth, silencing me.

Keith is stuck in place, staring at me, but I can hear footsteps getting closer. I plead with my eyes for him to run, but it’s too late.

One of the men from inside emerges and drives the butt of their gun into Keith’s temple. His entire body goes limp before collapsing to the ground.

Terror rips through me, and I can feel angry tears welling up. I force them back inside as a scream dies against the palm of the hand crushed over my mouth.

“Are we taking him too?” one of the masked men asks.

I can feel my captor nod his head before he bends down close to my ear. “We’re going to need something to make you behave, aren’t we, sweetheart?”

I groan, narrowing my eyes. He lets down his guard long enough for me to fling back my head as hard as I can. The hit lands, but it’s not enough to make him release his hold.

“Fucking, bitch,” he mutters. “Now I don’t feel bad about this,” he says right before something sharp presses into my neck.

A harsh coldness spreads through my veins, and soon I can’t feel my legs or hands. Every part of my body feels heavy and lifeless.

Next, the warehouse blurs and the darkness seeps in.

I try to fight the drowsiness, but whatever they gave me is too powerful.

Instead, I focus on the last thing I see before everything goes black.

Leo.

Everything hurts.

That’s the first thought that pops into my head.

The second?

Why is this ogre of a man staring at me like I’m his next meal? I’m guessing this is the douchebag who caused Leo’s accident.

Fuck.

Leo.

If Adrian touched even a hair on his head, I’m going to⁠—

“Rise and shine, sweetheart,” a familiar voice singsongs somewhere out of my line of sight. My hands and feet are bound, but I force myself to a sitting position. Which is a mistake because as soon as I’m upright, the room spins.