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His eyes darkened. “Clearly, it wasn't enough when you still ran.”

I smirked. “Because you had it all wrong. It was your fault for thinking fear would surpass the instinct to survive. Clearly, you need to learn a thing—”

He struck me across the face. Hard. A sharp pain exploded on my face. The room spun. For a second, I couldn’t hear anything. My cheek burned, and I tasted blood.

Derek stared at me. Almost disappointed. “And you haven't learned. Have the weeks apart softened you? You're still fighting.”

I lifted my head slowly. And I spat in his face.

He gasped, shifting back in shock. He brought his hand to wipe off the saliva, and I smiled. His expression changed.

“You really don’t understand what’s happening here, do you?” he asked now as he wiped his face. “You think Knox can protect you?”

My heart tightened. I refused to believe a world where he couldn't.

“You think that biker is going to save you?” Derek laughed. “You’re pathetic.”

The words would have hurt once. Now they just made me tired.

“You’re so pathetic. Always looking for someone to save you. Nobody is coming to save you, Wren. You ran from one cage and jumped into another.”

“No,” I countered. My voice was barely above a whisper. “This one has a door.”

Something flashed in his eyes. Then he grabbed my arm. “Get up.”

I resisted. “Derek—”

“You should have listened.”

He pulled harder, loosening the ropes enough to pull me with them. “Do you know how embarrassing this has been?” I stumbled as he dragged me upright. “People asking where my fiancée is.” His grip tightened. “People wondering why I couldn’t keep my own woman.”

I tried fighting, but my hands were tied. I was doing everything to resist him. “You’re not taking me anywhere.”

His smile returned. “Oh, I am.”

My blood ran cold. “Where?”

He leaned closer. “Somewhere nobody knows you.” My breathing stopped. Somewhere you won’t have Knox.”

The way he said it made my skin crawl.

“You’ll disappear, Wren.”

A tear slipped down my face as I understood the gravity of his words. He used to say it all the time: how he would make me disappear if I didn't listen to him. And now, he was going to make good on his promises.

Derek pulled me until we were outside. It wasn't until then that I realized where we were. A private hangar. A small plane waited nearby.

My stomach dropped. No. He wasn’t just hiding me. He was removing me. Taking me somewhere I couldn’t run.

Derek pulled me forward. “Keep moving.”

My legs felt weak. Hot tears slid down my face faster now. If I got on that plane, there was no turning back. I would never come back here. He would make sure of that.

That was when I heard it. At first, I thought I imagined it.

A low rumble. Then another. Louder. Growing by the seconds. Derek stopped too, looking confused, checking everywhere. The men around him looked toward the entrance.

The sound grew louder. My heart started pounding because I recognized them. That familiar rumble. Motorcycles—a lot of them.