Page 12 of Merciless Proposal

“At least they weren’t trafficking women!” The words burn as they leave my mouth. Anger surges in my chest. “What would have happened to those girls if Jace and his crew hadn’t stopped it?”

“I don’t care about them!” Jen snaps, her face twisted in rage. “I’m more concerned with the money we lost because of you.”

Before I can react, Jen lunges, grabbing my wrists and yanking me down. The sudden force takes me completely by surprise, and I hit the ground hard. My breath leaves me in a gasp as she wrestles me to the floor. I struggle, trying to push her off, but she’s too fast, too strong.

She drags my arm behind my back, and her knee presses into my spine with a sharp, painful pressure. I gasp, my body screaming in protest, but I can’t break free. Her grip tightens on my other arm, and before I know it, I’m completely restrained, unable to move.

“Natalia,” she chides, her voice mocking and cruel. “You’re supposed to be better than this. You had all those opportunities, all those gifts handed to you on a silver platter. The least you could’ve done was make something of it. I know your dad didn’t skimp on those self-defense classes. But I guess you weren’t paying attention, were you?”

“Get off of me!” I scream, my body thrashing beneath her, desperate to break free. I refuse to be helpless. “Jen, let me go! Now!”

“Or what?” Jen sneers, leaning down until her mouth is nearly at my ear. “You’ll call… oh, what was his name again? Jace? You’ll call Jace.”

I refuse to give her the satisfaction of a response, and with everything I’ve got, I buck up, throwing my body against hers, nearly sending her flying off of me. She grunts in frustration, her grip tightening, her stiletto nails sinking into my skin. Her knee digs harder into my back, and I cry out in pain.

“Would you come help me?” she breathes, almost out of breath herself from our struggle. “She’s wiggly, and you’re stronger than me.”

That’s when I see my regular guard’s boots. He crouches down in front of me, ripping off a strip of duct tape and slapping it across my mouth before moving swiftly to my feet.

My legs are tied together quickly, the cords biting into my skin. I fight against it, but the pain just sharpens. Then, he moves to my hands, binding them tightly behind my back. I clench my teeth, my ankles rubbing painfully together under the rough bindings.

With no way to escape, the fight drains from me. The weight of reality settles heavily. I’m going back to my father, and I know what that means. Jen’s right—I’ve cost them too much. I’ve ruined everything. My father will never forgive me for betraying him. No one will.

The man hoists me up in his arms, and as I hang limply, I cast one last, hopeless glance at the door of Jace’s penthouse. I curse myself for not staying inside, for not listening to that instinct telling me to hide. This is my fault. All of it. Every bit of pain and fear I’m about to face, I brought it on myself.

I entertain a flicker of hope, a faint thought that Jace might come looking for me, but I quickly squash it. I know better. There’s no knight in shining armor. There’s just this.

And as they carry me away, I wonder if it’ll be over soon. But deep down, I know better. This will not be quick. I’ll endure whatever they have in store until my body can’t take it anymore.

Chapter Nine

JACE

When we arrived at my apartment, it was empty—just as I feared. Natalia was gone. The anonymous caller likely already had her by the time we were on the phone. A knot tightens in my stomach, but Red’s already working the angles.

“There’s an abandoned building nearby,” Red says, speaking to me and the driver. “It’s been quiet for months, but one of our informants saw people going in and out today.”

“That’s where they are,” I growl, grinding my teeth.

It doesn’t take long to reach the building, and before we’ve even come to a complete stop, I’m already out of the car. Red’s footsteps follow behind me, but I barely register him. The only thing on my mind is getting to Natalia—getting her away from these monsters who’ve had their hands on her too long.

I kick the door in and step inside, gun drawn. My eyes scan the room, locking onto a man standing over Natalia, bound and helpless. I don’t hesitate. I fire a shot into his leg, the sound of it ringing through the building. He yells in pain, falling to the floor. But I’m not done. I fire again.

I know it’s excessive, but I’m too far gone. My vision is a haze of red. There are tears on Natalia’s face, and her wrists and ankles are wrapped tightly in duct tape. I feel my anger boil over.

They did this to her. How dare they? No matter what’s happened, she’s their family. She was supposed to be family. These men are worse than I thought. Anyone who could hurt their own flesh and blood deserves to die, and anyone who follows orders like this deserves to bleed.

“What the hell?!” a woman’s voice rings out.

I pivot toward the sound, just in time to see Red take her down. She fights him, but it’s futile. Red’s a mountain of a man, and she’s no match for him. Her cries for mercy are hollow to me, though I know my brother. He’s never rough with women, even when they’re enemies.

Once I see that the building is clear, I rush toward Natalia. Dropping to my knees beside her, I holster my gun and pull out my pocket knife. I cut through the duct tape with quick, deliberate motions, my hands careful not to cause her more pain.

“This is going to hurt a little,” I say softly, my voice apologetic as I remove the tape from her mouth. She winces, making a small noise of discomfort, and I gently rub at the raw skin around her mouth. “I’m sorry, Natalia. I would have done it differently if I could.”

She doesn’t say anything—just throws herself into me, her arms and legs locking around me in a desperate grip. Her body shakes, and I can feel the raw fear and panic she’s been holding back flood through her. I wrap my arms around her, rubbing her back as gently as I can. She needs to know, without a doubt, that I’m here now. I’m never leaving her like this again.

“Yo, Jace,” Red calls out, his voice cutting through the tension. He’s holding the woman he took down, walking her over to us. “What the hell should we do with her?”

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