Page 28 of Hero's Heart

If she did that, if she gave up, she would die.

“Come on, Sloane,” she whispered. “You can do this. You have to.”

Yes, you can, angel. You can do it.

Her mom’s voice in her head gave her the strength she needed. Taking a deep breath, she bolted from her hiding spot, feet pounding against the dirt. The fence loomed closer witheach stride, her beacon of hope in the darkness. The cold air whipped against her face as she ran, ignoring the protests of her battered body.

Her breaths came in ragged gasps, but she pushed herself harder. She was going to make it.

Suddenly, a spotlight blazed to life, bathing the area in harsh white light. Sloane’s heart plummeted as shouts erupted behind her.

“There! Stop her!”

Panic surged, lending her impossible speed. She reached the fence, her fingers grasping desperately at the rusty links. As she began to climb, a rough arm seized her waist, yanking her back.

“No!” She kicked wildly. “Let me go!”

“Trying to get away from me,bábika?”

Her heart thudded wildly at the sound of Nikola’s voice. She couldn’t let him take her. She fought as hard as she could, thrashing her arms and throwing her head back. Distantly, she heard him curse as something she did hurt him, but it wasn’t enough to make him release her.

Two guards stepped forward to help, but Nikola yelled something in their direction, stopping them. Sloane was running out of steam, her struggles becoming weaker. Nikola spun her around, and without warning, his hand cracked across her face, the force of the blow sending her stumbling. Immediately, he grabbed her by the shoulder, fingers digging into her skin, yanking her back up again.

“You think to make a fool out of me in front of my men? First by trying to escape, and now by fighting me?”

He backhanded her again, and she tasted blood on the inside of her cheek. She still tried to pull away from him.

He shook his head. “Don’t worry, little doll. You will learn manners.”

The guards stepped back as he dragged her toward one of the main houses. Nikola shoved her through the door of an office where Jakob stood waiting, his face contorted with fury.

“Look who I found.” There was a note of pride in Nikola’s voice as he pushed Sloane farther into the room, but he kept a grip on her. “The other one got away, but I caught this one.”

Jakob slammed his fist onto the desk. “Fool! This one is useless. We can’t make the trade with her. We only get paid when we trade the other.”

As the brothers faced off, Sloane darted her gaze around the room, searching for anything she could use to escape. But with Nikola’s fingers digging into her collarbone, she knew her chances were slim.

“The other one is gone,” Nikola replied. “Our men were not able to catch the car.”

Nikola’s calm words did nothing but infuriate Jakob further. “Then we have nothing! No payment. We need to figure out why this happened. It shouldn’t have happened.”

Nikola shrugged. “We’ll find another rich American to kidnap, like you said. But this one is mine now, Jakob. I want to keep her.”

It took everything Sloane had to force herself not to blanch.

Jakob’s face twisted with disgust. “We’re not here to play house with hostages. This is about money. About business.”

Sloane’s stomach churned as she listened to them argue over her fate. She tried to make herself as small as possible, as if doing so might make them forget she was there.

“I know.” Nikola’s tone was irritated.

“William Getty refuses to pay,” Jakob spat. “She’s worthless to us now. We need to cut our losses and get rid of her.”

She whimpered as Nikola’s grip on her arm tightened painfully. “No! I will keep her.”

“This isn’t a game, Nikola!” Jakob shouted, his face reddening. “You’re not ready to lead if you can’t make tough decisions.”

Nikola’s voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. “I am ready to lead. I am someone to be respected.”

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