Page 52 of Captured Heart

But all that’s gone to shit now. John Turner is back, and he’s about to take an innocent young woman against her will. I’ve done a lot of awful things in my life. I’ve broken into houses, stolen cars, robbed jewelry stores, and I threw a punch at any poor son of a bitch who tried to stop me. But never did I think I was capable of kidnapping. How the fuck did I get caught up in this shit again?

Bowman steps closer, towering over me. “Victor said you weren’t interested in getting your hands dirty, so why are you here?”

“Vic only paid me half,” I say, forcing my voice to stay steady. “Job’s not done until it’s done. I want my full cut.”

“Always chasing the quick buck, huh, John?” Bowman grins, handing me a gun and a black ski mask.

I’m not sure why guns are necessary. She’s a defenseless woman.

“You’ve been in there,” he continues. “You wanna take us through it...for old time’s sake? That was always your area of expertise.”

I try not to sneer. Planning the heist was always my job because I was meticulous. I studied every detail of the target, could identify every weakness, and developed a plan right down to the T to make sure the job was done efficiently.

I hate that I’m slipping back into this, and worse than that, I hate that the transition is so easy. “Bowman, you take the back in case she tries to escape that way. There are cameras all along the side and around the back. If any of them pick up anything suspicious, it sends an alert, and the armed security will be here in three minutes, so you don’t move until we’re in the house. We can buy ourselves some time that way.”

I look over at the rookie in the back. He’s just a kid, barely old enough to shave, and he reminds me so much of my younger self. He has no idea how badly this world is going to corrupt him.

“Rookie,” I say, “you and I will take the front. There’s a camera right at the door, so as soon as we get in, we have three minutes to find her and get the fuck out.”

He nods, looking nervous, and his wide-eyed expression tells me he’s in way over his head.

“Wait. You’re going in?” Smith teases playfully. “You always drive the getaway car. We can swap.”

There’s no way I’m letting any of them touch her, which is why the rookie’s coming in with me and not Bowman.

“Nah, I’m good.”

“Alright, does everyone understand the plan?” Bowman asks. The other men nod and then he claps a hand on my shoulder, his grip like a vice. “Good. Let’s get this done.”

“Yeah.”

I let out a loaded breath, then hook the gun onto the back of my jeans and pull on the black ski mask.

10. Katelyn

“I’m telling you, Kate, this is going to betheparty of the semester,” Karmani’s voice rings through my phone, bright and insistent. “You can’t miss it. I won’t allow it.”

I pace back and forth in my room, one hand holding the phone to my ear, the other nervously fidgeting with my necklace. “Karmani, I really don’t feel like going out tonight. I just...I need a night to decompress.”

“You’ve been decompressing since Friday!” she says with exaggerated exasperation.

“Which was only yesterday, by the way.”

“Come on. You need this. Forget about Alex, forget about Corey, forget about school. Just one night. Let loose.”

Her words jab at the wound that’s still too raw. Forget Alex? Forget the way he looked at me like I was nothing? Forget the stinging malevolence in his voice when he said I was just a target? Ha! Easier said than done.

“I don’t know, Kar—”

“Listen to me. You’re not staying in, wallowing in self-pity. You’re going to get up, put on something that makes you look hotter than the sun, and you’re going to show the world that no man gets to make you feel small. Got it?”

I sigh, glancing at my reflection in the mirror. My face is pale. My eyes are puffy from hours of crying. She’s not wrong. If I stay here, alone with my thoughts, I’ll drive myself crazy.

“Fine,” I say reluctantly. “But I’m driving myself. No pre-party shenanigans.”

“Deal!” she chirps. “See you in an hour, babe. Don’t keep me waiting!”

I hang up and rummage through my closet, pulling out the dress I haven’t dared to wear since I bought it. It’s silver, short, and hugs my curves in all the right places. The kind of dress that screamslook at mewithout crossing intotrying too hardterritory.

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