Page 1 of Saving Meri

PROLOGUE

MERI

Chicago, Illinois

Seven Months Ago

The biting cold air caressed Meri’s bare arms as she stepped onto the tranquil street. Behind her, Chicago pulsed with life, a distant symphony of laughter and music spilling from the club's vibrant entrance. She should have worn her jacket, but she relished the chill; it was an invigorating reminder of her own vitality.

Tonight had been... fine. The scene had been fine. The Dom had been fine. Everything was just fine. And therein lay the problem.

She craved more. Something different. A night that would push her boundaries in a way that didn’t have Archer’s watchful presence hovering in the background—whether seen or unseen. She adored her brother, but his protective nature suffocated her in the world she had chosen. So she had ventured here to the Velvet Glove, away from the comforting safety net of Club Southside.

She had selected an experienced and respectful man, but ultimately, he was unremarkable. A decent scene, nothing more.

Her boots echoed with rhythmic clicks against the pavement as she made her way to her car, parked a few blocks away. The streetlight ahead flickered ominously, casting long, jagged shadows that danced across the pavement.

A van idled at the curb, its presence too still, too deliberate. A prickle of unease crept up Meri’s spine, but she kept walking, forcing herself to stay calm. She wasn’t naïve. She was cautious, always had been.

Then the door slid open—fast. Too fast.

Instinct kicked in before thought. She pivoted hard, boots skidding on the pavement, her heart slamming against her ribs as she turned to bolt the other way.

She barely made it two steps before a hand snatched her wrist, yanking her back with brutal force. An arm wrapped around her waist as another hand came up to cover her mouth and muffle her scream. The man holding her locked her in place as she twisted and kicked wildly.

“Damn, she’s a fighter,” the man grunted, adjusting his grip. “Boss was right about that.”

“Doesn’t matter,” another voice sneered, closer now. Another pair of hands gripped her shoulders, shoving her toward the open van. “She’s the one he wanted. Said she’d bring a damn good price.”

Meri thrashed harder, panic turning razor sharp, but it didn’t matter. A sudden sting in her neck—a sharp, burning prick—sent her world into a sickening spiral. Her vision blurred, darkness creeping in fast.

She gasped, her world spinning wildly out of control. The pavement rushed toward her, but she never felt its cold embrace. Strong hands seized her, dragging her into the enveloping darkness before her consciousness slipped away entirely.

The last thing she heard before everything went black was a satisfied chuckle.

“Night, night, sweetheart. You belong to us now.”

When Meri awoke, a sharp sense of foreboding settled over her immediately. A dull ache throbbed in her shoulders, and she felt the painful pinch of her wrists bound behind her back—not by leather cuffs or rope, but by the cold, unyielding grip of metal. Her heart pounded violently, each beat reverberating in her throat like a primal drum. The air hung thick around her, stale and oppressive, saturated with the acrid tang of sweat and the palpable fear—fear that was not solely her own, but shared by others unseen.

Fighting against the rising tide of panic, she forced herself to focus. The room was dim, illuminated only by a flickering lightbulb that cast a sickly, jaundiced glow from the ceiling above. The walls were rough and unadorned, constructed of cold, unforgiving cement. Was it a warehouse? A basement? The possibilities churned in her mind.

The sound of footsteps echoed ominously from beyond the heavy door, each step a forewarning of what lay ahead. The lock clicked with a decisive finality that sent a shiver down her spine. She tensed as a figure entered the room, moving with a languid grace that suggested he had all the time in the world. His hands remained casually in his pockets, his face obscured in shadow, revealing nothing.

He spoke not a word, instead choosing to study her with an unnerving intensity. Her stomach twisted in knots, yet she forced herself to meet his gaze unflinchingly, determined to show no hint of weakness.

“You’re used to this, aren’t you?” His voice was calm, laced with a disconcerting hint of amusement that chilled her to the core.

Meri set her jaw, refusing to respond.

“You should know there is a key difference between the games you have played in the past and the reality that now awaits you,” he continued, tilting his head slightly. “No safe words. No limits. You belong to us now.”

The floor seemed to tilt beneath her, a vertiginous shift that mirrored the turmoil within her. The fear was genuine, a suffocating force that clawed at her throat, threatening to engulf her completely. The man was right. This was no game—this was a nightmare.

1

BEAR

The underground auction thrived on silence. Not the absence of sound—no; the room buzzed with quiet conversation, the occasional clink of crystal tumblers, and the discreet exchange of obscene amounts of money. But beneath it all was something colder. Calculated. A silence that came from power, the kind bought and sold between men who believed they were untouchable.

---