Page 38 of Fear

Sofia was out there. Alone, afraid. And whoever had taken her had just made the worst fucking mistake of their lives.

Chapter 16

The van rattled over the uneven road, its engine growling low like a caged beast. Every bump sent a fresh wave of pain through Sofia’s body, but she refused to react. She wouldn’t give them the satisfaction.

Her wrists burned from the zip ties cutting into her skin, her fingers numb from the lack of circulation.

She was bruised, sore, but she was still breathing. For now. The men surrounding her sat in silence, their faces shadowed by the dim glow of the dashboard lights.

But she could feel their eyes on her. Hungry, cold, unrelenting. She recognized one of them. Markus.

He had worked for Jason Rodes for years. A vicious, sadistic bastard who enjoyed hurting people more than he enjoyed getting paid, and now?

He was staring at her like a man who had been given a new toy. Sofia clenched her jaw, keeping her expression blank. She wouldn’t let them see her fear. Wouldn’t let them smell the panic clawing at her chest, because she knew these types of men and they could sense weakness.

The van screeched to a halt, dust swirling up into the air, before she could brace herself, rough hands grabbed her, yanking her out. She barely had time to plant her feet before a sharp shove sent her stumbling forward.

The world tilted, the bright lights of the compound nearly blinding her. It wasn’t a warehouse, not some run-down drug den—it was an estate. Jason Rodes lived well. Tall iron gates loomed in the distance, the driveway lined with black SUVs and motorcycles. But the men standing guard? They weren’t just employees. They were enforcers, and every single one of them was armed.

“Move.”

She gets shoved between her shoulder blades, she sucked in a breath, forcing herself to walk forward, because this wasn’t about escaping right now. This was about surviving, for now.

The doors to the estate swung open, revealing a lavish interior, all polished marble and expensive leather, and at the centre of it all—Jason Rodes.

He sat behind a massive desk, legs kicked up, swirling a glass of whiskey in one hand. His dark eyes flicked up as she was dragged in, a slow smile curling his lips.

“Sofia.”

She clenched her fists. “Jason.”

He sighed, setting the glass down. “Now, sweetheart, this isn’t how I imagined our reunion.”

Her skin crawled at the condescension in his voice.

She straightened her spine. “Let me go.”

Jason chuckled, shaking his head. “You think I’d go through all this trouble just to let you walk away?”

She held his stare, her heart hammering, but her voice steady. “I don’t work for you anymore.”

The air shifted. The amusement in Jason’s eyes flickered—then vanished. His jaw tightened. “That’s where you’re wrong, darling.”

He stood, walking around the desk, his movements slow, controlled. Predatory.

“You don’t just quit when you know what you know.” His voice dropped to a near whisper. “When you’ve seen what you’ve seen.”

Sofia lifted her chin. “I didn’t see anything.”

Jason laughed. “Oh, come on, Sofia. Let’s not insult each other.”

He took another step closer, close enough that she could smell the expensive cologne, the whiskey, the danger.

“I trusted you.” His voice was quiet now, almost intimate. “And now you want to leave?”

She forced herself not to flinch, not to back down. “Yes.”

Jason studied her for a long moment. Then—he smiled. It wasn’t a nice smile. “That’s a shame.”

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