Page 3 of His Fury

At the center of the room, half hidden in shadows, stood a man.

NotZayn.

Despite the situation, the surge of relief I felt when I realized it wasn’t him made my knees weak, and I almost stumbled.

The man turned slowly as we approached, a smile curling on his lips. He was tall and broad with hair slicked back and eyes dark and sharp with amusement. I hadn’t expected him to be handsome. I was expecting an ogre. A beast of a man. Instead, this guy looked…cultured.

“Isla Wells,” he greeted. His voice was smooth and warm like poisoned honey, and his appearance was immaculate in a well-tailored suit. “You’re shorter than I expected.”

I gritted my teeth. “Who the hell are you? Why am I here?”

The man chuckled, a rich, lazy sound that set my nerves on edge. “A friend of a friend,” he drawled, his dark eyes glittering with a sinister light. “I must say, your description doesn’t do you justice. You are a beautiful-looking woman.”

I ignored the spike of fear as he looked me over, slower, more deliberate. “I asked why am I here?”

“Collateral.”

My blood turned to ice. Collateral?

“Collateral? For what?”

“You mean who?” He was laughing at me, and somehow that scared me more.

“You’ve got the wrong person,” I snapped at him, masking my fear with defiance. “I don’t know who you thinkI’m friends with or what you think I’m collateralfor, but whatever it is, it hasnothingto do with me.”

The man’s smile widened, showing all of his teeth. “Oh, but it has everything to do with you.” He stepped forward, his fingers trailing over the edge of a wooden crate, and I hoped the bastard got a splinter. “You see, your friend has a nasty habit of keeping his secrets close to his chest. I just figured…borrowing something of his might speed things along.”

My hands trembled, nails digging into my palms hard enough to draw blood. “I’m not anyone’s anything,” I spat. “I’m no one.”

He laughed again, dark and mocking. “Keep telling yourself that, sweetheart.” He nodded to the two guys on either side of me, and they stepped forward, their hands curling around my arms.

I struggled, heart hammering. “Get off me!”

The man just watched, his eyes cold and amused. “No, I don’t think so. You stay here until I get what I’m owed. I’d behave if I were you. You won’t like it if I get angry.”

The guys who’d grabbed me pulled me back, dragging me to a door on the far side of the warehouse. The low heels of my boots scraped against the concrete, and my breaths came in short, shallow gasps as I fought the panic rising within me.

No, no, no?—

I twisted, kicking, my nails clawing at hands and arms, but they didn’t even flinch. The door opened, complete darkness greeted me, and they shoved me inside.

I hit the ground hard, my knees cracking against the concrete with a bolt of pain. The door slammed shut behind me, leaving me alone in the pitch-black, breaths loud and gasping in the sudden silence.

My teeth were chattering as shock crashed over me. Myhands were shaking so badly I couldn’t push myself up off the ground. My eyes were useless in the complete darkness. I needed to get out of here.

How?Think, Isla. Think.

But all I could think of was Zayn—he hadn’t done this. Had he? Why would they take me because of Zayn? Who even knew I had been involved with him? No one.

Julian.

I squeezed my eyes shut, fury mingling with helplessness, as I ignored the tears running down my face while the certainty of sudden understanding settled over me like a weight.

Julian owed money.

Alotof money.

I squeezed my eyes shut tighter, my fingers pressing into the concrete until they ached.

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