Page 78 of Defending What's Mine

Asher.

I close my eyes, willing myself not to fall apart. Not yet.

Minutes stretch like hours in the stifling cabin. Melanie dozes fitfully against my shoulder, worn down by fear and exhaustion. I stroke her hair absently, mind racing through every possible outcome. None of them are any good.

Then the door clicks open.

I tense, bracing instinctively.

An older man steps inside, flanked by two silent guards. He moves with deliberate grace, silver hair slicked back, sharp dark eyes missing nothing. His tailored navy suit hangs perfectly on his lean frame. It’s the same man who Diego was talking to earlier.

“Good evening, ladies,” he says smoothly, voice rich with an unplaceable accent. “I apologize for the accommodations.”

I swallow hard, finding my voice. “Who are you?”

A cold smile. “Felix Castillo.”

The name sends a tremor through me. Even I know that name—whispers of cartel ties, rumored to operate across borders, impossible to trace. I feel Melanie stiffen beside me. She obviously recognizes the name too. Who doesn’t know whoheis?

“And what do you want with us?” I ask, forcing calm into my voice though my hands shake.

Felix studies us with faint amusement. “Want? Oh, I’ve already beenpaidhandsomely for the both of you.”

Melanie’s breath hitches audibly. I grip her tighter. “Paid bywho?”

Felix chuckles softly, shaking his head. “That is of no concern to you. A certain sheikh has expressed considerable interest.”

Ice floods my veins. “You’re going to ransom us?”

“Ransom? No.” He smiles again, shark-like. “Your fate has already been purchased. You are merely in transit.”

He sold us off to some sheikh? I want to cry, but I’m too scared to even shed one single tear.

I stare at him, bile rising in my throat. The casual tone with which he speaks of us—as if we are property—makes my skin crawl.

“My family will pay whatever you want to bring us home safely,” I say quickly, desperate to anchor some leverage. “Whatever the buyer offered, they’ll double it.”

Felix’s smile widens, but it holds no warmth. “Tempting. But the buyer values discretion above all else. This is no longerabout money, Miss Lane. It is abouthonor. Appearances. The contracts are already sealed.”

My breath shudders out of me. The small thread of hope I’d clung to snaps cleanly.

Beside me, Melanie shivers violently, silent tears streaking her face.

“You can’t do this,” I whisper, hating the pleading note creeping into my voice. “They’ll find us.”

Felix’s gaze sharpens, his tone turning cool. “They will try. But by the time they discover where you’ve gone, you will be far, far beyond their reach.”

With that, he turns on his polished heel, guards falling into step behind him. The door clicks shut once more, leaving us in suffocating silence.

I clutch Melanie tightly as her sobs break free. I want to cry too. But I can’t afford to. Not yet.

We huddle together on the narrow bunk, hope ebbing away with the tide.

And for the first time since this nightmare began, I can’t stop the thought spiraling through my mind—What if Asher can’t find us in time? What if he never does?

38

Asher

---