and grabbed my earbuds. Maybe some quiet background music would help me get to sleep tonight. I closed my eyes and hoped that the soundtrack to the Nutcracker would bring me nothing but ballet dreams.
I must have drifted off at some point, because the next thing I knew, I was sleepily blinking my eyes. I thought I heard a scuffling noise, but didn’t see anything, so it must have been my imagination. I closed my eyes again and tried to go back to sleep. I was such a wimp that I couldn’t even manage to sleep in a room by myself. I turned on my side and snuggled deeper into my covers.
My eyes flew open when I felt a large weight land on my bed next to me. Before I could scream, a hand was covering my mouth. I scratched at him, but the man climbed on top of me, one knee on either side of my torso. I tried to kick at him, but a second man took hold of my legs.
Neither of them spoke as they rapidly bound and gagged me. I tried to scream and fight, but they were too smooth and efficient, not to mention, strong. Tears of frustration were forming in my eyes, but I held in my sobs. Being a terrified weakling wouldn’t help me. I needed to be smart and bide my time for an opening.
One of the men lifted me over his shoulder and held me tightly in place. My heart pounded, but I tried to think rationally. Was this a couple of men from the Bratva? Had they finally made their move? I never expected them to follow me outside of New York. How had they gotten in here?
My captor silently carried me down the hall along with his partner, and I started to panic again. What would happen to me if they managed to get me out of the house? I tried screaming again, but my muffled cries weren’t strong enough for anyone but my kidnappers to hear.
Even if someone heard me, who would come to my rescue? Maverik and Kingston would probably be delighted to have me suddenly disappear from their lives. My mother would be relieved that she didn’t have to miss spa trips and pretend to care about me. Ryan would think that I just moved on with my new life if I never called him again. This time, the tears were impossible to fight. As they carried me down the stairs, I tried throwing my bodyweight around and kicking, hoping to put my captor off balance. It didn’t work, because he just gripped me tighter.
Now, my brain was running away with all the different scenarios that could happen next. I might be murdered, tortured, sold into slavery, or maybe held for ransom. The Bratva wasn’t known for their kindness, and Sergei wouldn’t take mercy on me, just because we were distantly related by blood.
I twisted my wrists in the zip tie that held them bound together, but it was too tight for me to slip out of. The motion rubbed my wrists raw, and the hard plastic cut into my flesh, drawing blood.
The man carried me outside, his companion sticking close. However, instead of throwing me into the trunk of a car, they carried me toward the wooded area of Richard’s property. I wracked my brain to remember what Nina told me about what was out here. She said the landscaping was only a small part of the land, and the rest was used as a barrier to the outside. It looked like I was about to be killed and buried within sight of my new home.
I renewed my struggles, because if I were about to die, I had nothing to lose. I would fight with every last breath that I had. I kicked wildly and bucked my entire body as I attempted to loosen the man’s hold on me.
He grunted as I managed to land a kick, but then abruptly lowered me to the ground. I was a little shocked that he did so gently, instead of just dropping me from shoulder height.
I wasn’t willing to give up or miss an opportunity for escape, so I leaned back and aimed a kick at his knee. He cursed, and the second man laughed.
I froze when I recognized that voice and laugh.
“Kingston! Maverik!”
Of course, my indignant shouting just came out as incomprehensible, muffled mumbling, but I was beyond furious. Those two idiots had me convinced that I