Chapter 1
Twelve Years Later
Unfortunately, I wasn’t going to bleed to death.
The big gash in my temple had finally closed up after trickling blood down my face for hours. If it’d been anyone else, I would’ve called that a good sign, but for me?
There was a damn good chance I was better off dying in the dark.
I leaned my head back, letting it thud against the metal wall. The empty safe was barely large enough for me to sit with my legs crossed. Zip ties secured my hands behind my back, leaving raw welts on my wrists.
If you’re captured, don’t fight ’em. They’ll think you’re weak. Use that against ’em.
I know, Wolf. I panicked, okay?
The mercenaries had snuck up on my sad little camp under cover of the thick trees. I hadn’t seen them until they were on top of me.
If you’re outnumbered, do not try to fight.
There’d been six of them, but I did manage to fling red-hot coals in one asshole’s face and leave my only knife buried in another’s thigh.
Never give up your only weapon! Wolf barked.
Gods, will you shut up already?
If I’d kept my head, they probably would’ve locked me in a regular room, but since I fought and injured them just enough to piss them off, they threw me in this godsforsaken safe.
The worst part was not knowing why. Did they know me? Did a bounty for me exist already? Or had I been picked up by traffickers? I smiled humorlessly. Gods, wouldn’t that be fitting?
The dim light and lack of interaction made it difficult to tell how much time had passed, but I would guess I’d been in here for more than a day.
My stomach ached with hunger and my throat burned with thirst. Had they forgotten about me?
Had they all been killed in a fight? Had I been left to waste away in a metal coffin?
I’d fallen into a half-asleep daze when a noise startled me.
I sat in the pitch black, my heart pounding and adrenaline flooding my veins, as something scraped at the door, followed by muffled voices.
The deliberate scraping picked up again, and dread began to pool in my stomach.
The mercs didn’t have any trouble locking the safe when they threw me in here.
My eyes widened in sudden realization. These people weren’t unlocking it, they were picking it.
I strained to hear the conversation, then froze at a clicking sound.
With a groan of metal, the gears turned, and the thick door swung open.
I forced myself to slump over with my eyes closed, heart in my throat.
A bright light shone on my face and a strangled exclamation cut through the silence.
Hands grabbed my arms and dragged me out to lie on the cold floor.
Someone near the door spoke in a harsh, angry whisper I couldn’t make out, but a body knelt beside me and cut the ties around my wrists.
Blood rushed back into my hands, my fingers spasming.
I wanted to lash out, to run, but Wolf’s voice thundered in my head.
I cracked my eyes open, squinting in the light.
Shadowy figures filled the room, but they sure as hell weren’t the mercs.
Scraps of whispered conversation peppered the dark.
“—believe that little fucker lied. There’s nothing here!”
“—end well. Fuck!”
“—leave her. We gotta get outta here.”
The person beside me reached out, and I flinched.
They withdrew and set the flashlight on the floor, illuminating a handsome male face.
He looked to be somewhere in his mid to late twenties, with a strong jaw covered in light stubble.
His brown eyes—gentle eyes—widened in concern, and that told me all I needed to know.
“I’m not gonna hurt you.” He reached out again. “Can you walk?”
I nodded, shaking. I tried to push myself up then sank back, feigning a hiss of pain.
He fell for it. Brows drawing together, he seized my arms and helped me stand.
I wobbled on one foot, keeping the other raised as though it hurt to walk on.
He ducked under my arm, supporting my weight, and his warmth seeped into me.
I didn’t have to fake leaning on him. Thanks to the blood loss and hunger, the room wouldn’t stop spinning.
The other well-armed figures bled out of the room, scouting ahead.
Their guns glinted in the dim light as we crept down the hallway, all five of them blending into the shadows with their dark clothing.
A cool breeze blew in from the open window at the end of the hall.
It looked big enough for me to fit through, and a flat roof stretched out below it.
Perfect. My companion and I brought up the rear of the group, and the other four passed the window and turned down the next hallway.
Once we reached the window, I doubled over, moaning in pain.
He fell for it again, hook, line, and sinker, crouching down to look at me.
“Hey, are you—”
I threw my shoulder into him, hard. I glimpsed the surprise on his face as he went down, tripping over my foot, which I’d placed behind his.
I ducked through the open window, dropped onto the roof, and ran.
My bruised body screamed in protest and my head swam, but adrenaline spurred me on.
I sprinted across the concrete. Behind me, I heard bodies drop onto the roof in pursuit.
I didn’t dare look back. The edge of the roof loomed ahead, and I didn’t pause, throwing myself into the darkness and praying to any gods listening that I would land on something besides the ground.
I collided hard with a ramshackle patched-up tin roof, gasping in pain as a loose piece of metal stabbed into my shoulder. I scrabbled for a grip on the tin, slicing my knees and palms before I stopped inches from the edge.
Someone landed with a thud on the roof nearby, and I pushed myself up and took off again. The pain in my chest twisted with each breath, but I didn’t have time to examine it.
The small buildings in this town sat almost on top of each other, sharing walls to reduce building materials, which made it easy to run but almost impossible to hide.
I jumped over a crumbling stovepipe and made a sharp turn left.
I couldn’t see my pursuer anywhere. I needed to get to the ground. It’d be easier to disappear—
A furious shout rang out. Gunfire erupted behind me.
I swore, dropping onto my stomach. Bullets sprayed around me, but a stolen glance revealed it wasn’t the mysterious gang pursuing me. The mercs poured onto the roof.
The gang scattered, ducking for cover and returning fire.
I swore again, trying to crawl forward on my stomach.
I did not want to get stuck in the middle of a gang war.
Again. Below, people scattered, doors slammed, and the street emptied in seconds.
No one shouted. No one looked up twice. It was smart; curiosity got you killed.
The gunfire moved away, and somebody let out a strangled scream. I started to scramble to my feet. I needed to get off this damn roof before—
A body slammed me into the roof, knocking the air from my lungs.
“Don’t move,” a voice growled in my ear.
His weight pinned me down. I gasped in a lungful of air, and then bullets sprayed around us again, tearing up the tin roof. Panicked, I tried to kick away from my captor.
“Don’t move!” he hissed again.
I gritted my teeth against a whimper and forced myself to go still.
As soon as the gunfire eased, he dragged me in a crouch behind the remains of a brick chimney.
His hand gripped my arm like a vise. I couldn’t get a good look at his face, but somehow I knew it was the one who’d tried to help me earlier.
“Get her back!” The scream came from somewhere behind us. “Find her! Get—”
Gunfire swallowed up the rest, and I prayed to the gods that somebody put a bullet in that merc.
I took advantage of the moment and tried to wrench free. He moved so fucking fast, trapping me in a chokehold with my face against the crumbling chimney and my back against his chest. His arm tightened around my neck. I panicked and clawed at his arm, black spots dancing in my vision.
Do not fucking panic! Wolf barked.
I slumped in his hold, pretending to pass out.
He relaxed his arm so I could breathe but continued to hold me against his body.
I sucked in a breath, ducked my chin, and sunk my teeth into his forearm.
He swore as he ripped away, and I tasted blood.
I tried to duck under his other arm, but bullets slammed into our hiding place.
The noise deafened me. Pieces of brick and mortar flew everywhere.
He grabbed a handful of my jacket and yanked me toward him.
I braced for a blow, but instead, he swung me around to trade places, giving me more cover from the bullets.
I didn’t have much time to process that before he let out a strangled gasp that told me he’d been hit. He fell forward onto his knees, his hands grabbing at his gut, and slumped on top of me, his weight crushing me for the second time. I shoved at him, and he rolled off onto his back.
It was my chance to escape.
I struggled up to kneel, trying to peer around the chimney, when a hand snagged my jacket.
“Road past Ace’s is clear.” He groaned out each word, but his eyes stayed sharp on my face. “Run.”
I hesitated. He was still helping me? Of course, it could be a trap, but even in the dim moonlight, I could see the dark blood oozing out between his fingers. I could smell it, thick and coppery.
“Run!” he growled.
I didn’t move. His eyes narrowed in confusion as I stared into them. I could hear Wolf’s voice screaming at me.
Get the fuck outta there!
The few small broken pieces of me that still cared about a person in pain cut like glass under my skin. I could run and save myself, but if I did, he would die.
I hissed through my teeth and pried his hand away from the wound, putting pressure on his bloody stomach.
“Leave me,” he groaned in pain. “Go.”