We were boxed in. Cars surrounded us, leaving no escape route. Trying to break free would be


    reckless- we’d never make it.


    Steve was right. Hayden had been pulled away, leaving me vulnerable. And without Hayden’s skills,


    Steve was at a serious disadvantage.


    Bruno’s real target? Me.


    As the men climbed out of their cars, surrounding us, I turned to Steve. “In a minute, I’ll go with


    them. Don’t do anything stupid–just call Hayden.”


    “No way!” Steve shot back, his protective instincts kicking in.


    Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    “Listen,” I insisted, “Jace is already in Bruno’s hands, and Hayden’s gone after him. If you get taken


    too, Bruno will have all of us, and no one to save us.”


    He hesitated, but I gave him a calm, reassuring smile. “We talked about this earlier. If Wayne’s


    behind this I won’t be harmed. So don’t worry about me.”


    “But what if it’s not him?” Steve didn’t seem convinced.


    “If it’s not him, then we’re good. You can reach out to him for help.”


    I could see the shift in his eyes.


    “This is our chance to test him,” I continued. “If he shows up to save us, we’ll know he’s not


    involved. If he doesn’t, and Bruno goes after everyone but me… then we’ll know for sure Wayne’s


    the mastermind.”


    Before Steve could respond, the car door flew open, and two of Bruno’s men reached for me. I


    didn’t wait for them to pull me out. “I’ll go with you.”


    They turned to look at Steve, and I quickly added, “He’s got nothing to do with this.”


    The man in charge nodded. “Everyone’sing.”


    I pressed a small knife against my neck, the de cold against my skin. “Let him go, or you’ll be


    taking my dead body.”


    I’d grabbed it back at the hotel, just in case. Looks like my instincts were right.


    The men hesitated, clearly unsure. One of them stepped aside and made a quick phone call. When


    he came back, he gave a sharp nod. “Fine. Put down the knife, and we’ll let him go.”


    “He walks away first, then I drop the knife,” I said, stepping out of the car.


    Steve’s face twisted with tension and worry. But after a sharp look from me, he turned and left.


    The second he was out of sight, I dropped the knife onto the ground.


    The men grabbed me and took me straight to Bruno’s ce.


    He was lounging under a perg in the backyard of his mansion, sipping tea and tossing fish food


    into the pond, looking far too rxed for the situation.


    “I’m here. Now release the others,” I said, ncing around. Hayden’s car wasn’t in sight. That could


    mean Hayden was either on his way here or already being led somewhere else.


    “Release them?” Bruno scoffed, taking another sip of his tea. “Why would I do that? We’ve got just


    enough yers for a nice game of poker.”


    I knew he was toying with me, trying to make it sound like he had everyone else too.


    “If you want to y poker, set up the table,” I challenged, hoping for a glimpse of the others.


    Bruno saw right through me, though, and just chuckled. “What’s the rush?”


    Those words made my stomach churn. There was moreing. I could feel it. “What do you want


    from me?” I demanded.


    “You’ll find out soon enough,” he replied with a smirk, clearly enjoying the game he was ying.


    If this was how he wanted it, fine. I mped my mouth shut, refusing to respond. No matter what he


    said next, I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.


    Bruno wasn’t fazed. He continued chatting aimlessly. At one point, while feeding his fish, he


    nced at me. “You like feeding fish, don’t you? Go on, give it a try. I’ll have you know, my fish are


    just as well- behaved as anyone else’s.”


    Anyone else’s?