9. Kat

9

I wake up with a start.

Once my eyes flash open, I can't suppress a groan. My head hurts like hell, courtesy of my abductors' idea of a sleep aid. The sunlight coming from the windows across the room makes the pounding ache even worse, so I shut my eyes again.

The unbearable feeling in my head reminds me of the morning after A.J. and I went on a last-minute girls' trip to Mexico. There, she decided it would be a good idea to play a game she called Margarita Pong. We had a great time, but the price paid for it the following day wasn't worth it.

My current headache is just like that, except a thousand times worse.

Somehow, I open my eyes again. The natural light streaming from the large windows still bothers me, but I make myself bear it. I can't afford the sweet oblivion of darkness or sleep.

The room's air conditioner is a welcome change from the sweltering heat outside, at least.

I suppose I ought to count my small blessings. Honestly, I should feel grateful for the excruciating pain in my head because it means I'm still alive. Even better, I'm not even unconscious anymore.

I wonder how long I was out. It was early afternoon when the two burly men captured me. My current view of the windows shows the sun is just about to set, which means I was unconscious for hours.

The idea of being at the mercy of those two for so long—wholly vulnerable and under their control—makes me shiver in disgust. Right now, I don't have the strength to let myself think about all the horrifying things they might have done to me while I was knocked out.

I know I'm lucky even to wake up at all. They could have easily killed me and disposed of my body during the multiple hours I was helpless and unconscious. I must make the best of this so-called luck, which means staying focused instead of stupidly worrying about things outside my control. I'm not safe yet. If I want to survive my present situation, then I have to concentrate on finding a way out of here—wherever that is.

I look around the room as I try to recalibrate my senses and calm my mind. While I slept, I was brought to a large chamber. It is very sparsely furnished, containing only the immense bed I have been placed on. It is a stretch to call this room a bedroom, but I guess the term is technically correct since it is a room with a bed. The large piece of furniture is covered by clean, white cotton sheets that softly graze against my skin as I move atop them.

I attempt to sit up and realize right as I do that my ankles and wrists are securely tied to the bed frame.

Not great. Definitely not ideal. Still, I won't lose heart.

Contorting my body, I manage to shake off the sheets and uncover just enough of my extremities to glimpse at my restraints. They seem to be made of soft, brown leather. I test their strength and resilience, pulling and twisting them as much and as far as they allow me. No matter how hard I tug or how wildly I contort myself, I cannot slip out of them or break free. I stretch my arms and legs as much as possible, but the cuffs' confinement doesn't grant me the range of movement I need to use my fingers or mouth to pry them off my body.

With a sigh, I concede defeat for the time being. I will have to concentrate my efforts on something else since escaping my confinement on my own seems unlikely.

I turn my attention to my surroundings. The almost empty bedroom is cavernously large. The cream color of its walls makes it seem even more spacious, as do the expansive windows that face the bed from the opposite side of the chamber. I spot only one exit, a wood-paneled door to my left. There are two other doors to my right, but they were left ajar, and I can tell they lead to a bathroom and a walk-in closet. I doubt there are any accessible exits in either.

Confined to the bed, I can't see much through the glass panels. All I have is a stunning view of the clear, cloudless sky, blanketed in the golden and orange hues of the setting sun. My limited field of vision must indicate that I am in one of the top floors of a high-rise building.

Unfortunately, I don't see anything else of value—such as a recognizable skyline or a known landmark—so I can't pinpoint my current location.

Nonetheless, small details around the room and my previous realization of the building and its location make it obvious that I may be in a luxurious penthouse. After all, it is an immense bedroom with Carrara marble floors and a view that has to be worth millions.

Whoever sent those two thugs after me is very wealthy, which doesn't bode well for me.

Clearly, my abduction wasn't a random act of violence, and my actual kidnapper must be a rich bastard if they can afford a room like this as my cell. They are also bold as hell, daring to take a woman in broad daylight in one of downtown's busiest neighborhoods.

Who am I kidding? There is no point in pretending I have any doubts regarding my abductor's identity. I am painfully aware there is only a man with the means and the motive to do such a thing.

For so long, I feared the day would come when the stronzo would decide A.J. and I had served our purposes. It makes sense that it's happening right after I delivered to him the Flame of Mir, one of the most precious prizes any man could ever possess. It's also possible he has learned of our plan to destroy him.

Regardless, in the end, his reasons for taking me don't matter at all. One way or the other, he has decided to escalate our already precarious situation to an alarming degree. It just sucks that it happens to be right when we are close to finally taking him down.

I pray A.J. hasn't been abducted as well. If she has escaped the man, then not all hope is lost. With any luck, she will follow through with our plan without me. Now more than ever, we are officially fresh out of options.

Maybe A.J. managed to get the information we needed from Camilla. I hope they are safe and sound. Not for just my sake. Whatever hell the Italian has planned for me, it won't be as terrible as the torture he will unleash on A.J. if he sets out to punish her. He never got over the insult of her daring to steal from him. I was merely a useful pawn in his hands, while A.J. was the sole focus of his contempt.

I have to believe A.J. is fine. Otherwise, I won't be able to deal with whatever the villain has in store for me. My only chance of escaping this room alive is to keep a cool head. I must hold on to the hope that A.J. will succeed in our quest and this nightmare will end soon.

I force myself to take a deep, calming breath. Everything will be just fine. This whole kidnapping situation is just a bump in our road to victory. A.J. and I will laugh about it one day as we brag to all our friends about our daring feat.

I can handle it—I will handle it. Under no circumstance will I give the stronzo the satisfaction of seeing me even break a sweat.

The skies turn a deeper shade of orange through the grand windows as I mentally run through multiple scenarios, wondering what will happen next.

A rattling sound startles me, and I almost jump out of my skin. It's coming from the door at my left. I turn to face it as much as my restraints allow me.

The unmistakable sound of a key being inserted into the lock makes my heart beat a mile per minute. The doorknob turns and I stop breathing.

I suppose I should be flattered that the horrid man thinks so highly of my skills that he felt the need to lock the room's only entrance point in addition to tying me down.

With a mix of both dread and anticipation, I don't move even a muscle as the door opens.

My kidnapper enters the room, and I feel as if my thundering heart halts to a sudden, brusque stop inside my chest.

I gasp, loudly. I might faint for the first time in my life.

Nik stands in front of me, as devastatingly handsome as I remembered him.

Shocked, I struggle to believe my own eyes. I can't move, can't speak, or even breath.

The man I have fantasized about for the past week gives me a cruel smirk. It doesn't reach his beautiful, dark eyes, staring at me with undisguised contempt.

"Miss me?"