Chapter Four

NATALIA

I’m not sure how long I’ve been asleep, but it’s still dark outside. I blink into the darkness, my heart thudding in my chest as my surroundings slowly come into focus. The unfamiliar room feels both foreign and safe, the soft sheets and steady hum of the city outside grounding me. What’s the last thing I remember? I roll onto my back and think for a moment, shooing away the haze of sleep until finally, I remember calling in the tip, running from the building, and suddenly staring at a tall, handsome, and dangerous man who saved me from an unknown future.

Jace.

That’s where I am. I’m at Jace’s apartment where he…made me feel so, so good. Heat rises to my cheeks, and I can almost feel the ghost of his hand between my legs. My very first orgasm. It was unlike anything I’ve ever felt, but most importantly, it was with someone who I trust and who obviously cares for me.

I sit up quickly and look to the right, but the large space beside me is empty of him. Frowning, I glance around the darkened room, hoping to find a sign of him. He’s not here, but there is a light on beneath the bedroom door. Slowly, I pull myself out of bed and walk to the door. My hand rests on the nob, and just before I turn it, his voice drifts through the wood.

It’s hard to make out exactly what he’s saying, so I press my ear to the door until I can hear that his voice is low and concerned.

“Their daughter?” Jace snaps.

My blood runs cold. Does he know who I am? Do his men know? I might be in big trouble here.

I’m frozen in place, my mind racing as I start to calculate an escape plan. The window is out of the question. I don’t know how many stories up we are, but it’s high—practically in the clouds. Even if the window opens, there’s no way I’m risking a balcony leap.

If Jace knows who I really am, my odds of getting out of here drop to zero. Maybe I could overpower him—Dad didn’t skimp on self-defense lessons—but that’s a gamble. I’d have to guess the way out on the first try, and even then, he’d catch up easily. His training is leagues beyond mine, and unlike me, Jace has real-world experience.

My mind scrambles for options but comes up empty. If I beg, he might go easy on me. What we did last night, what we shared, that has to mean something. Maybe if I’m honest…if I tell him I don’t want to go back to my family, that I want to stay here with him, maybe he’ll fight for me.

“Well, do you have a description?” Jace asks. “We might have accidentally sent her with the other girls to the police station.”

I breathe a sigh of relief. It sounds like they don’t know I’m here. That means I won’t have to plan my escape. I might get the opportunity to explain myself and hope for the best.

“The president’s daughter running away?” he laughs. It’s cold and calculated, lined with his obvious disbelief. “As if. Who would put themselves in that kind of danger?”

I want to tell him exactly why I left. It’s not such a far-fetched idea, after all. If you disagree with someone’s ideology, it’s easy to want to leave.

The first seeds of doubt were planted when I was just a child. My dad never cared about sparing women or children. I’ll never forget the day I walked in on a conversation between him and his associates. They were laughing, casually calling the child they killed “collateral damage.” That was the moment I began to see him differently.

Now, as I think about the safety I’ve felt in the last few hours with Jace, the contrast is stark. Even before I understood the depths of my father’s cruelty, I never truly felt safe with him. There was always an edge of danger, a lingering sense that everything we did came with strings attached.

The only reason I was ever protected was for his image. If it came down to it, he wouldn’t risk his life for me—he wouldn’t even flinch. I’ve always known that if I got hurt, he’d just use it as an excuse to unleash hell on his enemies, a justification for more destruction.

I’ve never been a daughter to him, not really. I’ve been a pawn, just like everyone else in his orbit—a tool to be used, nothing more.

How do I tell Jace? I want to believe he’d be kind, that he’d listen and maybe even understand. But there’s always the chance he wouldn’t. Turning me in would mean less trouble for him and his crew.

“They think we took her?” Jace’s voice cuts through the silence, closer than I expected. My body tenses as I hear him pacing on the other side of the door, his tone sharp with frustration. “They have to know we’re not stupid, Red. We don’t need a bargaining chip. We won. We shut down that trafficking ring.”

I realize I’ve been holding my breath and suck in air so fast it feels like my lungs might burst. My heart pounds like a drumbeat in my ears, but it doesn’t drown out his next words—the ones that make my stomach lurch.

“Well, if we find her, we’ll give her back,” he sighs heavily, his tone clipped. “God, this is so stupid. I’m glad we saved those girls, but maybe we shouldn’t have jumped into this mission so quickly. Seems like it’s way more trouble than it’s worth.”

The world tilts. My legs feel unsteady as the weight of his words settles over me, suffocating and cold. I take an unsteady step backward, my hands trembling. Gripping the hem of the sweatshirt he gave me, I try to still them, but it’s no use.

I feel like I’m going to collapse. I need to sit down before the floor gives way beneath me.

Before I can make it back to the bed, Jace ends his call abruptly. I freeze, my mind racing as I stare at the door, wide-eyed. Fight, flight, or fawn—that’s how it works, right? I need a plan, and fast.

The door swings open, and Jace’s eyes immediately land on me. He looks surprised, the hint of a question flickering across his face. He doesn’t ask it, but I know what he’s wondering: How much did she hear?

I quickly school my expression and let my body sag slightly, deciding to play tired.

“You weren’t in bed,” I murmur, rubbing my eye for effect and pitching my voice low and groggy. “I woke up and came to find you.”

His shoulders relax, and the tension drains from his stance. Whatever suspicions he had vanish.

“Oh, I’m sorry, sweetheart,” he says, his tone soft. “It was just some business stuff. Nothing for you to worry about.”

“Are you sure?” I tilt my head, letting my lips form a small pout, my hand brushing my hair sleepily.

“I’m sure,” he says with conviction, stepping forward to pull me into a hug. He kisses my forehead, his voice dropping to a reassuring murmur. “You’ve been so brave, Natalia. You don’t have to worry about anything anymore. I’ll take care of you. I promise.”

I melt into his arms, letting his warmth envelop me even as my mind spins with doubts.

Would he keep that promise if he knew the truth? If he knew who I was—and what I’d done—would he still hold me like this? Still care about keeping me safe? Or would he just hand me over to my father without a second thought?

I want to believe in him, to think that he’d protect me no matter what. But after overhearing his conversation, I know better than to trust blindly.

“Can we go back to bed?” I ask, tilting my face up to his and letting my voice go soft and pleading. Maybe if I stay close, I can ignore the fact that my life hangs in such a fragile balance. “I’m still tired.”

“Of course we can,” he says without hesitation, scooping me up effortlessly. His hands press against me as he adjusts his grip, holding me tightly. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there when you woke up.”

“It’s okay,” I whisper, resting my head against his shoulder. For now, it is okay. This closeness will give me time—time to think, to plan, to figure out how I’ll survive. If I can’t convince him to let me stay, I’ll have to find a way to explain myself to my father.

“You’re here now,” I say softly, closing my eyes against the fear still gnawing at the edges of my thoughts.

“I’ll always be here for you, Natalia,” Jace says as he lies us both in the plush sheets. “I promise.”

God, I hope that he’s telling the truth. Otherwise, I’ll be completely on my own.