ROSETTE’S POV
My hands moved to my zipper.
There was no choice. No clever escape, no tactical advantage, no rescue coming through those doors.
Just me, and Arthur, and a bomb that would kill Lindsey and level half the pier if I refused to do exactly what he wanted.
The zipper slid down with a sound that seemed to echo through the warehouse. Each tooth separating felt like a countdown to something I could never come back from.
“That’s it.” Arthur’s voice was thick with anticipation, his eyes tracking the movement of my hands with the focus of a predator watching wounded prey. “Slower. I want to enjoy this.”
I let the dress fall from my shoulders, the crimson fabric pooling around my feet like blood.
The cold warehouse air hit my skin and I forced myself not to shiver, not to show wea
