No clue how long the dark held—till a dull throb dragged me under, kicking consciousness awake.
I cracked my lids: nothing but pitch.
Stranded on the docks, stuffed in a heavy burlap sack like yesterday's trash—wrists and ankles lashed tight, rag crammed in my mouth. Every inhale scraped grit down my throat, choking like drowning dry.
Julian's voice floated in, distant thunder, heavy with frost. "Beat her. Till Nancy's grinning ear to ear."
Nancy's giggle tinkled, all sugar and spite. "Julian, she's your mate, after all—going this hard for me? What if she snaps, bolts for good?"
He chuckled low, rock-solid, no flicker of doubt. "Eight years dodging bullets, back-to-back through the s**t? She ain't leaving. Besides, we're miles from even. I'd never let her slip the leash."
Words barel
