Respect.
I had heard the speech before, just with different audiences.
I tilted my head slightly and let my gaze wander around the room.
Guards at the door.
Two more near the windows.
Henry standing by the desk like he owned the world.
And above the door…
A camera.
I narrowed my eyes slightly.
Something was different.
The small indicator light above the lens should have stayed solid green, meaning the internal system was running normally.
Instead, it flickered.
Green.
Red.
Green.
Red.
Fast.
Too fast.
Someone had hacked the feed.
Then I saw it.
OPENC
+15 Bonus
Outside the window.
Just for a second.
A shadow drifting past the glass.
A drone.
Jason.
Of course it was him.
Between the flickering camera signal and the drone hovering just outside the window, it was practically a flashing neon sign.
He was watching.
I knew he would come.
Of course he would.
My husband was many things, but predictable in one very important way.
He never let someone take what belonged to him.
And right now, I very much belonged to him.
Uncle Henry kept talking.
“…a union between our families would restore the proper order…”
I tuned him out again.
Instead, I focused on the guards.
One near the door.
One pacing slowly.
And one standing far too close.
Adrian shifted in his chair next to me.
Apparently my cousin had finally decided to test the patience of the men holding us.
“Could you stop pacing?” Adrian snapped. “You’re making me dizzy.”
The guard didn’t like that.
Before anyone could react, he struck Adrian across the face with the back of his hand.
The crack echoed across the room.
Adrian gasped, nearly tipping out of his chair.
My head snapped toward them instantly.
Something inside me tightened.
“Careful,” I said evenly.
The guard turned to look at me.
A slow, ugly smile spread across his face.
+15 Bonus
“Oh The heiress speaks.”
He stepped closer.
Too close.
My patience was thinning rapidly.
“Please keep your distance,” I said calmly.
He didn’t listen.
Instead he leaned down slightly, looking me over in a way that made my skin crawl.
“Pretty thing like you,” he muttered, “I’m surprised they tied you up.”
I took a slow breath.
One.
Two.
“Step back,” I repeated.
He laughed. 1
And then his hand reached toward my face.
That was enough.
My restraint snapped.
In one smooth movement I twisted my wrists, letting the loose rope slip free. My hand shot up, grabbing the guard’s wrist before he even realized what was happening.
He barely had time to react.
I pulled him forward sharply, using his own momentum against him.
My knee drove into his ribs.
Hard.
The air left his lungs in a violent gasp.
Before he could recover, my hand slid to the gun at his belt.
Click.
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