The loft apartment was grimy, and sparse. In another part of town, this spot would have sold for millions as a luxury loft condo space, but here in the shipping district by the river, it was at the bottom of the barrel.

I shivered, forcing myself not to look away or cower at the wicked look in Dan’s face. Two other men who I’d never met before but who looked as sneering and grizzled as Dan were also with us, glowering at me from behind him.

“So,” Dan stepped forward, and it took everything I had not to either hit him or back away.

I’m proud to say I stood my ground.

“Here’s what’s going to happen.” His eyes narrowed at me. “Your new boyfriends are going to pay for the privilege of having my leftovers.”

My resolve broke. This time, I lunged forward, fist drawn back, before one of the other guys darted forward and stopped me right before I could punch my ex in the face.

Dan whistled. “Jesus Christ, Jules. Better watch that temper. I think princes like themselves nice little subservient chicks. You throw a punch at them and you might just get thrown in jail or some shit.”

He and his goons chuckled as I stood there seething at him.

“I’m fairly certain you don’t know what they like,” I hissed.

“Oh, I think I do.” Dan smiled thinly at me. “Sluts, apparently. Used up whores who’ll open their legs for three fucking guys at the same—”

There was no one in the world fast enough to stop my fist from crashing into his nose that time.

Dan screamed, clutching his face and swearing as his two friends lunged forward and pulled me away from him.

“You fucking bitch,” he roared.

“Says the man crying like one with a busted nose.”

He narrowed his eyes at me. “You’ll want to watch your fucking tone with me, Jules,” he snarled.

“Here’s how this’ll work. You’re going to go back to those little pricks—”

“Little, Dan?” I smiled evilly at him. “I mean, you’ve watched that video. Still want to use the word little?”

Dan’s face went red, and he snarled at me.

“They’re going to pay. Fifty million.”

I stared at him. “Fifty million?”

“Each.”

I shook my head. “No one would pay that.”

“For this?” Dan laughed, waving his phone. “Those fuckwads are worth billions. Trust me, a hundred fifty mil is a steal of a deal.”

“You’re insane,” I hissed.

“Least I’m not a whore.”

I spat at him, and he just chuckled.

“Get the money, Jules, or this gets out.” He eyed me slowly as his friends let me go and moved back behind him.

“Do we have a deal?”

I swallowed, resisting the urge to try and lunge at him again.

“Yes,” I hissed. “Fine.”

Dan just smiled at me as I turned and made for the door.

Locked.

Something cold shivered through me, and I started to turn to tell him unlock it so I could go get his money, when I heard him chuckle.

“And there’s another thing, Julia.”

I whirled at the nearness of his voice, gasping when I realized he and his two goons were right behind me. I backed away, immediately hitting the door and feeling the adrenaline spike in me.

“What do you want, Dan?” I said quietly.

He grinned.

“How about one last time, huh Jules?”

His eyes dipped down over my chest, and I felt like I’d be sick.

“Get away from me.”

“Seems you picked up some new tricks with your royal boyfriends,” Dan said icily. He jerked his head behind him. “How about my fiends join in, since you’re apparently into that sort of thing these days.”

The fear tore through me, tears blurring at the edges of my eyes.

“Please don’t,” I whispered, my skin crawling as I tried to duck away from them. It only backed me into the corner of the room, without even the locked door behind me.

Dan smiled.

“Julia, Julia, Julia,” he sighed, grinning as he and his friends closed in around me.

“For old time’s sake,” he chuckled. “We’re going to have some fun with you before the three of us become millionaires.”

They moved closer, his friends pulling at their belts with dirty fingers.

“C’mon baby,” Dan spit out. “Show me some of those new tricks you—”

The door to the loft exploded in, wood splintering and the very doorframe shattering away from the wall as three huge, roaring shapes came charging into the room.

No, not shapes.

Princes.

I wish I could say there was this huge fight and that it was all this big drawn out thing, but really, the whole thing was over in seconds.

One of Dan’s friends caught a piece of the doorframe to the knee, knocking him to the ground, and the other just held his hands up, like these were the police coming to arrest him and not the furious men who loved me ready to murder him to make sure I was okay.

Hands in the air, for the record, did not stop Luke from slamming a fist into the guy’s face.

Dan, in true Dan fashion, took off running — to where I’m not sure — the second the door caved in. He made it all of ten feet before Micah tackled him to the ground and drove a knee into his side and a fist into his already broken nose.

Suddenly, there were more people pouring in through the smashed doorway — men in the royal marine uniform of North Revania. The second they’d swarmed over Dan and his goons, Victor, Luke, and Micah were all over me — arms around me and pulling me close.

“Sir?”

We pulled apart, Luke looking up at the sound of the gravelly voice.

The older man with the silvered beard and hardened eyes saluted crisply and then bowed formally.

“At ease, Captain.”

The man nodded, gesturing with his head at Dan and his two bleeding friends, all three of whom were now handcuffed and on their knees.

Dan avoided my eyes.

“We’re wrapped up here. I think we’re going to take these three down to the lock-up for processing.”

Luke nodded. “And any electronics?”

“Just the three cell phones on them, a laptop, and one internet router. We bagged it all.”

“Thank you, Captain Locke.”

The handsome, gruff-looking older man frowned.

“Sir, if I may?”

Luke smiled. “Anytime.”

“Sir, you know I can’t approve of you taking point on security raids. It’s entirely too risk—”

Victor and Micah chuckled, with Vic patting the Captain’s arm.

“Yeah, good luck with that, man,” he grinned. “I’ve known this asshole for my whole life, and I’m pretty sure he’s either hard of hearing or just an idiot.”

The Captain clearly did his best to restrain a grin.

“Thank you, Captain Locke. I’ll take it under advisement.”

The man bowed again and took his leave, snapping at some of the other guards who hauled Dan and his goons to their feet and dragged them from the room.

“Do us a favor,” Micah murmured as the rest of the room filed out. “Maybe try to not follow any of your ex-boyfriends to sketchy lofts anymore?”

I laughed, throwing my arms around them and burying my face in their chests.