I don’t know what I expected would happen when I told Pierce the truth. That he would forgive me on the spot? Understand why I lied to him for all these weeks? Months even? There was no way that would happen. But the look of utter betrayal on his face was more than I could bear. I don’t think I’ve ever been this devastated in all my life, and it’s entirely my own doing. I should have told him right away, I should have picked honesty. And because I didn’t, I might lose the love of my life and my daughter in one fell swoop.

I’m not letting him go without a fight, I think as I run into my room and grab some shorts and t-shirt. I will find Pierce, no matter what it takes, and I will tell him how sorry I am and beg him to forgive me. I will look for him all night if I have to. I’m just about grab my purse when I hear the elevator doors open, so I rush to the foyer.

“Pierce! You came back! Please, let me expla — ”

But it’s not Pierce standing in the foyer. It’s Danny. Hulking, leather-clad, terrifying Danny, enforcer for the Cannizzo family, and my own personal lurking demon. I take two steps back, trying to see how close I am to the phone that calls down to the doorman, but it’s too far away for me to get to it before he could get to me.

“Danny… What are you doing here? How did you get in?”

He smirks. “Your doorman is taking a nap. He’ll be fine, but he might wake up with a headache. You’ve been avoiding us, Miss Blanchard. You left the country. My employer isn’t pleased.”

I take two more steps back, but Danny is following my every move, and I know he will be faster than me. I have no play; I’m like a rat trapped in a maze, and he knows it.

“I came back, didn’t I? You said I had a month. That month isn’t up for another few days. I will get you your money.”

Danny laughs, a big booming laugh that makes my stomach roll. “Forgive me, Arie, if I say that we don’t have a lot of faith in you one way or the other anymore. You dick us around for months, you leave New York, you’re obviously planning something with your fancy-ass boyfriend. Mr. Cannizzo is out of patience.”

I glance to my right and see a knife sitting in the sink. Can I get to it before he gets to me? Am I that fast?

“Pierce will be back any minute. He can give you your money tonight.”

Danny just shakes his head. “It’s not about the money anymore, Miss Blanchard. It’s about your character. We can’t count on you. And Mr. Cannizzo no longer believes you are of the kind of character he wants to deal with.”

The venom in his words hangs heavy in the air, and it scares me just enough that I don’t see how I have anything to lose. I bolt for the kitchen, thinking that all I have to do is get my fingers around the handle of the knife. If I can just do that, maybe I can get Danny off his feet, even if it’s only long enough to call the cops. But what I didn’t count on was that he would have a gun, and for a burly man, he is faster than me. So, when the barrel of his gun hits me on the back of the head, and the lights start to go out, I don’t have time to be angry at myself for being stupid, and thinking I could beat this man.

I only have time to think… I really hope I get to see my daughter again.

When I wake up, my head is throbbing, and I’m in a room so dark, I can’t make out anything around me. I can hear the quiet hum of voices outside, and a gentle drip drip drip coming from behind me. I’m sitting in a cold, steel chair… Well, sitting is generous. I’m tied to a cold steel chair. My hands are bound behind me with what seems to be a zip-tie, and my ankles are strapped to the legs of the chair, so I can’t so much as shimmy in any direction. I tell myself not to panic, but my heart is racing so fast, I think I may pass out again. I have no idea what to do. I’ve never even considered ending up in a situation like this, so it’s not like I’ve trained for it, or come up with an escape plan.

Pierce would know what to do.

Oh, god, Pierce. He was so angry when he walked out of the apartment. What if he doesn’t come back for hours? What if he thinks I just packed up and left because of our fight? I could just die in this room and no one would ever know. I suppose it’s my own fault; I made some stupid decisions that landed me here, and if I were to die now, like this… It would just be par for the course. But I won’t go down without a fight.

The zip-ties are tight, but they aren’t so tight that I can’t move my arms and legs at all. I know that even if I got my legs loose, that wouldn’t do me much good as long as my hands are still tied, so I decide to focus on them first. I interlace my fingers, trying to make my hands as small as possible, and begin wiggling them inside of the zip-tie. It’s a close fit, but I can feel my wrists begin to slide loose, especially when the rough edges of the tie begin to cause the delicate skin on my hands to bleed. I think I’m just about free, when the sound of the door across from me unlocking startles me, forcing me to stop the struggle.

The door opens, flooding the small room I am in with light and totally blinding me. All I see are shadows of two men as they walk in. It takes a moment for my eyes to adjust to the light, but when I do, my stomach drops down to my bound ankles. One of the men is Danny, and the other I recognize from his time on the front pages of the New York papers. He is dressed in a meticulously tailored suit, and his short black hair is slicked back with enough gel to drown someone. His smirk is off-putting given the circumstances, but I can see how it would be charming in a different scenario.

I am staring into the cold, black eyes of Sebastian “Angel” Cannizzo.

Angel walks up to me with an arrogant swagger, and squats in front of me. His eyebrows are thick, making him look like he’s surveying me for some sign of weakness, even if he’s not that smart. When he speaks, his voice is thick with a Jersey accent, and his tone is slow and patient. He’s not in any rush, because he knows I’m sure as hell not going anywhere.

“Nice to finally meet you, Miss Blanchard. I wasn’t sure I would ever have the pleasure.”

I have to force myself to stifle an eye roll. “I can’t say I return the sentiment, Mr. Cannizzo. Seeing as your associate there abducted me from my home and assaulted me.”

Cannizzo laughs a low, core-shaking laugh. There is no humor in it. Only cruelty. “Well, Miss Blanchard, if you hadn’t seen fit to get on a plane and go to New Zealand for a month when you owed me almost a hundred grand, perhaps we could have met under different circumstances. I have to say, you’re exactly the type of spitfire I’m attracted to.” He reaches out and runs a finger along my jaw, and I jerk my face away. His touch makes my skin crawl.

“First of all, I came back. I fully intended to come back and pay you your damn money,” I respond defiantly. “Second, I wouldn’t let you touch me if you were the last man on earth. So, kindly keep your disgusting hands to yourself.”

He and Danny have a hearty laugh at my expense.

“I told you she was a sexy little thing. It’s a shame we have to kill her.”

I force myself to stay calm. They are taking their sweet time with whatever they are planning to do, so that gives me an opportunity to keep them talking, and hopefully, buy Pierce some time to figure out I’m missing.

“I find it ridiculous that you’re willing to kill me over seventy-five thousand dollars. What the hell kind of business model is that? If you kill me, you don’t get your money. Money that I had every intention of giving you on our agreed upon delivery date. What exactly does killing me accomplish?”

Angel smirks and crosses his arms over his chest. “Honestly? I don’t give a shit about the money. It may have been about the seventy-five large a few months ago. But now? It’s about the principle of the thing. I can’t let word get out that I’ve gone soft. I don’t care if it’s a million dollars or fifty fucking bucks. You borrowed money from us, Arie, and you didn’t pay it back. The story ends there.”

I’m just about to give him some sort of smartass answer when a cell phone rings. Angel reaches into his pocket and answers.

“I’m in the middle of something. What is it?... Fine. Give me a minute. I’ll call you back.”

He hangs up and turns his stare back to me. “You lucked out, Arie. I have more pressing business to attend to at the moment. So, you get a stay, as it were. Danny is going to be just outside, keeping an eye on you. In the meantime, don’t get any ideas. Understand?”

I actually roll my eyes this time. “What the hell am I going to do, dumbass? You’ve got me tied to a chair in an empty room and I have no idea where we are.”

Angel just laughs at me, like I’m a bug he can squish, a toy he can play with. “Yeah, you’re a real spitfire.”

He walks out of the room, leaving me alone with Danny, who looks less-than-enthused to be there. We just stare at each other for a minute, and then out of nowhere, he rears back and slaps me across the face. Hard. I see stars, and I can feel burning in my cheek. But more than anything, I’m pissed off. Danny just scowls.

“The boss may think you’re funny, but I don’t. If you get mouthy with me, I will shut you up permanently. I don’t care what he says.”

Danny walks out of the room and locks the door behind him, and I try to stretch out my jaw, which is throbbing. Tears start to build in the corners of my eyes, but they are as much from rage as pain, or fear. I start struggling against my bindings again, and whisper into the empty room…

“Dammit, Pierce. Where are you?”