Pounding, throbbing, sinking into unconsciousness with mere moments of light as Adira struggled to open her eyes. Her body, her mind, everything continued to slip into an abyss of nightmarish fog that threatened to consume her completely.

Was she walking?

Floating?

Sinking?

Yet, something… or someone… held her firmly in place, refusing to let her drift into the blackness forever.

“Adira,” a distant voice called out from the shadows of her mind, strong enough to encourage her to not drift away. “You’re safe right now, and we are going to make damn sure you stay that way.” The words were English yet not said in a British accent… they were said in a deep voice, rough, raspy, in an unfamiliar accent laced with edge. She wanted to see where the voice came from, but her eyes were so heavy. So very heavy. The man gave a reassuring squeeze as he held her in his arms tightly, so tight she could feel the warmth exude from the soft material of his shirt as her body shook against his. She wasn’t cold, and yet her body trembled as if it were freezing.

Adira heard a different voice asking, “Shit, what in the hell just happened?”

“Fucking Evil won tonight, and Good got its ass kicked. That’s what happened.”

A shutting of a door, and the gunning of the engine caused Adira to flinch out of fear of the unknown. What was happening? Who were these men she was with? She struggled to open her eyes, grimacing and moaning when the littlest movement sent pulsating pain through her limbs. As her eyelids fluttered open, she looked up into the deepest blue eyes, outlined in thick black eyelashes. She should panic, fight, run, scream, anything to escape his grasp. She didn’t know these men, and she was weak right now… vulnerable. A memory pushed through the pain… a face… a hat… a black hat… this man was a raei albaqar—the cowboy she’d seen at the auction. Her vision was foggy, but she sensed that he meant her no harm. Her body lay cradled in his arms and up against his chest. The pure size of his muscled arms and mass of his chest almost swallowed up her much smaller frame. Yet something told her deep inside that this man was all she had right now. He was the only one keeping her from fully slipping into the depths of hell.

“Where am I?” she rasped out.

“You’re safe. We are going to take you to a house not far outside of Dubai until we can figure out a way to get you out of the country,” the man said, never taking his eyes away from hers.

“My father? Farrah…” She struggled to recall how she had ended up in the arms of a complete stranger. Why did she feel like she had been beaten with a bat? Why did her head feel like she had been drugged? Where was everyone? Why did this man want to take her out of the country?

“There was an explosion. Several bombs.”

“Explosion,” she parroted, focusing on recovering her memory. “Oh, no. Oh, God, no. An explosion!” The memory of a bright light, loud noise, and a blast of energy plummeting into her at full force came rushing back all at once. She remembered the smile on her cousin’s face right before… right before the flowers had… what? Exploded? That made no sense. Flowers didn’t explode. But he’d said a bomb… no, he’d said several bombs. Why? What?

“Where is my father? Where is he?” she demanded as she tried to sit up, only to have this man’s hands firmly hold her in place. She needed to get to her father now. She needed to help her family. So many had to be hurt. What if her father was hurt?

“Adira,” the man said in a calm voice. “Relax. You need to stay calm. My name is Maddox Steele. Keith is up front, driving with my father, Drake Steele. He’s a longtime friend of your grandfather. Your grandfather brought us here to help you.”

She didn’t care about anything this man said. She only cared about one thing. “Where is my father?” she screamed—or at least attempted to—but her voice lacked the strength to do so. Panic set in, regardless if these men were here to help her or not. Where was her father? She needed him now.

When Maddox didn’t say anything, she dropped her stare from his captivating eyes down his face, past the faint stubble that ran along the sharp contours of his jaw line and noticed his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed hard. She looked back up into his eyes that had seemed to darken and said so faintly, only he would be able to hear, “Why are you keeping him from me?”

“I’m sorry,” Maddox whispered, sympathy blanketing the azure of his stare. “You were the only one who survived the bombing.”

You were the only one who survived the bombing.

You were the only one who survived the bombing.

You were the only one who survived the bombing!

“No, no…” She clasped onto the fabric of his shirt as if clinging to a make believe hope that all of this could be one big awful mistake… a nightmare. Yes! She was dreaming! But the pain in her body, the throbbing in her head, the very fact that she was aware of the man’s arms holding her, the heat transferring from his body to hers, told her otherwise. Still… he had to be wrong!

“No! How do you know? He could still be alive!”

Maddox shook his head.

“My cousin? The rest of my family? Where are they?”

“Dead,” he said softly as he rubbed small circles with his palm on her back. “We were with the rescue team helping with the search. I’m afraid there were no other survivors besides yourself. I’m sorry.”

She shook her head. “That can’t be. I can’t be the only one who survived. There were so many of us… my family, friends… the crew. There has to be more than me…”

“No.”

The one word was said in a tone that brooked no doubt. She felt her chest tighten, threatening to constrict her throat but she had to have answers. “How do you know?”

“I know.”

“No! You are wrong!”

“Adira, I was there. I saw the explosion, and I saw the aftermath. You were lucky to have survived. If I hadn’t seen your body being thrown from the ship, you would have died too.”

“I was standing with my cousin. If I survived, then she could have as well, please!”

Maddox simply shook his head.

“But you don’t know! Not for sure.”

“I know. I saw her.” He swallowed hard. “I’m sorry.”

“Her body? You saw her body?” Did she just ask that? Did she just say the word body when referring to Farrah, as if she had become some object rather than a living person?

“Yes. I saw her body. I recognized the green dress she wore on the ship. She had a floral hijab.”

“I don’t understand.” She shook her head, grimacing when the movement shot a pain straight to her temple. “Were you on the yacht? How did you see? What the hell is going on? Who are you?” she shouted, struggling to break free from his hold, only to have him hold her even tighter.

“Trust me, Adira. Just trust me.”

“Trust you! You just told me that my entire family is dead, and you want me to just lie in your arms and trust you?” She pushed against his chest with the same result being as if she pushed against a brick wall. “This can’t be!” she screamed. “It can’t be! This is a sick joke!”

“No.”

“Stop!” she screamed again. “Stop! Stop! Stop!”

“I’m so sorry,” he said in a very calm and gentle voice. “I am so sorry you are having to be told like this. If there were any other way to make this easier, I would do it. But we have to get you to safety and—”

“Please,” she pleaded. “Please!” she begged again while pulling at his shirt with her balled up fist. “Tell me this isn’t true. Please.” Hot tears streamed down her face as her heart ripped from her chest, leaving an inferno of agony behind. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t hear as a sharp ringing took over. She couldn’t see, since the shadows of her nightmares circled her vision, closing in with each inhale of her dying soul. Oh God, her father! Her family! Everyone she loved and cared for. How? Could they all really be gone? Dead?

Her body shook, her muscles tightened. Her body was alive but her destroyed inner self died right then and there. The shattering pain sliced through every nerve ending in her body. If only Mercy herself would step in and spare her this pain. No! No! No! This can’t be!

“Shh,” Maddox cooed. “Take deep breaths.” When she didn’t listen but rather allowed the devastation to wash over her instead, he continued, “Come on, Adira. You are going to have to be strong. You have to be a fighter right now. I know this is hard. Trust me I know. But right now, you have to push back the grief that wants to swallow you whole and focus on my voice. Look at me and block away the pain. This very moment. Only focus on this very moment and breathe.”

Her balled up fist that clutched his shirt in her white-knuckled hold began pounding against the hardness of his chest as a howl escaped from deep inside her. Over and over she hit, as wave after wave of deep wailing sobs exploded from within, with far more force than the bomb that had just decimated her entire family and everything she knew.

The cowboy never tried to stop her once. He remained steady as her punching bag as if offering to take some of the pain away. This stranger just held her, not being able to fix it, not being able to make it all go away, but he could at least hold her, and he did.

“Why? Who?” she wailed between the tears.

“I don’t know,” Maddox said softly, running his calloused palm along the side of her battered and tear-streaked face. “But I promise you I will find out. And when I do, I will make him pay for this. I promise you that.”

She continued to cry and wondered if it was possible to truly die from a broken heart. She hoped so. She so desperately hoped so. “I wish I had died in the explosion. Why didn’t I get to die with them all?” Who knew that she was capable of producing a sound she’d never heard before? A keening that was eerie and pain filled, and yet she couldn’t seem to stop that awful noise from growing louder, shriller as the harsh reality that she was all alone added to her anguish. She had no one. They had left her behind in what had become her very own netherworld of torture.

“I know this hurts like hell, Adira. But you will survive this. You will.”

She shook her head, rubbing her face against his chest. “I don’t want to.”

“But you will.” Maddox wiped the tears away from her eyes with his roughened fingertip. “We have about an hour’s drive. Close your eyes and sleep.” When she hiccupped away her sobs, he added, “I promise I won’t let anyone hurt you. As long as you are with me, you are safe.”

Adira didn’t resist in any way. The thought of allowing sleep to take over and help numb the pain seemed like the only solution that would prevent her from screaming in agony for the rest of her life. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and nestled her face deeper into the arms of this cowboy named Maddox.

The sound of the driver’s door opening and shutting woke her up from her deep, nightmare-filled slumber. When she opened her eyes, she found herself still snugly tucked into the chest of this stranger. It was comforting, yet disturbing at the same time. Although, all momentary comfort vanished the minute the harsh reality of her tragedy hit again, and a fresh wave of tears released from sore and swollen eyes.

“We’re here,” Maddox announced softly as the passenger door was opened for him, and the driver—Keith she believed—assisted Maddox in getting her out of the car. The minute her bare feet hit the warm sand and she applied weight to them, her legs buckled. She would have collapsed fully to the ground had it not been for Maddox, who swooped her up into his arms and once again cradled her as he carried her toward a small house surrounded by a grove of palms.

It was pitch black all around, so Adira couldn’t make out if there were neighboring houses or not. Because of the lack of light, she could only assume that if so, the neighbors were spread out by substantial distance. Unlike on the water, where the stars had blazed in the sky, very few stars seemed to be out, only adding to the lack of visibility. From what she could see, the house didn’t look old or long neglected, but definitely abandoned. From the outside, the tiny structure didn’t look much larger than a one-bedroom hut. There were no signs of life, no lights on inside, but Maddox didn’t hesitate in the slightest as Keith unlocked the door, allowing him to carry her in. Maddox remained standing in place in the pitch darkness, tightening his hold on Adira until Keith finally lit a kerosene lantern, washing the small room with a warm light.

She had never been so close to a man before. Not unless you counted the time a security guard had to carry her across the grounds because she sprained her ankle when she was ten. If this were any normal occasion, Adira would have never allowed such close proximity. Her father and her grandfather would have the head of any man who would dare touch her in such an intimate way. But this wasn’t any normal occasion. He was not any normal man, and not once did she get the feeling that his intentions were sexual or intimate in any way. This was a man with a duty, a mission, and nothing else. What that mission was, she had no idea. But Adira didn’t care.

Her father was dead.

Her family gone.

She was in hell.

Her world completely shattered.

In a few large strides, Maddox walked over to a battered and dirty couch that sat in the middle of the dusty room. Placing her down on the filthy cushions, he reached for her ankles and lifted them, extending the length of her legs. He scanned her body before settling his eyes on hers. “How are you feeling? Your body? Do you feel anything could be broken?”

She shook her head.

“Nothing hurts, or at least not more than your bruises and scrapes?” He ran his fingertips through her matted hair and examined the wound on the back of her head.

“I’m fine,” she muttered.

Standing fully, Maddox took a deep breath and said, “Just rest here for a bit.” He turned and walked over to a cheap card table with four folding chairs acting as the only other pieces of furniture in the room. Keith and another man—Drake, she supposed—were yanking out equipment she couldn’t make out except for a laptop, and were removing some type of cylinders from a large case pressed up against the barren wall. Seemingly oblivious that anyone else was in the room, it was as if they were working off a mental checklist in their heads.

Maddox silently joined them in this intricate set up, and Adira watched as the men moved about in an almost synchronized choreography. It was only when she saw him pull papers from the cylinder and saw him hand them to Drake to be unrolled and spread out on the table that she understood it was most likely a map. No one seemed to care that she was in the room. Glancing to the right, she could see a small kitchen that, in its current condition, would not be utilized for preparing a meal any time soon. Two closed wooden doors were on each side of the entrance and Adira assumed they led to a bathroom and possibly a bedroom. Other than the minor furniture in the main room, the house was completely empty, dirty, and another reminder that the life she had only twenty-four hours ago, no longer existed.

“Maddox?” she called to him weakly.

His reaction to her voice was instantaneous. He was by her side in seconds. “Is everything all right? Do you hurt?” he asked as he once again scanned her body that drowned in the large white fabric she wore.

She shook her head. “Why would someone do this? Why would someone blow up the Adira?”

He quickly went to a black bag that sat propped up against the leg of a chair and pulled out a metal water bottle. Without asking, he opened the lid as he walked back to where Adira sat and handed it to her to drink.

Crouching down into a squat, so he was eye level with her, he said, “We have to find that out. Do you know of anyone who would want to see you all dead?”

Adira took a swig of the water, and then another when the coolness of the fluid coated the grittiness of her throat and mouth, relieving a thirst she hadn’t realized she had. Handing the bottle back to Maddox, she thought for a moment and couldn’t remember her father or her grandfather discussing any business deals that had gone bad, nor had either seem overly concerned about her safety. In the past, there had been times when security had been doubled, if not tripled, but not of late. “I don’t.”

“No threats that you know of?” Maddox prodded.

“No. So what happens now?”

“We get you out of Dubai.” He patted her arm as if attempting to calm her before standing up and walking back to assist Keith in the setting up.

“And go where?” Adira said to his back.

“Texas.”

“Texas? In America?”

Maddox looked over his shoulder and said, “Yes. I’m going to take you back to my family’s ranch for safety.”

Confusion crashed against her already foggy brain in waves. “Why Texas? Why your ranch? I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

“My father, two brothers, and I run a safe house of sorts. It’s called the Black Stallion Ranch. Think of it as witness protection for members of the underground. You’ll be safe there until the next plan is put in place.”

Protection for those in the underground.

Was that truly what Adira was? A member of the underground? Was that why her father was dead? Her family gone? All because of the crimes her family committed. Yes, because of the wrongdoings in the dark and murky world of the bad, the powerful, and the ruthless, Adira now needed protection from it all. For too long, she’d silently marched along the subversive and corrupt domain of greed. And now, because of it, the penance was the assassination of all she loved.