Page 149 of Made for Sinners

My throat closed up, my breath hitching. I opened my mouth to scream, but before I could make a sound, a hand clamped over my face from behind.

I sucked in air too fast, choking on it, my flashlight slipping from my grasp and hitting the ground with a hollow thud. The beam flickered once, twice, and then it went out, plunging us into darkness.

Panic surged through me in a tidal wave, hot and suffocating. I thrashed wildly, my kicks catching only air. My body twisted, desperate to escape, but the man behind me didn’t budge. His arm wrapped around my waist like iron, locking me in place as I struggled, gasping against the gloved hand crushing my mouth.

“Easy,” a voice hissed near my ear. The accent was thick—Russian. “We don’t want to hurt you.”

Liar.

The words sent ice racing down my spine. My muffled scream died against his palm as I fought harder, my boots skidding on loose dirt. I clawed at his arm, my nails scraping against fabric, but it didn’t matter. He didn’t let go.

They worked quickly—too quickly. My wrists were yanked behind me, bound with something tight and biting—zip ties? Rope? It didn’t matter. I couldn’t move. The gag came next, rough fabric shoved between my teeth before I could even think to bite down on the hand still holding my face.

Terror clawed its way up my throat, choking me as I kicked out again. My boot connected with someone’s shin, earning a grunt, but it didn’t stop them.

There were too many.

One of them leaned in close, his breath hot against my cheek. “You should’ve stayed in your cage, princess.”

My stomach dropped, nausea and terror twisting together into a sick knot. They know who I am.

I bucked against the man holding me, but it was useless. My body wasn’t my own anymore—he dragged me backward with ease, his arm like a vice around my waist.

Branches tore at my legs as they hauled me through the trees, my feet scraping against rocks and roots. I stumbled, my knees buckling with every step, but they didn’t stop. My breaths came fast and shallow, my lungs screaming for air.

Think, Emilia. Think.

I tried to memorize the path—left at the twisted oak, right past the fallen log—but everything blurred together in the dark. My head spun, my ears ringing as the forest closed in around me.

Somewhere in the distance, an owl hooted.

Somewhere closer, I whimpered.

The sound barely registered before we broke into a clearing. A black SUV sat waiting, its engine rumbling low like a predator ready to pounce.

“No,” I tried to scream, but the gag muffled the sound, turning it into a desperate, broken noise.

The back door opened, and I was shoved inside. My knees hit the leather seat hard, pain shooting up my legs. I twisted, trying to see, trying to breathe, trying to think, but the door slammed shut before I could catch a glimpse of the outside.

The air inside the SUV was stifling, the windows tinted so dark I couldn’t see out. The interior lights stayed off, leaving me trapped in shadow.

And for the first time, I felt it—the cold, crushing certainty that no one was coming for me.

One of the men climbed in beside me, his gloved hand still resting on his thigh like a threat.

The SUV lurched forward, tires crunching over gravel as we sped away into the night.

I couldn’t breathe.

I couldn’t think.

I was gagged, bound, helpless—and worse, I was alone.

Dante didn’t know.

He was asleep in the estate, probably still tangled in the sheets we’d shared just hours ago, unaware that I was gone. That I’d slipped out like a thief in the night. That I’d walked straight into a trap.

And it was my fault.

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