Page 61 of Silence and Surrender

“Finally dropping the civilized banker act?” I tried to keep my voice steady despite the bindings cutting into my wrists.

“For you? Of course.” He circled me slowly, appraising. “After all, you’ve seen behind that particular curtain, haven’t you?”

“Like my father did?”

Something changed in his expression. “Your father was careless. Asked the wrong questions too openly.”

“And I was more careful. Not careful enough, apparently.”

“You’re here because you’re exceptional.” He pulled out his phone, its camera pointed at me. “Now, smile for your new owner.”

The flash was bright in the darkness. I blinked away afterimages, fighting down nausea. “I’ve seen your prices. What am I worth?”

“More than any of them.” He checked the photo, nodding in satisfaction. “Beauty and brains, that’s a rare combination in this market.”

Understanding hit like ice water. I wasn’t just another girl. I was a trophy.

“Special handling?” My voice stayed steady through sheer will. “I’m almost flattered.”

He laughed, the same laugh I’d heard at countless gallery openings. Pleasant. False. “You should be. You’ll be the crown jewel of someone’s collection.”

“And if I fight?”

“You won’t.” His smile never wavered. “No one does for long.”

The soldiers holding me shifted their grip, their faces revealing anticipation. They’d done this before. Many times.

After they left, the cold seemed even more brutal. I curled into myself as much as the restraints would allow, trying to preserve body heat. My evening dress—three thousand pounds worth of Chanel silk that had made me feel invincible at the party—now felt like tissue paper against the chill. My fingers had gone numb from the zip ties cutting off my circulation, and my shoulders ached from being wrenched behind my back.

But the physical discomfort was almost welcome. It kept me from drowning in memories of the tunnels. Of Rodger’s cruel smile as I fell. Of Colton’s face, blood bright against the concrete, reaching for me too late.

Colton.

Just hours ago, we’d been together. His hands had been gentle despite his size, his kiss burning away every careful defense I’d built. Hours that now felt like lifetimes. I could still taste him if I concentrated—expensive scotch and control. Still feel the solid warmth of him against me, so different from this metal prison.

The container creaked as something heavy moved outside, making me flinch. Footsteps passed, more guards doing their rounds. They moved efficiently, their boots marking time like a metronome. Counting down minutes until loading. Until I was lost for forever.

“Container seventeen secure,” a voice called in accented English. “Temperature holding at fourteen degrees.”

Perfect temperature for keeping cargo docile. For making sure valuable merchandise arrived undamaged.

I thought of Colton again, of how he’d changed over the past months. The first time I’d noticed was during a board meeting three months ago. He’d been questioning one of our client’s art acquisitions, his voice measured as always. But there had been an edge underneath the polished tone. Authority behind the impeccable conduct. I’d found myself watching his hands as he sorted through documents, noting the new calluses. The quiet power that hadn’t been there before.

I’d told myself it was curiosity. That I was simply notating about the changes in our always-proper chief counsel. That the heat in my chest when he looked at me was just awareness of a colleague.

Lies. All of it.

The truth had been in that vault, when he’d held me against the cold. In that library, when his kiss had burned away every careful pretense. In all the moments between, when something electric had sparked beneath our professionalism.

The container’s temperature dropped another few degrees, making me shiver violently. I could hear machinery moving somewhere in the warehouse, probably loading other containers.

How many had there been? The guilt threatened to choke me.

But guilt wouldn’t help now. Wouldn’t get me out of this metal prison. Wouldn’t stop them from shipping me to Rotterdam and whatever horror waited there.

Only Colton could do that.

He would come for me. Despite the odds, I knew he would try everything to get me back.

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