Page 5 of His Fury

I pressed my other hand to my mouth, swallowing hard.Stay calm, Isla. Breathe.

I was still alive. Apart from a few rough grabs and probably a couple of bruises, I wasn’t harmed. Did that mean they needed me? Or did it just mean they hadn’t gotten to that part yet?

I sincerely hoped it was the former.

The guy who spoke to me, the boss? Maybe. Whatever. The guy said he thought that borrowing something of my friend’s would speed him along. Borrowing meant you planned to return the thing you took, right?

So, I was leverage? An incentive for Julian to pay? Or…if this wasn’t Julian, then for Zayn to do something. Because they were the only two men in my life. Okay, one wasn’tinmy life anymore, but they were the only two where something like this would be possible.

And until this morning, I would have said only one man in my life would have the ability to put me in this kind of danger, and that man’s name wouldn’t have been mybest friend, Julian.

And if it wasn’t Zayn that was involved…then I still had a chance. Because Julian would tell him. He’d tell him what he had done and what he had asked, and Zayn would help him find me.

Because that’s what Zayn did for Julian. And me. He helped us. When we needed him, he stepped up.

I just needed to wait.

I just didn’t know how long it would be. The thought of being in here for days was more terrifying than the thought of them letting me out if it wasn’t Zayn on the other side of the door coming to collect me.

I don’t know how long I stood there, my thoughts churning over and over. My hands ran over walls coated in God knows what, searching for a way out. I didn’t want to sit down; I had no idea what I would be sitting in, but my legs were tired. Adrenaline had quickly turned to exhaustion the longer I was locked in here.

I turned toward the door, realizing I could hear faint voices. The walls muffled the voices, but I could definitely hear them. Moving closer to the door, I pressed my ear against it, concentrating on the rise and fall of whoever was speaking. However, they were too low for me to hear.

Hearing voices when I heard nothing before was a good thing, wasn’t it? It meant they hadn’t left me here alone.

The door rattled, and I sprang away in fright, sucking in a breath as I stumbled backwards. The room flooded with harsh fluorescent light, blinding me, and I instinctively threw my hand up to shield my eyes from the sudden glare.

A figure filled the doorway, and as my eyes adjusted, I saw it was the guy in the suit from earlier. He looked me over, his eyes pausing on my hands.

“Comfortable?” he asked, one brow arched in mockery.

“Go to hell.”

He gave me that wide toothy smile again and reached into the inside pocket of his jacket. I flinched backward when he drew his hand out so quickly, but he merely held out a handkerchief.

“You’re bleeding,” he told me, his voice bored. “There’s enough blood in here. I don’t need you adding to it.”

Instinctively, I turned to the wall. I’d felt the moisture, and my mouth was dry as I saw the dark crimson streaks across it, confirming my fears that the walls were stained with blood.

“Take it, and out you come. We’re going to have a little chat.”

I hesitated before taking the handkerchief. Although he didn’t look much older than me, a pristine white handkerchief for someone his age was…weird.

“I have nothing to say to you,” I said, forcing myself to lift my chin in defiance.

“Probably not,” he conceded. “But, I’m bored, and you’re prettier to look at than the walls, so out you come.” He stepped forward, his hand held out in invitation. “I won’t ask again, Isla. You come out on your feet, or I drag you out on your knees. Your choice.”

“I can walk,” I murmured as I took small steps to the door.

“I thought you would.”

Two of the guys who took me were standing farther away, close but not overbearing. I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing. Handkerchief walked in front of me; his body language was unbothered by the whole kidnapping element of his evening.

He patted the top of a wooden crate. “Sit.”

Hesitantly, I did as I was told, glancing around me, making sure I knew where the other two were at all times.

“So, an event planner,” he started casually as he took his own seat. “What exactly do you do?”

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