Page 121 of Nails
His eyes widened.He shot up like a bolt of lightning.“Her AirTag.”
Everyone froze.
Russell blinked.“What?”
“She told me she always keeps an AirTag on her.She has them hidden in her clothes.”He left out the part about the GPS-enabled cleavage.
Russell’s jaw dropped.“Shit.I didn’t even think of that.”
They leapt into action.Within seconds, Russell had Riley’s phone open.He pulled up theFind Myapp.And there it was.
A small blue dot, pinging from a remote spot on Hainan’s coast.
“I’ve got her,” Russell said.
The room fell silent, then erupted in movement.Images were pulled from satellites, layout recon, and approach routes.Someone shouted for drones.Another ordered choppers to be prepped.
Nails stepped toward the screen and stared at that little blue dot.His heart thundered.Hope lit up in his chest.
“Hold on, baby,” he whispered.“I’m coming.”
Riley blinked her eyes open slowly.For a moment, everything was blurry, like she’d been asleep for days.Her head throbbed, her limbs felt disconnected, and heavy.
Where am I?
The ceiling above her was white with gold inlay, the edges carved in swirling floral patterns.A crystal chandelier sparkled above the canopy bed she was lying in.It was all extravagant.
She turned her head slowly.The room was stunning.It’s massive windows covered in sheer white curtains, ornate furniture, marble floors, and fresh flowers in vases.It looked like a damn palace suite.
But her right wrist was cuffed to the carved gold headboard.That sent a fresh bolt of fear through her.And that was when the memories started to trickle in.
Chen.His face.That smug smile.The way he grabbed her arm.Then she remembered the sharp pinch and Ronan being there.
Her pulse spiked.Her heart raced.The fog in her mind cleared enough for the panic to come roaring in like a tsunami.
Oh my God.They took me.Does anyone even know I’m missing?
She yanked her arm instinctively, wincing at the jolt of pain as the cuff pulled on her wrist.Her breathing picked up.She blinked fast to hold back tears that threatened to spill over.
Stay calm, Riley, and think.
The ornate door creaked open, and Riley froze.
A woman stepped inside, shutting the door quietly behind her.She was tall, with long blond waves cascading over her shoulders.She was maybe in her thirties, wearing a sleek black dress and carrying a set of clothes in her arms.
She smiled as she approached, but it wasn’t a smile of warmth.It was one of quiet sympathy, like a haunted sort of smile.
“You’re awake,” the woman said in a whisper.“Good.”
“Who...who are you?”Riley asked, her voice raspy, throat dry.
The woman glanced toward the door nervously and crouched down beside the bed.“No time for questions.Just listen.Your team will come.You just need to hang on a little longer.”
Riley’s brow furrowed.“How do you know about my team?”
The woman shook her head.“I can’t say.But I know who you are, and I know they’ll come.Stay strong.”
She stood and moved toward the dresser.
