Bye-Bye Jerk, Hello Mr. Right

We were boxed in. Cars surrounded us, leaving no escape route. Trying to break free would be reckless- we’d never make it.

Steve was right. Hayden had been pulled away, leaving me vulnerable. And without Hayden’s skills, Steve was at a serious disadvantage.

Bruno’s real target? Me.

As the men climbed out of their cars, surrounding us, I turned to Steve. “In a minute, I’ll go with them. Don’t do anything stupid–just call Hayden.”

“No way!” Steve shot back, his protective instincts kicking in.

“Listen,” I insisted, “Jace is already in Bruno’s hands, and Hayden’s gone after him. If you get taken too, Bruno will have all of us, and no one to save us.”

He hesitated, but I gave him a calm, reassuring smile. “We talked about this earlier. If Wayne’s behind this I won’t be harmed. So don’t worry about me.”

“But what if it’s not him?” Steve didn’t seem convinced.

“If it’s not him, then we’re good. You can reach out to him for help.”

I could see the shift in his eyes.

“This is our chance to test him,” I continued. “If he shows up to save us, we’ll know he’s not involved. If he doesn’t, and Bruno goes after everyone but me… then we’ll know for sure Wayne’s the mastermind.”

Before Steve could respond, the car door flew open, and two of Bruno’s men reached for me. I didn’t wait for them to pull me out. “I’ll go with you.”

They turned to look at Steve, and I quickly added, “He’s got nothing to do with this.”

The man in charge nodded. “Everyone’s coming.”

I pressed a small knife against my neck, the blade cold against my skin. “Let him go, or you’ll be taking my dead body.”

I’d grabbed it back at the hotel, just in case. Looks like my instincts were right. ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

The men hesitated, clearly unsure. One of them stepped aside and made a quick phone call. When he came back, he gave a sharp nod. “Fine. Put down the knife, and we’ll let him go.”

“He walks away first, then I drop the knife,” I said, stepping out of the car.

Steve’s face twisted with tension and worry. But after a sharp look from me, he turned and left.

The second he was out of sight, I dropped the knife onto the ground.

The men grabbed me and took me straight to Bruno’s place.

He was lounging under a pergola in the backyard of his mansion, sipping tea and tossing fish food into the pond, looking far too relaxed for the situation.

“I’m here. Now release the others,” I said, glancing around. Hayden’s car wasn’t in sight. That could mean Hayden was either on his way here or already being led somewhere else.

“Release them?” Bruno scoffed, taking another sip of his tea. “Why would I do that? We’ve got just enough players for a nice game of poker.”

I knew he was toying with me, trying to make it sound like he had everyone else too.

“If you want to play poker, set up the table,” I challenged, hoping for a glimpse of the others.

Bruno saw right through me, though, and just chuckled. “What’s the rush?”

Those words made my stomach churn. There was more coming. I could feel it. “What do you want from me?” I demanded.

“You’ll find out soon enough,” he replied with a smirk, clearly enjoying the game he was playing.

If this was how he wanted it, fine. I clamped my mouth shut, refusing to respond. No matter what he said next, I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.

Bruno wasn’t fazed. He continued chatting aimlessly. At one point, while feeding his fish, he glanced at me. “You like feeding fish, don’t you? Go on, give it a try. I’ll have you know, my fish are just as well- behaved as anyone else’s.”

Anyone else’s?