“How did you know-?”

    The tattooed man couldn’t help but blurt out the question, shock written all over his face. But he cut himself off halfway, silenced by a sharp, warning re from Scarred Man.

    Scarred Man was just as surprised. While ordering his crew ito /itie Hickey to another chair, he studied Elissa more closely.

    She was just a small–town doctor, yet she’d kept her wits and managed to negotiate with a gang of kidnappers like them–calmer than most

    silver–spoon heiresses from old money families.

    Scarred Man eyed her with suspicion. “Who the hell are you, really?”

    Elissa’s voice was steady. “Didn’t you just call Frank from the car?”

    He narrowed his eyes. “And what’s your point?”

    He couldn’t read her at all. Their employer had said this woman was one of Frank’s flings, someone the Atwater estate had grown tired of. The job was simple: get rid of her. If anything went wrong, the Atwaters would shield them. Frank couldn’t touch them.

    But Elissa seemed to sense the setup. A faint, knowing smile tugged at her lips. “She wants you dead, and you’re still doing her dirty work.”

    Scarred Man frowned, suddenly uneasy. “What’s so funny? What are you getting at?”

    “You took this job without even checking my background?”

    Lowering her gaze to conceal her nerves, Elissa bluffed, “My name is Elissa. I’m the adopted daughter of the Murphy family. Ever heard of Rowan Murphy? He’s my brother. You think you can’t afford to cross the Atwaters, but you’re fine picking a fight with the Murphys?”

    Their stunned expressions only bolstered her confidence. She added calmly, “Oh, and by the way–Frank’s wife is also-”

    12:08

    Before Elissa could finish, the warehouse doors burst open.

    Marcia stormed in first. “Let go of my son!” she shouted, her re full of warning as she shot Scarred Man a murderous look–don’t even think about trying anything.

    She’d caught snippets of Elissa’s earlier conversation with the kidnappers as she approached the door. This girl was craftier than she looked,

    Kidnapped and still full of tricks!

    If she’d shown up even a minuteter, these fools might’ve really let this little witch go.

    Elissa’s gaze shifted past Marcia, focusing on Frank as he stepped in behind her.

    Frank saw her too.

    She was tied tightly to a chair, her usually tidy dark hair tangled across her face. Her skin, always delicate, was now scraped raw at the wrists from the rough rope–she was already bleeding.

    Frank felt as if something was twisting his heart. He strode forward, face like thunder, but before he could get too close, a gun was shoved against Elissa’s head.

    “Mr. Atwater!” Scarred Man barked at him. “Take one more step and she’s dead.”

    All traces of Frank’s usual charm vanished. He stopped cold, his face hard as stone. “Alright. You’ve got me. My wife and my nephew–what’s this really about?”

    “Wife?” Scarred Man’s voice faltered. Elissa’s earlier words clicked into ce.

    They’d been yed.

    Damn it.

    Marcia, that treacherous bitch, had managed to talk them into attacking

    12:08

    Frank’s wife and nephew for half a million. High risk, lousy payoff.

    No wonder this jobnded on theirps.

    Shit.

    But they’de this far; they couldn’t just walk away empty–handed.

    Frank’s lips curled into a cold smile. “You seriously don’t iknow /iiwho /iyou’ve kidnapped? That’s not exactly professional.”

    Scarred Man forced augh. “Of course we know.”

    He nced at his crew, then back at Frank. “We brought you here for one reason. We want to know–which is more important to you, your wife or your nephew?i” /i

    The words hung in the air, icy and sharp.

    Frank’s face darkened even further. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

    Scarred Man grinned, teeth bared. “It means only one of them gets to walk out alive.”

    A choice. One or the other.

    Elissa’s hope flickered out. Her face grew pale as the reality set in.