I turned my face away, but he didn’t break contact. My heart hammered against my ribs, fear coursing through my veins. It was just as toxic as it had been the night Mathew kidnapped me. Only, this man wasn’t reassuring me that he would take me to Nicola and keep me safe.

He traced the line of my jaw before picking up a lock of my hair. He lifted it to his nose and inhaled deeply. I shuddered, feeling more violated than I had when he’d touched my face.

“You’re very pretty,” he told me. “I can see why Nicola likes you. I’m sure he’d be heartbroken if anything happened...