Grace stirred with a massive pounding in her head. She opened her eyes to only see darkness. Something was covering her eyes. She wiggled around on the cold, metal floor, unable to move her tied up limbs.

  I was taken? Again?! When will I learn not to let my guard down?! Grace mentally cursed herself and tried to focus on her bindings.

  Zipties?

  It was then that she noticed something odd. She was wearing a dress, and wherever she was, it was moving. Outside, she could hear a lot of chatter, and what sounded like a person calling out numbers and amounts.

  An auction? Oh, crap!

  She took a deep breath and tried to focus on her bindings. Remembering her training, she wiggled until she got onto her knees and curled forward as she moved her hands.

  Everything swayed again, and there was a loud thud as it felt like whatever she was in, dropped on the floor.

  "And now, for a last-minute entry, and a rarity at that," the announcer's voice hitched.

  A blanket was pulled off of her cage.

  "Miss Grace Bertolottis; Raymond Bertolottis's granddaughter." The announcer looked at his paper again with wide eyes.

  The audience gasped.

  "What are you doing? Keep reading."

  The cage to her door opened, and the blindfold was pulled off. The bright light hurt at first, until her eyes adjusted, and she could see the stadium full of people in masks.

  Holy crap. She shuddered. A man grabbed her from behind and forced her to stand as he kept a hold of her. How do I get myself out of this one? She scanned the area for any exits. If she broke free from the man holding her, she wouldn't last long with her legs and arms still tied.

  What could she do, though?

  I have to wait. She calmed herself as she looked around more. There were four exits. Two upstairs, and two downstairs in the middle sections of the audience.

  "I can't read this..." the auctioneer said as he backed away from the two men. "If this is right for who she is—"

  "Then we'll do it." The other man stole the microphone from him. "This magnificent hottie, as my friend here said, is the granddaughter of the Bertolottiss, the ones who destroyed us more than a decade ago. She's an expert marksman with a background in policing. Who would like to own this sexy woman who can dominate in the bedroom or protect your life?"

  What the hell is he spouting? Grace glared at him. If someone does win me, they'll be my chance to escape... I hope.

  "Let's start at a hundred thousand dollars."

  Ha, like anyone would pay that much for me.

  "I see one hundred thousand. Do we see two hundred thousand?"

  What the hell?!

  "And there's two hundred thousand. Three hundred thousand there. Four hundred thousand. Do we see five hundred thousand?"

  These rich bastards are insane!

  "One million dollars!" someone shouted.

  "Do we have two million?"

  The door at the top opened and a masked man with his jacket hanging off his shoulders walked out. "Twenty-five million dollars!" he called out.

  The audience gasped and started questioning it.

  "Is that so?" The man on the stage snickered. "Any more takers? No? Sold for twenty-five million dollars to that man! Now, come to the back room, and we'll do the transfer immediately."

  Grace squinted as she tried to look at him, but the audience was too covered in shadows for her to make any distinctions.

  Who in their right mind would pay twenty-five million for me? Someone with a grudge against my grandpa? But aren't the ones selling me already those people? Unless he has more people after him... Who am I kidding? That's totally possible for a mafia boss.

  Grace sighed and shook her head.

  This is no time to be lost in thought.

  "Ah!" she yelped as the man forced her back into the cage. "Ugh..." Grace groaned from the impact of landing on the metal floor.

  Shouldn't they handle precious cargo better?

  They covered her caged and picked it up. She struggled to arrange herself as she did before in the moving cage. Using force and movement of her arms, she snapped the zip ties on her wrists.

  Frig, that hurt. She rubbed the leftover red marks. Now, how do I get them off my legs when I have no space to move around? She lay back with her feet turned outwards and tried to quickly extend her legs.

  Dung.

  She hit the cage bars. "Dammit..."

  "Whatever you're doing in there, stop it," one of the men spoke up as they carried her to one of the underground rooms. "Don't worry, Miss Bertolottis; you won't be in there for long." He snickered.

  "What do you think he plans to do with her?"

  "No idea, but I know what I'd do if I bought her." He guffawed.

  A chill ran down her spike. Hopefully, this person isn't like these two.

  They brought her into a room, and she held her hands behind her with the broken zip ties, hoping they wouldn't notice.

  "Do the transfer, and we'll give you the key."

  Beep.

  "Good doing business with you, sir. Enjoy your new possession."

  The two men headed out with large smiles because of their newfound money. "All ours; Roger doesn't need to know about it."

  Click. The door closed behind them.

  Grace aimed her feet at the cage door, her ankles still tied together.

  I don't know if I can knock'em over and run... no... hop away, but I have to try.

  She took a deep breath as she waited.

  The blanket flew off of the cage, and the masked man knelt down to unlock the cage. She looked at him and froze. Even with the mask on, she could tell who it was.

  "Please don't kick me." He pulled his mask off. "Like it looks like you're going to." Vincent opened the cage door for her. He pulled a knife from his pocket and cut her zip tie.

  "You're the one who bought me? Not that I should've been for sale in the first place."

  "Yes, and I barely made it here in time for that." Vincent held his hand out to her.

  "Thank you." She took his hand, and he helped her stand.

  "Such harsh treatment..." Vincent kissed her red wrists. "Although it seems you were already on your way to an escape."

  She flinched from the pain on her wrists.

  "Sorry."

  Grace shook her head. "Don't be. But really, that's a crazy amount of money for people that don't deserve it."

  "Sad to say, but much worse people earn much more than they just did. Besides, it'll be drained from their account soon enough."

  "What?"

  "Let's get you out of here, and then we can talk."

  "But..." Grace pulled her hand away. "What about Roger? There's no way he knew about this."

  "Even now you're worried about him? No, he didn't have anything to do with this, but if we stay here, things will get worse. I'm here because it was unsafe for Ray or Zain to come in themselves, but they won't wait long. They want the people who took you, and they want to destroy the Kuros family once again."

  "But..." Grace stepped back. "Do you guys even know why I was here in the first place?! I didn't want a war! I wanted to resolve this all as peacefully as possible."

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  "You're not the only one who prefers peace, Grace, but because of the people involved, that's not always possible. Not everyone wants peace. Those men who took you, they obviously don't want peace. Capturing you and selling you off... do you really think people like them would ever lay their grudge to rest?"

  "I... Without Roger, they'd disband. He's the leader, the glue—"

  "That may be true in an overall perspective, but the ones who don't want peace would continue down this grudge road. We need to stop them before they grow."

  "You make it sound like they're a disease or something."

  "Their way of thinking is."

  "Can't we just let the Kuros family pack up and leave instead of killing them?" Grace gripped the skirt of her dress as she thought about Roger.

  "We're not mass murderers or anything..." he trailed off, thinking about a previous gunfight that left many dead on both sides. "Come on, Grace; we need to get you to a safe place."

  "Is there such a thing anymore? I don't think I'm safe anywhere." Not that I was safe as a cop, anyway. "I left Roger with an ultimatum, and I need to know his answer."

  "Even after this?" Vincent ran his hand through his hair.

  "Roger is okay, right?"

  "Last I knew, yes, seeing as he told us where to get you. I approached him as the outside party to things, and he used the security cameras to find out what happened. Instead of him storming in and making a fuss with his own family, I came. He probably knows about our families surrounding his estate right now." He struggled to call the abandoned factory an estate, but he couldn't argue with the inside of the place. "I doubt Ray will hold back too much; it's over for the Kuros family."

  "But..."

  He rested his hands on her shoulder and stared into her eyes. "I'm sorry, Grace, but you can't help your friend now. You need to prioritize yourself for once."

  "I can't abandon Roger. Why do you think I came here in the first place?"

  "Grace!" He tightened his grip. "He's fighting with his own family now."

  Bang, bang, bang.

  Shots fired in the hallway outside.

  "Dammit," Vincent cursed. "I'm sorry, Grace, but we don't have time for this." He ducked down and pulled her over his shoulder.

  "Ah! What the hell is with you guys and carrying me this way?" She pounded a fist on his back.

  "Normally, I wouldn't, but I need a free hand to shoot. Before we head into fire..." Vincent pulled a gun out from the holster in his jacket and held it out for her to take. "Mind watching my back?"

  "It'll be easier to do that if you let me down."

  He wiggled the gun around. "Take it or leave it, but I'm not letting go of you until we're outside in a safe spot, or I have no other choice."

  "..."

  "Your boy is out there, too. He's probably run inside now since there's gunfire. He wanted to be the one to save you, but held back for all our sakes."

  Grace finally took the gun.

  Vincent pulled out a gun for himself from his other holster in his jacket. "Ready?"

  "As ready as I'm going to be."

  Vincent kicked the door open and ran out into the hall with his gun ready. He kept a careful eye on his surroundings as he made his way down the hall. The door at the end slammed open. The man held his gun up until he saw who it was.

  "Zain, why are you down here?" Vincent asked.

  Zain's eyes flickered to Grace. "There's trouble all around, so I came looking. I'll cover you two, so let's go."

  "Really? I'm surprised you don't want to take her yourself."

  "Normally, I would've, but I'm still handicapped." He rolled his shoulder. "So she's safer with you."

  "Noted."

  Zain led them into the hall leading to the stairs. He halted and held his hand out. "Shh..." He slowed down, hearing people nearby, and made sure they stayed back while he tiptoed up the stairs.

  Bang, bang! Zain shot off a few bullets before the person pointing a gun at them up the stairs had a chance to shoot. The gun fell out of the man's hand, and he fell back against the wall, sliding to the ground as he heaved in pain.

  Zain rushed up and took the gun.

  "Letting him live?" Vincent asked. "That's not like you."

  "A certain someone doesn't like when lives are taken unnecessarily," Zain said and continued upward.

  The closer they got to the surface, the more gunfire rang out.

  "That can't be good. Maybe you should put me down," Grace suggested.

  "Don't trust her to run." Zain glanced back at them.

  "Oh, I don't. I've learned enough about her to know she'd throw herself in the middle of everything for her friends." Vincent jerked his shoulders a bit to readjust her, and she groaned. "Sorry, cara mia, but I don't want you falling or breaking free."

  Ugh... But what about Roger? Everything is falling apart for him because I showed up. Shouldn't I help him?

  Grace gripped the back of Vincent's jacket with her free hand.

  "What is it?" Vincent asked as he followed Zain to the top of the stairs.

  "This mess is my fault; I should help Roger."

  "Grace... It's not your fault that they held on, hoping for revenge. It's not your fault they're crazy and low enough to sell people."

  "I'll help him once you're safe outside," Zain spoke up. He knew what Roger meant to her, and he couldn't turn his back on him.

  "Why would you do that? I thought you hated him?" Grace asked.

  Zain went silent and opened the door to the ground floor without responding.

  "Are you serious, cara mia?" Vincent asked. "I'm not around much, but even I can tell he'd do it because he loves you. For such a gruff man, he doesn't hide his feelings well. How do you feel about him?"

  "Um, shouldn't we follow him out? If I'm getting too heavy, you can always put me down."

  "Nice try, but I don't fall for deflections like that."

  She tapped him on the back. "Why would you ask that? Aren't you supposed to be wooing me?"

  "Because as much as I'd love for you to be mine..." Vincent trailed a finger down her leg, and she twitched, her face burning. "I'm not one who likes getting in the way of real feelings. If it was just lust, or if you didn't like him back, it'd be different."

  "But weren't you asking if I had feelings for him? Now you say it as if I do."

  Even I'm not sure about it.

  "I was curious if you'd answer me or not, or if you even know yourself." Vincent sighed. "Sometimes I wish I was a worse man, and I could run away with you right now."

  "If you mean kidnapping me, I think I've had enough of it for a lifetime already."

  "Quit yammering and get walking, you two." Zain had rushed back over when he found a path and overheard them talking. "There's a lot of gunfire in the main lobby, but if we can sneak by, I found an unlocked room with an open window. Let's go."

  That was fast.

  Vincent followed Zain out, with Grace still over his shoulder. Grace spotted a man round the corner, gun in hand. He spotted them and aimed.

  One of the men who kidnapped me!

  Grace didn't hesitate. She double-tapped. One shot hit the man's hand, forcing him to drop the gun, and her other shot hit his shoulder. He fell back, bleeding and groaning.

  Zain and Vincent stopped to look back.

  "You're as good of a shot as they say," Vincent said. "But didn't go for the kill."

  "I wanted to, but I automatically aimed for his hand. Ha..." I'm not suited to be in the mafia.

  "Never expect her to," Zain said. "But he can suffer more this way." He ran up to the man and took his gun. Vincent had worn a camera into the auction, so Zain knew it was one of the men who sold her. He resisted the urge to torture him and headed back over to them. "Even in a split-second, you can make that shot."

  "Practice. Lots and lots of practice." Grace sighed.

  They quieted as they stood at the edge of the lobby. Shots were being fired and bodies lay about on the floor.

  "We just need to get around the corner. There's a door to the kitchen, which leads to the dining room that has a door to the backyard," Zain explained.

  Zain led them from pillar to pillar, trying to stay out of sight.

  "Wait, Roger's there! He's in trouble!" Grace wiggled around and kicked her feet. "Let me down, Vincent."

  "No can do, cara mia. Please stop struggling. You'll draw attention, and I might drop you." Vincent held onto her legs with both arms to stop her from kicking.

  "Didn't I tell you before? I'll help him after you're out of the house." Zain looked back at them. "Tch..." He saw her take aim. "No, no, no. Grace, don't!" He hissed.

  Vincent held still, afraid to mess up her shot.

  Bang.

  A bullet shot into the man who had cornered Roger, ready to take him out.

  "Arg..." The man fell forward with a bullet in his back.

  Roger's eyes went over to them right away and they widened. He nodded to her, a pained expression on his face, and he waved them away.

  Zain and Vincent didn't wait a second longer. They slipped into the kitchen, and past the cook quivering in the corner, to the dining room.

  "No, you don't!" A man popped up at the other end of the dining room with a machine gun. "That woman, the Bertolottis princess, was sold; she's not yours to take."

  "Excuse me, but I'm the one who bought her," Vincent said.

  "Go." Zain shot at the man and tossed a chair at him as he fired off more rounds, giving Vincent a chance to run.

  Vincent shot out the glass door, not having any time to open it.

  Grace aimed at the man in the dining room from outside, but Vincent was going too fast, and he went out of sight. "Dammit it," Grace grumbled.

  "He'll be fine, Grace."

  "But that man had a machine gun! Not so easy to avoid being hit, so let's get him out of there." Grace pounded on his back with her free hand.

  Dammit! It's too dangerous to get out of this hold when there're bullets flying! Or in enemy territory...

  "I'm sorry, Grace, but he'll be fine." Vincent sprinted away from the factory towards where Ray was waiting.

  "Grace!" Ray yelled, breaking his stoic facade in front of the others, and ran towards them, despite others trying to keep him a safe distance away.

  Once they got close, Vincent set her down and rolled his shoulder.

  "Sorry. I must be heavy." Grace rubbed her sore stomach.

  "Not at all, but I was carrying you for a while."

  "Grace." Ray wrapped her tightly in his arms, his eyes closed as he kissed the top of her head. "I'm so glad you're safe." He sighed.

  "But Zain is still in there, and Roger needs help." Grace shuttered. "It's a war in there..."

  "You heard her." Ray raised his hand, swirled two fingers, motioning for his men to enter. "Be careful and don't kill Roger."

  "Boss, how do we know who to shoot?" one of his men asked.

  "Because they aim at you."

  Grace stepped away from him and turned around. "Oof!" She ran straight into Vincent, and his sturdy body made her stumble back a step.

  He quickly wrapped an arm around her waist. "Careful, cara mia." Vincent smirked. "Don't want to be caught in the flood of men going in, do you?"

  "..." Dammit... He knew I'd go running back, didn't he?

  Vincent leaned in to stare into her eyes as he pulled her even closer. "He'll be fine. They'll both be fine, so quit worrying so much or it'll take a toll on your health."

  "But—"

  "Grace." A hand landed on her head. "You stay here. Vincent, keep her safe." Ray ruffled her hair and took a few steps towards the factory.

  "Wait, where are you going?" Grace reached out to him.

  "To save Zain!" Ray took off running with his men, who cheered, having their boss alongside them.

  "Ray is still in such good shape; why does he want to retire from being the boss?" Vincent asked.

  "I'm not sure. Maybe he's just tired."

  "Or maybe he's hoping to spend more time with you when someone else takes over."

  "Maybe... You're really not going to let me go, are you?" Grace thought about the gun still in her hand.

  "Of course not; haven't you been paying any attention? We came to save you, not throw you into someone else's war."

  "If the Bertolottiss are in there, then isn't it my war, too?"

  "I'm not letting you go, so unless you're willing to go through me, you'll have to stay here. And don't make me disarm you. I'm letting you keep that in case a random enemy pops up."

  Grace huffed and looked away from him.

  "It's cute when you're like that, cara mia."

  She kept her head turned away and tried to listen to the fight, but the factory seemed to block most of it. "Why... What does it mean, anyway?"

  "My dear, my darling, my beloved. It's a term of endearment, I assure you. And why? Because I had hoped for you to become mine. I know I can give you a good life and love you," he whispered the last part into her ear.

  She twitched from his warm breath, hitting her ear and neck. "Didn't you just tell me you'd basically give me to Zain?"

  "For now." He kissed her cheek. "You two need to try before I'll have a real chance."

  "A chance?" She looked at him again and nearly collided with him. "If I choose him, he'll be my fiancé; there probably won't be time to see what happens before we tie the knot..." she trailed off as he stared into her eyes, entranced.

  "You may have gone along with it so far, cara mia, but something tells me that when it comes down to it, you won't marry him unless it feels right. It's your life; choose how you want to live it." He placed a light kiss on her lips. "And should things not work out, I'll be waiting for my chance."

  Grace's eyes widened, and she couldn't stop staring at Vincent, even when he turned his attention back to the abandoned factory.