Page 37 of Fearless

“Touch one hair on my head,” Serena snapped, “and I promise you’ll never get another piece of intel from me.”

Kingsley skidded to a stop a few inches away. His breathing was heavy, a sheen of perspiration covering his face. Seeing him like this was a revelation. The toothpaste smile and cocky attitude had hidden a surprisingly insecure and volatile man. She had recognized his immaturity early on, but the insecurity and impulsiveness startled her.

Realizing she needed to adjust her strategy, she gave him what he likely needed at this point—control. “Mr. Kingsley, you’re in charge here. You make the rules, and people follow them. All I’m asking is that you understand my position.”

His brow furrowed, and she watched several emotions play out on his face. Then, like a lightning bolt, an unholy glee entered his eyes, and she knew she had underestimated him.

“Your position, Mrs. Donavan, is that I own you. Every thought in your pretty little head and every cell in your body belong to me. Before I’m through with you, you’ll be asking me for permission to breathe.”

With that, he stormed out of the room.

The second he was out the door, Serena expelled a long, ragged breath. She didn’t know if either of them had won that round, but the battle wasn’t over.

Despite all that lay ahead, she took a moment to say a quick prayer of thanksgiving that her plan had worked. When she had developed the protocol months ago and presented it to Ash, he had been both intrigued and appalled. They’d both known that targeting families of their victims was part of the Wren Project’s MO. And it made sense that she might be one of their biggest targets. Not only did she have access to a tremendous amount of intel, but her large family would make her especially vulnerable.

After she’d gotten Ash’s approval, she’d explained everything to her dad. It hadn’t been easy. Her family was unique in many ways, one of them being that they were prepared for attack at a moment’s notice. Most of her family had a military or law enforcement background and knew the importance of preparedness. She had grown up with this mindset and had gotten used to the monthly drills. She had often enjoyed them. Back then, she had never anticipated how necessary they would become.

She could only imagine the scrambling that had taken place after she’d activated her plan. Being prepared for an attack was one thing. This was next-level protection. Moving dozens of families, along with their pets, livestock, and belongings—and having only hours to do it—would take tremendous effort. However, she knew her father, as well as the rest of her family. They had no doubt accomplished the impossible.

She had no idea where they’d gone, and that was the point. Blood could not be squeezed from a turnip. No matter how rough things got for her here, Kingsley would not be able to get her to reveal what she didn’t know.

Now she needed to gear up for whatever the man planned. Would it be physical torture? Or would he come up with another evil way to get what he wanted? What else could he threaten her with, other than physical or psychological pain?

In the midst of her racing thoughts, a drop of moisture dripped into her eyes. Blinking rapidly against the sting, she suddenly realized she was sweating profusely. The pajamas she had put on last night were thin cotton, but they now felt as though they were made of flannel. She knew immediately what was happening. Kingsley had gradually turned up the heat, and she hadn’t noticed. Now, that was all she could think about as sweat sprang from every pore of her body. The room had to be at least a hundred degrees.

She was doing breathing exercises to regulate her respiration when a rush of cool air swept over her body. At first, it was the sweetest of feelings, and for an instant, she savored the relief. Moments later, she was no longer enjoying it. The temperature continued to drop, and it wasn’t long before she was shivering intensely. Her pajamas, damp with sweat, made her shiver even more. In less than a minute, her entire body felt encased in ice.

With no ability to move, she used the only part of her they couldn’t control—her mind. She turned her thoughts to some of her happiest memories. The day she met Sean would always be one of them. At that time, she’d still been struggling with grief over her loss of Drew. She had focused solely on her work and, other than her family, had closed herself off. She hadn’t realized how isolated she’d been until he had appeared in her life. Sean Donavan had changed everything for her.

As miserable as she was, she found herself smiling as she remembered their first meeting. She hadn’t been looking where she was going and had slammed into him so hard, she’d almost fallen at his feet. He had caught her, and when she had looked up into his eyes, she had fallen in a different way. It was as if her world, which had been twisted and dark, became something new and fresh. With one glance from his beautiful eyes, one smile on his gorgeous face, and one sentence in his sexy, gruff tone, everything had righted itself. Her heart, her soul, her entire being had felt an immediate connection.

She smiled as she remembered all their firsts. The first kiss. Their first intimate moments. The first time she had realized that with just one touch, he could ease her mind and calm her heart. She had loved Drew with all the ferocity and zeal of a young, naïve heart, and she would always cherish their time together. But without a doubt, Sean Donavan was the love of her life, her soul mate, and the man God had intended for her.

Suddenly realizing she had stopped shivering, she knew she would be returning to the sweating mess she’d been moments before. How long was Kingsley planning to do this to her? Her head was already beginning to pound, and her sinuses felt like they would explode. Her heart was thudding rapidly against her chest, and her entire body ached. She was young and in excellent health, but that didn’t mean she could withstand hours of this kind of torture. Eventually, her body would rebel.

She fought sleepiness as the room grew warm again. Even as hydrated and prepared as she had been, the benefits of hydration and being well rested were long gone. Her mind felt sluggish, and she wanted nothing more than to crawl into a warm, dry bed and pretend, if only for a little while, that this wasn’t happening. She closed her eyes, promising herself she would rest for only a moment.

“Serena, wake up, sweetheart.”

Startled, Serena opened her eyes and gasped in astonishment. Sean stood before her, a smile of pure love on his handsome face.

“Sean? What are you doing here? How did you get here?”

“No time for that, baby. We’ve got to get out of here.”

She glanced down at her body, surprised that she was no longer locked in the wheelchair. Joy flooded through her. Sean, her love, her hero, had come for her.

“I can’t believe you’re here. I’ve missed you and love you so much. Thank you for—” A blip in her brain startled her. She shook her head, unsure what that feeling was, what it meant. She needed him to know how much she loved him and how she wanted them to be together forever. Why would it be such a challenge to say those words?

“What were you saying, baby?”

Serena shook her head slowly, her thoughts so muddled and confused, she could barely form a coherent thought. Sean was here…why was she stalling? What was happening? Why was his face suddenly blurry? She blinked in rapid succession, trying to clear her vision and her mind.

“Come on, babe. Talk to me.”

Babe? Sean never called her babe. Baby, yes, but not babe. He had called her that once, and she’d told him that her aunt Jackie had a pig named Babe, so he agreed never to call her that. So why…

“Serena…sugar…talk to me.”