Chapter 1

I had doubts about going to the nightclub. It wasn't my thing at all, but I went to please Markus. In less than an hour, I realised I'd made a mistake and that I couldn't trust him.

He suggested we take Ecstasy, something he was used to in this situation. I refused. I'd never done drugs and didn't plan to start. But not too long after I swallowed the one drink he fetched from the bar for me, I knew he'd spiked it. My vision blurred, the colours around me became brighter, the music vibrated through my body, and my sense of balance deserted me.

I drifted in and out of consciousness, only partially aware of what was going on. A car ride, and the voices of strangers. Markus didn't seem to be there. I protested weakly, resulting in my being struck in the back. Coldness and pain; the squeaking of bed springs; more pain. I was getting fucked and I had no idea who by.

More shouting, then a gun shot. The guy on top of me was wrenched away, then someone was pulling me up, trying to get my clothes on me. I struggled at first, until he said his name, more than once.

"Davor, it's Christian. It's Christian. Come on."

Then I was in a car, lying on the backseat.

"You're okay. I'm taking you home." The car began to move.

"Nnn—" My tongue felt too big for my mouth. "Nnn—o."

"No? Then where?"

I tried to tell him to take me to my apartment—the one the Family knew nothing about—but I couldn't get the words out. I couldn't recall the address anyway. All I could remember at that moment was Markus drugging me, and letting some unknown guys take me away and do that to me. I hung my head off the seat and vomited into the footwell. My stomach hurt, my arse hurt, my back was in agony, and my shirt felt wet.

"I'll take you to my place," Christian said.

Relieved, I rolled my head back onto the seat and closed my eyes. The next thing I knew, I was in a soft, comfortable bed with a dim light shining in from the next room. I didn't know how long I'd been there.

"Hey." Christian came into the room, wearing a tee shirt and underwear. "You need to drink some more water." He switched on a small light beside the bed and picked up a glass of water from the bedside table.

I licked my dry lips. My head had stopped spinning, but it pounded as if I had the worst hangover in the world. I slowly pulled myself up and winced at the pain in my arse and my back. A quick glance under the sheet showed me I was naked except for my underwear, and the white sheet was stained with blood. I sucked in a breath, my heart stuttering.

"It's not, um, what you think," Christian said awkwardly. "Your back's pretty torn up." He leaned over me to look behind my shoulders. "I bandaged you up as best I could, but you tossed around in your sleep. Looks like the dressing came off."

"Oh." I heaved a sigh of relief and took the glass of water. I drained it and put it down. "This goes no further. Understand?"

"Of course. I wouldn't say anything. It's not my business."

"How did you find me?" I ventured.

"The Family were getting worried, but they didn't know where to look. I went to see Markus."

"How did you—?" I frowned. "Of course. You drove him home that day."

Christian nodded. "What happened? Did he do this to you?"

"He put something in my drink. I don't remember much after that, but he wasn't there. I'm guessing he was threatened. Or paid."

"I'm sorry."

I shook my head. Then I remembered something. "I fucking puked all over the car."

"It doesn't matter. I'll get it valeted this morning."

"What time is it?"

"Six."

"Did you talk to the Family?"

Christian nodded. "I said you went home with a woman you met in a bar."

I laughed hollowly. "And they believed that?"

"Dubravka seemed sceptical, but Pawel said you'd done that a few times recently."

"Yeah, that's what I told him." I rubbed a hand over my face. "Thanks."

"No problem. You want anything to eat?"

"No. Can I use your bathroom?"

"Sure. It's the room next to this one." He indicated with his thumb.

I got out of the bed slowly and carefully and tried not to limp as I made my way to the door. "Where are my clothes?" I asked.

"In the dryer. I washed them."

I waited while he fetched them. Then I went into the bathroom and closed the door.

Using the toilet was impossibly painful and I almost bit through my lip in my efforts not to cry out. Then I showered until I used up all the hot water. My back burned and the water running into the shower tray turned pink for a few minutes. When I was done, I put on my trousers and went to find Christian.

He bandaged me up again, using a couple of thick dressings to stop me bleeding through my shirt. Then he made me some breakfast and left me in his apartment while he went to get the car valeted. An hour after that, he drove me home.

"Good night?" Pawel grinned and winked as I walked in.

I smiled and waggled my eyebrows. Within minutes, things were as normal as they were going to get for me. I worked in my office for a while. Then I took the car and went to see Markus.

He grovelled immediately. Of course he did. A Polish gang had threatened to kill him if he didn't give me to them. They didn't know who I was, but they liked the look of me and thought I'd earn them some good money. As tempted as I was to put a bullet in Markus's brain, I couldn't do it. He hadn't known how to handle the situation, and after three months, I'd gotten fond of him. But I left him in no doubt that if he so much as thought about calling me, he wouldn't see another day. Then I walked away.