Carole lunged for the door handle. She pulled it hard, but it did not budge. The child locks were engaged.

Hollis slowly turned his head. His eyes were cold and empty.

"Keep moving," Hollis said. "And I promise you will wish you stayed in the mud."

"Who are you?" Carole yelled, her voice shaking. "You have no right to take me!"

Before Hollis could answer, a loud crash shook the Maybach.

Carole looked in the rearview mirror. Three black SUVs were riding their bumper. The Pennington guards had caught up.

Another violent jolt hit the car. Carole lost her balance. Her forehead slammed hard against the reinforced glass of the window.

A dull thud echoed in the cabin. Carole groaned, holding her head.

At the exact same second, Hollis let out a sharp hiss. He grabbed his own forehead. His face lost all color. His chest heaved, and his eyes turned murderous.

"Do I return fire, sir?" K. Sterling asked, gripping the steering wheel.

"Get rid of them," Hollis ground out through clenched teeth.

Sterling yanked the steering wheel. The Maybach drifted around a sharp curve. The heavy rear bumper clipped the first SUV, sending it spinning into the metal guardrail.

The other two SUVs swerved past the wreckage and kept coming.

Hollis reached under his seat. He pulled out a handgun with a silencer attached. He rolled down his window.

The cold wind blasted into the car. Hollis leaned out, squinting against the freezing rain and the severe, throbbing pain pounding behind his eyes. His first shot went wide, ricocheting off the pursuing SUV's side panel. He cursed under his breath, taking a sharp, agonizing breath to steady his trembling hand, and fired again. This time, the bullet found the tire.

The front tire of the pursuing SUV exploded. The vehicle flipped over, sparks flying across the wet asphalt.

The final SUV tried to speed up and cut them off. Sterling slammed the brakes and turned sharply into an abandoned warehouse district. The Maybach tore through an open loading bay. The Pennington SUV followed right behind.

Sterling hit the brakes. The Maybach slid to a halt inside the dark warehouse.

The Pennington SUV stopped, but it was instantly surrounded by ten heavily armed men stepping out of the shadows. Wall family security.

Hollis kicked his door open. He marched toward the SUV. His men had already dragged the driver out onto the concrete.

Hollis pressed the barrel of his gun against the guard's temple.

"Please," the guard begged, shaking violently. "Adalberto ordered us to bring her back."

Hollis stared at him with dead eyes. He flipped the gun and smashed the heavy metal grip directly into the guard's kneecap. The bone shattered.

"Crawl back and tell him she is mine," Hollis said.

Carole watched through the window. Her stomach twisted into a tight knot. The violence was casual to him.

Hollis turned around. He walked back to the Maybach, bringing the smell of rain and blood with him.

He got into the back seat. The moment the door closed, he suddenly grabbed his chest. He let out a low groan and leaned forward. Sweat formed on his forehead.

Carole stared at him. Her own forehead was throbbing from hitting the window. She noticed Hollis was rubbing the exact same spot on his head.

She looked down at her hands. She pinched the back of her left hand with her fingernails.

Hollis's left eyebrow twitched.

Carole's breath hitched. A crazy, impossible thought entered her mind. She reached down and pinched her own thigh as hard as she could.

Hollis sucked in a sharp breath. He turned his head and glared at her.

"Stop doing that," Hollis snarled, his voice vibrating with rage.

Carole pressed her back against the door. "What did you do to me?"

"You did this to yourself," Hollis said, wiping the sweat from his brow.

Sterling handed a clean handkerchief over his shoulder. "Sir, we should go."

Hollis grabbed Carole's wrist. His fingers dug into her skin like steel.

"From this second on," Hollis said, his face inches from hers. "You are not allowed to feel any pain. Do you understand me?"

Carole tried to pull her arm away, but he did not let go.

The Maybach drove out of the warehouse and back into the night. Carole looked down at her red wrist. She was tied to a monster, and she had no idea how to break the chain.

The Maybach pulled into the underground garage of the Wall Industries Private Medical Center. The entire floor was empty. The security team had cleared the area.

Hollis got out. He reached into the car, grabbed Carole's arm, and pulled her out.

Carole stumbled. Her twisted ankle gave out, and a sharp pain shot up her leg.

Hollis's entire body went rigid. He sucked in a breath through his teeth.

He cursed under his breath. He bent down, scooped her up into his arms again, and carried her toward the private elevator.

Carole pushed her elbows against his chest. Her elbow hit the bruise on her own ribs.

Both of them groaned at the exact same time.

"Stop moving," Hollis ordered, his jaw tight. "Unless you want to kill us both."

The elevator doors opened on the top floor. A team of doctors and nurses stood in the hallway. They looked at Hollis's dark expression and stepped back nervously.

Hollis carried Carole into the VIP suite and dropped her onto the examination bed.

"Check her head," Hollis told the lead doctor. "And fix her ankle."

The doctor stepped forward. He reached out and gently pressed his fingers against the bump on Carole's forehead.

Carole flinched.

Hollis slammed his fist into the wall. The drywall cracked.

The doctor jumped back, his hands shaking.

"Be gentle," Hollis growled, rubbing his own forehead.

Carole watched him. A strange sense of power washed over her fear. This terrifying man was at her mercy. Her pain was his weakness.

The doctor finished the exam quickly. "It is just a mild concussion and a sprain, Mr. Wall. She needs to rest here tonight."

Hollis waved his hand. The medical team rushed out of the room and closed the door.

Hollis sat down in the chair next to the bed. He stared at her like a predator watching its prey.

Carole pulled the thin hospital blanket up to her chin. "What do you want from me? Ransom?"

Hollis let out a dry laugh. He reached into his jacket pocket, pulled out a folded document, and tossed it onto her lap.

Carole picked it up. Her eyes scanned the thick paper. It was a prenuptial agreement. The groom's name was Hollis Wall.

She looked up, her heart pounding. "You are insane."

Hollis stood up. He looked down at her. "It is the most efficient way to solve our problem."

Carole crumpled the paper and threw it at his chest. "I am not marrying a kidnapper."

Hollis caught the paper. His eyes darkened. He leaned over the bed, planting his hands on either side of her hips, trapping her.

His warm breath hit her face. "Sign it. Or I will crush the Pennington family and buy your adoptive parents' debt by morning."

Carole bit her inner cheek. She glared up at him, refusing to let the tears fall.

Hollis straightened up. He turned around and walked to the door.

"You are not leaving this room tonight," Hollis said.

The heavy door slammed shut. A loud click echoed in the room as the lock engaged.

Carole threw the blanket off. She ran to the door and pulled the handle. It was completely locked.

She slid down the wooden door and sat on the cold floor. She looked at the crumpled marriage agreement.

Through the massive glass window, the lights of Manhattan shined brightly. She was in the most expensive cage in the city.

She picked up the contract. She tore it in half, then tore it again, ripping it into tiny shreds. She threw the pieces into the trash can. She would never give in.

Outside in the hallway, Hollis leaned against the wall. He rubbed his thumb over his knuckles, waiting for the dull ache in his head to fade.

The morning sun hit Carole's eyes. She sat on the edge of the bed. She had not slept for a single minute.

A nurse brought in a tray of food. Carole opened her mouth to ask for a phone, but two massive guards stepped into the doorway, blocking her view. The nurse set the tray down and left quickly.

Carole pushed the tray away. Her stomach cramped violently from hunger.

Three floors down, Hollis gripped the edge of his desk. A sharp pain stabbed his stomach.

The door to the VIP room flew open. Hollis walked in. He looked at the torn pieces of paper in the trash can. His face turned to stone.

He walked to the bed. He grabbed her chin, forcing her to look up at him.

"Do you think tearing up a piece of paper changes anything?" Hollis asked.

"Kill me," Carole spat out. "That is the only way I will sign."

Hollis let go of her chin. He pulled his phone from his pocket. He tapped the screen and held it in front of her face.

A video started playing. It was a pool party at a mansion. The timestamp was from three years ago.

Carole's breath stopped. The memory flooded her brain. She had fallen into the deep end. She could not swim. She remembered the water filling her lungs, the darkness closing in, and then someone diving in after her.

"I was there," Hollis said, his voice dropping an octave. "You panicked. You dragged me down to the bottom. We both almost died."

Carole looked at his face. She finally recognized the dark shape of his eyes from that night.

"Because of a drowning accident?" Carole asked, her voice shaking.

"Extreme hypoxia," Hollis said. "Our nervous systems rewired. We are linked."

"That is impossible," Carole said, shaking her head. "That is science fiction."

Hollis stared at her. He reached over to the medical tray on the table. He picked up a silver scalpel.

He rolled up his left sleeve.

"Stop!" Carole yelled.

Hollis pressed the blade into his forearm and sliced downward. Blood welled up instantly, dripping onto the white floor.

Carole screamed. A burning, slicing agony ripped across her left forearm. She grabbed her arm, tears streaming down her face.

There was no cut on her skin. But the pain was real. It burned like fire.

She collapsed onto her knees, clutching her arm. "Why? Why me?"

Hollis dropped the scalpel. He knelt in front of her. He reached out with his bloody hand and lifted her chin.

"We are tied together," Hollis said softly, but his eyes were merciless. "You will live where I can see you. You will eat what I tell you. You will not get hurt."

"I will never marry you," Carole cried.

Hollis stood up. He grabbed her uninjured arm and pulled her to her feet. He dragged her out of the room.

They walked down the hall and pushed through the double doors to the roof. A black helicopter sat on the helipad, its blades spinning loudly.

The wind whipped Carole's hair across her face. She grabbed the door frame, trying to fight him. Hollis easily peeled her fingers off the metal.

He shoved her into the leather seat of the helicopter and climbed in next to her. The door slid shut.

The helicopter lifted off the roof. The city of Manhattan shrank below them.

Hollis pulled a fresh copy of the marriage agreement from his jacket. He dropped it on her lap.

"Sign it when we land at Blackwater Bay," Hollis said over the headset.

Carole stared at the words Blackwater Bay. It was his private fortress. She closed her eyes, the phantom pain in her arm still burning.