Chapter 173
Alexander Kingsley had become a mere pawn in their deadly game, held hostage by men who were far from the petty thugs like Nico Esposito and his gang of lowlifes.
No, these were seasoned killers—professionals who left no room for error.
A dozen gun barrels were trained directly at Isabella Sinclair’s head.
“Run if you want,” Adrian Castillo sneered, his voice thick with arrogance. “Even if you make it to that yacht, we’ll take our time with him. Slow. Painful. You really want to watch that?”
His smirk widened. “So, Ms. Sinclair, why not make this easy? If my boss spares you, maybe I’ll keep you for myself. Fiery women like you? Rare. Irresistible.”
Isabella wiped the blood from her lip with deliberate calm.
“On my best day, I wouldn’t spare you a glance,” she said, her voice like ice. “But the fact that you’d even try to flirt right now? Disgusting.”
She tilted her chin up. “I don’t respond well to threats.”
Fear wasn’t in her vocabulary. Isabella was the kind of woman who’d rather go down fighting than kneel.
Before Adrian or his men could react, she revealed a set of explosives in her palm—like a magician unveiling death itself.
“Seems like you’re the one with a choice now,” she said, her lips curling into a mocking smile. She raised the explosives higher. “Die with me, or let him go.”
Adrian’s face paled. His confidence flickered.
This woman is insane.
His men erupted into chaos.
“Boss, those are live!” one shouted.
“If she pulls that pin, we’re all dead!”
“Shut up!” Adrian snapped, though his own pulse raced. He forced his expression back into control.
“You won’t do it,” he challenged, searching her face for hesitation. “You’re bluffing. You wouldn’t throw your life away for him.”
But Isabella’s gaze was cold. Detached. As if death was nothing more than an inconvenience.
Adrian’s fists clenched. “People like us don’t throw our lives away. You pull that pin, and we all die—including you.”
Isabella merely rested her finger on the pin, unfazed.
“I know exactly what happens if I let you take me,” she said, her voice sharp as a blade. “I’d rather die on my terms than live on yours.”
Her eyes swept over them like a predator.
“Five seconds to decide. After that? Game over.”
“Five.”
A bead of sweat slid down Adrian’s temple. This wasn’t just his life on the line—it was all of theirs.
“Four.”
He weighed his options. A madwoman willing to die for a man—or worse, just to spite him.
“Three.”
His men shifted nervously. Some took half-steps back.
“Boss, she’s serious—we should fall back!”
“Nobody moves!” Adrian snarled.
“Two.”
His jaw locked. He refused to believe she’d do it.
“One.”
Adrian’s eyes slammed shut, bracing for the blast.
Silence.
Then—
A metallic clink.
His eyes flew open just in time to see the pin hit the ground.
The explosives tumbled at his feet.
She pulled it.
His blood turned to ice.
She wasn’t bluffing.
