“Boss’ room,” Jesper grunted and then dropped Wolfe on the stone floor as if he were nothing more than a sack of potatoes. I cried out and rushed for Wolfe just as his eyes began to open. “Shit!” Jesper sighed and reached across the bed for something. In the next moments, I watched helplessly as he tied Wolfe - who was coming around far too slowly for my liking - up against the heavy brass bed.

“You next.” Jesper strode towards me and I tried to kick out at him again. He dodged and clucked his tongue at me. “Not that again, you little bitch.”

He lunged at me, trying to wrench my arms behind my back but I shrieked and punched and pummelled at him, vaguely aware of Wolfe now shouting and struggling from his prison on the floor. Then Jesper’s huge hand came towards my face and cracked it back with an almighty blow. I felt like I’d run into a brick wall. My legs gave way and I was barely aware of Jesper tying my hands behind my back and throwing me onto the bed. Water streamed out of my right eye and I hesitantly lifted my cheek, wincing at the throbbing pain.

“Stay here, and behave!” Jesper cried. “Boss will be in soon.”

I struggled into a sitting position as the man slammed out of the door, a key turning in the lock.

Feeling his eyes on me, I looked down at Wolfe whose eyes blazed back at me.

“Are you alright?” He asked hoarsely, his gaze on my cheek, his jaw clenched so tight I thought it might shatter.

I huffed and shimmied toward him, trying to get a look at the cut on his head. “Am I alright? Wolfe, they knocked you unconscious.” I hissed at his wound. “We need to get that cleaned up. Are you feeling well?”

He winced now, stretching his legs out before him and pulling at the ropes. It was futile. He slumped wearily. “I feel a little dizzy.”

“You were out a while.”

“Noted. Where are we?” He glanced around the room.

I sighed. “We’re in an abandoned glass works. We’ve been taken by what I assume is a rookery gang.”

Wolfe cursed and then whipped around, vengeance burning in his blue gaze. “Did any of them touch you?”

I grinned, thinking about Little Sin. “I knocked out the one who tried.”

Wolfe quirked an eyebrow. “Knocked out?”

I quickly told him how I had incapacitated Jesper and then launched the mallet at Little Sin. Wolfe shook his head in amazement. “Perhaps I should let the men train you,” he murmured.

Surprised, I smirked back at him. “I told you so.”

He rolled his eyes. “Can you never take anything graciously?”

I snorted. “Not from you.”

Wolfe shook his head, hearing the teasing in my voice. He tugged at the ropes again. “We need to get out of here, Rogan.”

Ignoring the shiver that rushed down my spine every time he said my name, I stumbled inelegantly onto the floor, trying to manoeuvre myself in front of him.

“What are you doing?” I could hear the amusement in his voice.

“I thought you could use your teeth to get the ropes off my wrists,” I explained over my shoulder, thrusting my arms backwards at him.

“Rogan, please tell me your kidding. Have you seen how thick this rope is?”

“Well how else are we-”

I hushed at the sound of a key turning in the lock, and barely registered as Wolfe brought a leg up, pulling me back in towards him so I was sitting between his legs with a sense of being shielded. I felt his indrawn breath on the back of my neck, the tension from his body crackling against the tension in mine.

We waited, hearts racing, and the door swung open. At first I couldn’t make out anything except a tall, strong figure of a man. And then he strode inside, slowly, leisurely… and I let go a yelp of surprise.

I recognised those green eyes and jet black hair, that defiant smirk. They were just all now in a taller, older man with a harder face that was no less handsome than it had been as a young boy.

“Kir!” I gasped.

The smirk on his face fell as he came to a halt, his eyes drinking me and Wolfe in. “Rogan? Wolfe?”

“Kir!” I laughed a little hysterically, relief flooding through me.

“Holy mother of-” he dropped to his knees and grasped my shoulders, his strange eyes wide on mine. “I can’t believe it’s you.”

“Well it is,” Wolfe grunted from behind me. “Fancy untying us?”

Stunned, he sank back onto his heels, taking a moment. It was then realisation struck.

“Your Boss?” I asked softly, trying to keep the condemnation out of my question.

Kir must have heard the accusation anyway, for he flinched and looked away. “Yeah,” he admitted. “I’m Boss.”

Wolfe struggled to be seen from behind me, so I moved out of the way, letting him peer around my shoulder, trying not to inhale that wonderful woody spice that was all Wolfe. “So, any intention of letting us go then?”

Kir turned to Wolfe and they shared a long look. “I can’t believe it’s you. How are you?”

I was surprised by how congenial the two were, considering Wolfe’s father was Syracen and the fact that Kir had had to live with the bastard for a year. There seemed to be so much more in Kir’s question than I understood.

Wolfe nodded slowly. “I’m alright, Kir. Except for being kidnapped that is.”

Seeming to shake himself, Kir nodded, a flush of embarrassment cresting his cheeks. He gestured at me. “Turn, Rogan. Let me get those off of you.”

I shimmied out from Wolfe’s embrace and managed to twist, holding my hands out behind me.

“I’m going to use a blade, so keep still.”

As soon as I was loose, Kir moved around me and freed Wolfe. He eyed the top of Wolfe’s head and frowned. “I told them not to do any damage. Mind you,” his gaze flickered over Wolfe as he slapped him on the back, “Considering how big you’ve gotten, they probably had no choice.”

Wolfe grunted and stumbled to his feet, rubbing his wrists. “Not that it isn’t good to see you, Kir… why the hell did you have us kidnapped?”

Feeling lost in this reunion, I too slowly rose to my feet, watching the two men as they faced off with another. There was no tension or animosity between them. In fact they both appeared happy to see each other in one piece. I was growing steadily more confused every second.