“Are you implying it's not?" Tessa, riled up by Raegan's words, lifted her blouse to reveal a tapestry of scars across her back.

“Look at this! Thanks to you and Mitchel, my reputation and body are ruined! My life is in tatters! What more do I have to lose?"

Raegan caught a crucial detail in Tessa's tirade and quickly interjected, "That's not true. I have nothing to do with your injuries."

“What? Interesting!" Tessa erupted in laughter, clearly not buying a word Raegan said. She gestured to the two men behind her, and they got the message without her having to say anything.

As they moved toward Raegan with a predatory gaze, it was obvious they were keen on having a taste of her.

Just as they were about to lay a hand on her shoulder, Raegan bellowed, “Back off!"

Startled, they froze in place.

Raegan scanned the men's clothes. They were dirty, unkempt, splattered with oil. They likely were not professional criminals, just low-level thugs recruited by Tessa.

That made things simpler for her.

“Do you even know what you're getting yourselves into? Kidnapping and sexual assault are serious crimes. How much is Tessa paying you? I'll double it if you let me go."

The two men exchanged glances and hesitated. Tessa's offer had not been all that generous. They were each getting only fifty grand.

Even though it was the largest sum they had ever seen in their lives, it was not that much.

They had no intention of crossing any serious lines, so Raegan's offer made them stop and think.

"You, bitch!" Tessa lunged forward and kicked the chair Raegan was tied to, toppling it over.

Raegan hit the floor with a thud. Luckily, since she was bound to the chair, her abdomen did not take the brunt of the fall.

However, she felt her shoulder take a bad hit, accompanied by a chilling sound that seemed like her bones were cracking. She was convinced her bones were broken.

The intense pain shot through her body, making her face ghostly white.

Fighting the urge to black out, Raegan balled her hands into fists.

Tessa seized another opportunity to inflict pain and stomped down hard on Raegan's feet. The agony from the crushing force turned Raegan's already pale face even paler.

Tessa had meant to kick Raegan's abdomen, but she suddenly realized that doing so might cause a miscarriage. And if that happened, things could get messy. The thugs might lose their nerve and abandon the mission. So, she opted for Raegan's feet instead.