The two kidnappers groaned on the ground, their injuries catching up with them. One clutched his bitten leg while the other wheezed with each shallow breath, bruised and out of breath. Their earlier bravado had completely evaporated.
They no longer looked like hunters or mercenaries—just two desperate men who had gambled and lost.
Nina stood a few feet away, arms crossed, watching them.
She should have walked away.
She wanted to walk away.
[Don't you dare. You've already humored them too much. Leave them. You know better.]
Her Patron warned, his voice sharp in her mind.
"I know. But look at them. They're barely holding on."
[And that's not your problem.]
Nina murmured back, gaze softening.
"Still…"
Her Patron sighed, but didn't argue further.
Nina took a step forward and knelt beside the two.
"Why are you doing this? You don't really look like the 'kidnap and ransom' type."
She asked, voice quieter now.
