Meri Vaughn, the youngest sister of Archer Vaughn, disappeared without a trace. Stolen from her life and thrust into the darkest depths of the trafficking world, she has endured months of torment, surviving only on sheer will. Now, she’s being prepped for auction, to be sold to the highest bidder in an elite, twisted underground market. No one is coming for her. No one even knows where she is. Until he arrives. Tobias “Bear” Cole has dedicated his life to taking down the monsters who profit from stolen lives. A former Marine and elite Cerberus operative, he’s the man called in when all else fails. He doesn’t let emotions cloud his mission, until he sees Meri on that stage. Broken but not defeated. Terrified but still fighting. Winning her at auction is just the beginning. Getting her out alive is another battle entirely. Meri isn’t the same woman she was before. Shadows haunt her, trust is impossible, and safety is an illusion. But Bear won’t let her slip away. He gives her what she needs, control, structure, an unyielding presence who refuses to let her drown. But when the men who stole her return for her, Bear faces an impossible set her free or claim her as his own, because the safest place for Meri has always been in his arms.