The Betrayed Heiress's Vengeful Flash Marriage

The coarse hemp rope bit into the raw flesh of Ashley's wrists. She gasped, her lungs pulling in thick, black smoke. Her chest heaved against the rusted iron pillar of the abandoned warehouse.

Footsteps crunched over broken glass. Devon kicked the heavy metal door open. His custom leather shoes ground the shards into dust.

Ashley jerked her head up. Her dry throat swallowed hard.

Brittany stepped out from the shadows behind him. Her fingers curled intimately around Devon's bicep. Her lips were painted a flawless, glossy red. The smirk on her face made the bile rise in the back of Ashley's throat.

Devon raised his hand and slapped a thick stack of paper directly against Ashley's cheek. The sharp edge of the equity transfer agreement sliced the skin over her cheekbone. A warm drop of blood slid down her jaw.

She clamped her teeth into her lower lip. The metallic taste of copper flooded her mouth. She shook her head.

Brittany leaned in. Her long, manicured acrylic nails dug viciously into the soft underside of Ashley's jaw. The pressure forced Ashley to look up.

"Devon didn't pull you from that car crash three years ago, Ashley," Brittany whispered. Her breath smelled like artificial strawberries. "He just took the credit."

Ashley's pupils dilated. Her muscles spasmed, pulling against the ropes until the skin on her wrists tore completely open. Warm blood dripped down her fingertips. She stared at Devon's perfectly styled hair, his tailored suit.

Brittany laughed. The sound grated against Ashley's eardrums. "Oh, and Mom? Dad killed her. Edson planned the whole thing."

A guttural, raw scream ripped from Ashley's torn throat. Her vocal cords strained until they nearly snapped.

Devon rolled his eyes. He kicked the industrial barrel of gasoline at his feet. The thick, noxious liquid spilled over the concrete, soaking into the soles of Ashley's shoes. The fumes burned her nostrils.

She squeezed her eyes shut. Her chest stopped heaving.

A silver Zippo lighter clicked open. Devon tossed it.

A wall of orange heat erupted instantly. The fire sucked the oxygen from the room. The blistering temperature melted the synthetic fibers of Ashley's dress into her skin. Her nerve endings screamed.

Then, the warehouse doors buckled. A black armored SUV smashed through the corrugated metal. The frame shrieked.

Bennett Hawkins threw himself out of the driver's seat. His usually cold, untouchable face was contorted in raw terror.

He lunged into the flames. A burning wooden beam cracked and slammed across his broad shoulders. He grunted, a heavy, wet sound, but he didn't stop. He threw his massive body over hers, shielding her face against his chest.

The secondary explosion ruptured the air. The shockwave shattered Ashley's eardrums. The heat consumed them both. A single tear tracked through the soot on her cheek before everything went black.

Ice water slammed into her lungs.

The burning agony vanished, replaced by a freezing, crushing pressure. Saltwater flooded her nose and throat. Her eyes snapped open to dark, churning water. Her