Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 73278 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 366(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73278 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 366(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
It couldn’t be the same Egor.
It just couldn’t.
The only way I was going to find out was by asking him or spying on him. If it really was the same Egor, Carter would probably lie about it. This whole situation had been a lie. The only true way to get my answer was to eavesdrop, to hear the conversation myself.
I sprang off the couch and sprinted across the rug until I reached the hardwood floor in front of the staircase. I was careful with my footfalls, making them quiet as I ascended to the next floor as fast as possible. When my feet hit the rug in the hallway, I moved quickly again, the sound muffled by the thickness of the rug. I stopped in front of his office door, which was closed. His voice was immediately audible.
“Friday, then?” Carter’s deep voice was calm as usual, borderline indifferent. He was quiet as he listened to the person on the other line. When he spoke again, it was nearly a minute later. “Yes, I’ll bring her. We’ll make the exchange at the border.”
My heart dropped into my stomach like a heavy stone. He never said my name, but his words were all the evidence I needed. Carter worked for Egor, and he was bringing me back to him like he planned.
Everything had been a lie.
Carter had never bought me for himself.
I ran away from Egor, throwing myself into the arms of crueler men in the hope I would be able to get away. But of course, Egor tracked me down, had someone else buy me, and now I was returning to him.
How could I have been so stupid?
I panicked in front of the door, the perspiration immediately marking my brow and palms. The adrenaline was so intense it knocked the energy out of me. I felt weak in the knees, felt my fingertips go numb, and lost all sensation in my lips. I couldn’t feel anything, but I could also feel overwhelming pain.
I thought Carter was a good man…but I’d been so wrong.
So fucking wrong.
He’d lied to me every single day, making up excuses for why he was keeping me. He was just babysitting me until Egor returned from one of his complicated business trips. Now he was back in the country, and he was ready to claim me.
I couldn’t believe I’d slept with Carter.
I couldn’t believe how fucking stupid I was.
Carter must have finished up the conversation because nothing else was said. His footsteps were audible on the other side of the door as he approached the hallway.
A part of me wanted to stand there and confront him, to scream at him for this terrible betrayal. But then I remembered my words wouldn’t matter because Carter didn’t give a damn about me. He’d been lying to me every single day. The time for conversation was over. I knew what I had to do.
I had to kill him.
That was the only way out of this nightmare.
I would kill him, use his thumb to unlock the security system, and then use it again to start one of his cars.
Then I would get the hell out of there—and disappear.
I sprinted down the hallway without worrying about the loud sounds I was making. I took the stairs rapidly and then made it into the kitchen. The knives were on the counter, so I grabbed the biggest one I could find, gripped the handle as tightly as possible, and then prepared to butcher my captor.
Even without a weapon, he was a serious opponent. Bigger and stronger than me, he would be able to take me down if I made the wrong move. I had to slice him across the throat or stab him in the heart. My movements had to be precise. The only comforting thought I had was my invincibility. Regardless of what I did, he wouldn’t kill me.
Egor wanted me alive.
I stepped out of the kitchen and spotted him at the bottom of the staircase. With the knife gripped in my hand, I was prepared to slice that beautiful skin until he bled out and died on the elegant Turkish rug. He had been a man I was fond of, someone I even liked, but now, he was just my enemy. I should have killed him in his sleep when I had the chance.
I wouldn’t make that mistake again.
He turned his gaze away from the couch, where he’d been searching for me. The instant his eyes settled on me, seeing the large knife in my hand, he knew exactly what had transpired. He saw the rage in my eyes, the intent of murder. He stared at the knife for a moment, not showing a hint of fear even though he was the one unarmed. When he lifted his gaze to meet mine, the same look of calmness was settled there. “Sweetheart, I don’t want to hurt you.”