Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 80207 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 401(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80207 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 401(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
The quicker she braces for the hell coming our way, the better for her.
Her face pales, her eyes jumping nervously over my features. “What do you mean?”
“Ever heard of the bratva?”
She shakes her head.
“The mafia?”
This time her eyes widen, and panic makes her breaths come faster.
“You got caught in a war.” I shake my head, and unable to lie to her, I say, “It’s going to get bad, but with a little luck, my father will find out where we are and come to get us.”
But that will take time, and in the meanwhile, we’ll be tortured.
That’s if they don’t execute us today.
Like I said, we’re fucked.
Chapter 4
Everleigh
Terrified, I stare at Alek.
He looks a hell of a lot calmer than I feel.
In a matter of hours, I’ve gone from swapping clothes with Svetlana to being grabbed off the street to a car accident to being kidnapped.
It’s surreal.
God.
Panic flares hot through my chest, and a hysterical breakdown threatens to overwhelm me.
If I weren’t scared out of my mind, I’d actually appreciate how attractive Alek is. He has longish, dark brown hair, and strands fall over his forehead, making him look like one of the bad boys Mom always warned me about.
His eyes are brown with golden flecks giving me the impression he’s a jokester.
He’s not dressed in a suit like Svetlana’s other guards but is wearing black cargo pants, a black t-shirt, and boots.
There are tattoos on the back of his hands running all the way up his forearms, where I can see his veins snaking beneath his skin.
I have an overwhelming need to get to know him because he’s locked in this tiny room with me. Without him, I’d be alone, and that’s not something I can deal with right now. Honestly, I’m trying not to think about the fact that I’m in deep crap.
With anxiety tightening my voice, I ask, “How old are you?”
A frown forms on his forehead before he gives me a skeptical look. “Seriously? Do you understand how much trouble we’re in?”
Turning my head away from him, I look at my knees and wrap my arms tighter around my shins. “I just want to know who I’m stuck with.”
I want something to distract me from this horrible situation because thinking about the trouble I find myself in will make me lose my mind.
I should’ve gone back to the hotel.
I never should’ve entered the club and agreed to swap clothes with Svetlana.
If my parents were alive, none of this would’ve happened.
Alek lets out a sigh and leans back against the wall. “I’m twenty.”
My eyes dart to his face again. The bruises near his left eye and jaw are turning purple, but it doesn’t make him look any less attractive.
“I’m eighteen,” I whisper.
I’m only eighteen, and I’ve lost my parents. Now I’ve been kidnapped, and I’m stuck in a dingy room with a guy I don’t know.
My breathing speeds up, and there’s no stopping the wave of panic tearing through my insides.
A guy who kidnapped me.
Oh, God.
I duck my head, pinch my eyes shut, and bite my bottom lip as overwhelming anxiety and fear send shockwaves through my body.
What have I gotten myself into?
My breaths are coming so fast a strangling sound escapes me.
“Won’t help to panic,” Alek mutters as if being kidnapped is just another everyday thing for him. “It will piss them off, which means they’ll kill you first.”
Oh, God.
Oh, God.
Oh, God.
I lift my head, gulping breaths of air. My eyes lock on Alek, and I gasp, “I’m just a tourist. I’m an American citizen.”
He shrugs. “None of that matters to them.” His features tighten momentarily, but I can’t place the emotion on his face. “Just do as they say.” He shakes his head and lets out a sigh. “My father should already be looking for us.”
I stare at him, confused that he’s so calm.
“Why aren’t you scared?” Maybe he knows something he’s not telling me.
His gaze flicks to the door. “Fearing the inevitable is pointless.”
My voice trembles when I ask, “What is inevitable?”
I don’t want to know.
Not really.
Alek brings his attention back to me. “You’re already panicking. The last thing I need is you having a breakdown.”
His reply makes my fear double in size.
Suddenly the question I’ve been trying to hold back pops from my mouth. “You kidnapped me? Because you thought I was Svetlana?”
If I hadn’t swapped clothes with her, I wouldn’t be in this mess.
Alek’s jaw clenches, then he nods.
“Why?”
An impatient look crosses his face. “Like I said, you’re in the middle of a war.”
Resentment toward the man beside me fills my chest, and I turn my eyes to my legs.
We hear footsteps outside the door, then a rattling of keys. When the door swings open, my mouth grows bone dry, and my eyes widen.
Two very scary-looking men come into the small room. They don’t look Russian, though, and neither is old enough to be Svetlana’s father.