Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 79312 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79312 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
He stands to his full height, and I have to admit, it’s intimidating. The words falter on my lips as he unfolds himself, muscles bulging in places I didn’t even know you could have muscles. The room seems to shrink, and still, even now, he looks at me with tenderness and concern.
I swallow hard and lick my lips.
“I knew this would not be easy for you,” he says, his voice still placid. “But you’re mistaken. I took you away from Timur because he was going to hurt you. He’s an evil man, and there’s no need for you to take my word for that. I can prove it. I didn’t drug you—my brother did. And no, I don’t expect you to just nod and go along with it, though the sooner you do, the easier it will be for you.”
There’s a sharp knock at the door. “Who is it?” he snaps. Apparently, patience is only reserved for me.
“Aleks.”
“Come in.”
The tall man with the black hair and blue eyes from last night steps into the room frowning, holding a tablet in his hand. He wears the same clothes he wore last night, as if he hasn’t slept.
“I’m Aleksandr,” he says to me, then turns back to Viktor. “I haven’t been able to get Vera on the phone. Nikko is here, though. He says Vera is in a remote location doing field work and unable to get to her phone again until this evening.”
Viktor’s face registers mild surprise. “Is she alone?”
Aleks scoffs. “Of course not.” He turns to look at me. “Lydia, how are you?”
They’re surprisingly civil for captors, which is more than a little unnerving.
“Been better,” I say, clutching the blanket to my chest.
“I’m sorry things were so clumsy,” Aleks says. “And this is the first impression you get of our family.”
I don’t respond, staring at the two of them as if they don’t speak the same language I do. Frankly, they don’t.
“Who else has arrived?” Viktor asks, his arms crossed over his chest.
“Mikhail and Lev. Mikhail wants all of us downstairs for a meeting.”
He shakes his head. “I’m not leaving her.”
“Aw,” I say under my breath. “I’m so touched.” Viktor glances over at me but doesn’t respond. There’s something in his eyes that makes me shiver and look away.
“Mikhail says he’ll put a guard outside the door—” Aleks begins when Viktor interrupts him with a growl.
“I’m her fucking guard.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Viktor
Aleks has the fucking audacity to smirk. “Of course you are. Not sure why I expected any less. I’ll relay your message to Mikhail, but you know how he is.” He turns to Lydia. “Trust him. This will be okay. We’ll get your sister or mother on the phone as soon as we can.”
Lydia stares at me as if trying to figure me out, her beautiful eyes swinging from me to Aleks, then back again.
“Go,” I tell Aleks. “I’ll come once she’s secured.”
He clicks his tongue and shakes his head, muttering under his breath before he finally takes off, leaving me and Lydia alone. There was a time when I would’ve given anything to be alone with her, but now that I am, I want so much more. I want her to trust me. I want her to believe me. I need her to know that I’m not going to hurt her.
“Secured?” Though the tone of her voice is hard, I note the way her breath quickens, and she clutches the blanket to her body.
“I’ll have to talk to Mikhail. He’s my oldest brother and the pakhan of our group. You know what that is, don’t you?”
Swallowing hard, she’s still scowling at me when she nods. “Of course.”
I stand, pacing around the small room. “Then you’d know I have no choice but to obey him.”
Her intelligent, beautiful eyes meet mine. “You always have a choice. Don’t lie to yourself.”
The starkness of her honesty surprises me, though it shouldn’t. One of the things I love best about her is her refusal to placate anyone or talk bullshit.
“Yeah,” I tell her while I check the locks on the doors and windows and make sure all surveillance equipment is on standby. “You’re right. Allow me to rephrase. If I don’t want him to murder me, I’ll do what Mikhail fucking tells me.”
With a frown, she gives a slight shrug as if to say yeah, that’s your choice, too.
“Before you go, can you tell me as much as you can?” she asks. “Even though I don’t like what you did to me, you seem kind of honest. Blunt. So before you meet with your brothers, what else can you tell me?”
I decide to go straight for the jugular. “Your mother’s granted permission to dissolve the potential union between you and Timur Yudin, effective immediately. When she relayed this message to him, she was treated with a litany of profanity and a threat to both her life and yours.”