Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 79097 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 395(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79097 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 395(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
He yanks me and throws me bodily. I go hurtling into the air. I nearly bite my tongue in two to prevent me from screaming myself hoarse. I close my eyes and fall into a pile of arms that only slightly sways with the heft and impact of my fallen weight.
My heart is beating so fast I can’t breathe.
This is the worst possible scenario.
I’ve seen Viktor beat people beyond recognition. I’ve seen footage of Nikko shooting from an impossible distance, and that man never fucking misses.
I have video evidence of Aleksandr strangling a man who threatened his wife with his bare hands, his face completely devoid of any human emotion as the life drained from his victim. Mikhail once tore through a rival’s hideout with nothing but a handgun, decimating everyone in his wake, leaving behind a trail of blood and earning him the nickname The Siberian Tiger.
And Viktor—good God, they call the man the Iron Fist for a reason.
But Lev… Lev is different. By no means is he kinder or gentler. I can tell just by the first look into his eyes that he commands respect like the rest of them do and will lay down his life out of loyalty. I mean, I hope it doesn’t come to that, but let’s not lie. He seems calculating, though. He’s observing before he reacts.
I see a brief flare of surprise before Viktor grabs both of my arms, barely protected from the thick hoodie, and stands me upright. He raises a fist, and the others give him a wide berth.
“You dared to invade our privacy,” he says in a growl. I can’t run away. If he decks me, I’ll… Lev launches himself at me from behind, knocking me to the floor as Viktor’s fist flies. He came so close to punching me that I felt the whizz of air as his palm flew by.
“Don’t!” Lev shouts. “You didn’t see what I did.”
Viktor roars and decks the wall, unloading the punch that was meant for me. A puff of dust goes up as drywall piles on the floor. My insides clench.
Lev holds me at arm’s length and gives me a teeth-chattering shake.
“This is no boy.”
Fuck.
With a sudden movement, he runs his thumb along my jawline, showing a dark smudge of eye makeup left behind on his skin like a fingerprint in ink. “Unless the trending thing to do is to draw stubble with makeup.” He shakes his head. “Kids these days.”
Grabbing my arm firmly, he pulls me closer.
“No!” I scream, forgetting to use the lower voice, as he reaches for my ball cap and yanks it off my head. He tears the elastic straight down, pain exploding along my scalp. Fuck. Thick, glossy waves tumble down around my shoulders. My stomach plummets, but I keep myself together. I will not cave now.
Lev, still holding me tightly, narrows his eyes. “You’re not a boy,” he says, more to himself than anyone. I swallow as his grip tightens, and he seems to be processing this new information.
I swallow. “Neither are you.”
I’m not sure which of us is more surprised.
“Secure the perimeter,” Mikhail snaps, jerking his chin at Ollie and Nikko. They run outside.
I smile at Lev and laugh. “Go on. It’ll make it so much easier to fight if a few of you leave. I’m alone. Though honestly, boys, you should fire that useless watchman you hired out front. If he worked for me, I’d put a bullet in his head.”
Lev scowls and narrows his eyes. I run my fingers through my hair. Now that they know I’m a woman, I have a reputation to uphold. If only I had a tube of lip gloss.
“Who are you?” he demands, his voice a dangerous whisper.
I lay my hand on his cheek, his hand still cuffed at my wrist. “I’m so disappointed you don’t know me, mi querido jefe. I’d bow to greet you, but you are holding too tightly for me to do so.” I grin at him. “Though honestly, I’m no one of any importance.” I toss my hair.
He narrows his eyes. “We’ll see about that.”
Viktor shakes his head. “If it isn’t the Colombian princess herself. Princesa loca. Lev, meet Isabella Morales.”
I clench my teeth. The audacity of him using my brother’s pet name for me in front of them. I hate that name.
Mikhail steps forward, his dark eyes sparking at me. “Meet your new prisoner, brother. Thank me later.”
Prisoner? Well, I’m still alive, and by all accounts and purposes, that’s a positive spin on being captured by the Romanovs.
Lev’s jaw tightens as he circles me, drawing my hands behind my back. I wince in pain, but that doesn’t stop him. I guess it’s better than getting a face full of Viktor’s iron fist. I like my nose.
He holds my wrists against my lower back. “Who else came with you?”