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"How are you able to take over the Bratva without knowing that I saved your asses more than once?"
"You didn't do shit for us."
I shrug and try not to wince at the pain the movement causes. "Maybe not so much for you and Igor. But let's face it, you’re a usurper."
"I'm the king now.”
I snort.
His eyes flare with wild rage. But then it morphs into a smug, menacing smirk. “I'm just trying to decide whether I’m going to make your woman my queen. She likes me, you know. She gave me her number. Agreed to go out with me.” He’s goading me, and it works. I jerk my restraints, wanting to reach out and choke the life out of him. He sits back and laughs, and I'm pissed at myself for not maintaining control.
"Of course, if she becomes my queen, there's no way I can raise your bastard kid." He leans forward with a satisfied gleam in his eye. "I'm going to look forward to killing that baby. Maybe Kate will have an accident and she'll lose it. Maybe we'll wait till it's born. Then I’ll fuck her and fill her with my seed."
"You are one sick motherfucker." I’m seething. I need to kill him.
He sits back and grins like he thinks I complimented him.
"You know that baby probably isn't even mine." I'm sure he doesn't believe that, but I need to do something to protect Kate and her baby.
He shrugs. "Your bastard or someone else's doesn’t matter. He’s got to go."
"You do know she's under the protection of the Leone family and the Fiori-Ricci family. If you think you're going to take them on, you really are dumber than Igor, and I didn't think that was possible."
This time, the back of Babichev’s hand catches me in the side of the head, jerking me enough that my chair tilts slightly before dropping back into place. I feel like my brain is detached from my head, and stars are spinning behind my eyes. I give my head a gentle shake to clear it, but I regret it.
"What is the point of all this?" I bite out with gritted teeth.
He just stares at me.
"I mean, why are you holding me here? Is it your goal to torture me before you kill me? Are you going to ransom me? Surely, you have some sort of plan. If you plan to take over the Bratva, you can't just wing it."
He leans forward and sneers. "My plans are none of your fucking business."
I roll my eyes. "You’re going to have to watch your back, Babichev. It won’t be long before someone recognizes that you are not built to run this organization, and they’ll take you out."
"You need to shut the fuck up." He nods to someone behind me, and I know that I'm either dead or I'm going to be knocked out. When the explosion hits my head, I'm not quite sure whether I’ve been hit or shot, but I'm relieved when everything goes dark.
Pain and consciousness tell me I'm not dead. I'm slumped in the chair, and now the room is dim and quiet. The next time someone checks on me and sees that I'm awake, Babichev will return and very likely, the torture will increase in severity. I have to accept that the plan is a bust. I need to get free. If I can kill Babichev, I will. Even if it means that I die as well. Otherwise, I’ll escape and live to take him on another day.
I pull on my restraints. I wish they were zip ties because I could get out of those. Instead, my hands are handcuffed behind my back. They’re so tight that my fingers are beginning to go numb.
I look around the dim room but don't see anything I might be able to use to get me out of the cuffs. My ankles are secured tied with zip ties, but fortunately, I’m not tied to the chair. Lucky for me, I'm always prepared for any inevitability. While Babichev’s men searched me for weapons, they didn't find the smaller items I carry along just for situations like this. The only problem is I need to reach my shoe.
I maneuver myself forward in the seat and then push myself until I'm on my knees on the floor. Sitting back on my heels, my hands can now reach my shoes. My finger slides around the top edge of my shoe, seeking the small nail I slipped into it.
When I find it, I use my fingernail to loosen it and then pull it out. I go to work on the handcuffs and hope it's not one with a double lock. It takes me some time because the cuffs are tight and my fingers are going numb. But finally, I'm able to unlatch the lock mechanism and the first cuff springs open.
I stand, trying to ignore the aches and pains in my body, simultaneously working my nail into the other handcuff. Once I break that free, I bend over, tightening the zip ties around my ankles to create more tension. Then with a slight jump and kicking my feet out when I land, the ties break open. I am free.
I make my way to the door, listening for Babichev and his men. Hearing nothing, I open the door a few inches, staying out of view of anyone who might be on the other side, ready to fire.
I hear movement coming toward me. Do I make a run for it? The building is a labyrinth and I don’t know how many people he has here. I decide to move so I can be behind the door when they enter. I have a better chance against two than I do an army of men. If Babichev is one of them, I can complete my mission to kill him, and then it doesn’t matter if I die.
"Left the fucking door open?" I recognize Babichev's voice.
"I swear to God it was closed, Boss."
"I work with a bunch of clowns. But not for long. Once Rostova is out of the way, I’ll be in charge. Are the men on alert?"
