Page 88 of Unholy Tsar

Maksim’s palace.

“And now, Vera has him, and I have you. His palace was first, then his empire. And soon we’ll hollow out his heart until he has nothing left. That’s when we win. We will always win—well, I will always win.”

“What-what does that mean?”

“When my sister gives me the call, I’ll end you while Maksim watches.” He grins at me and my heart drops to my stomach. “That should be torture enough before he dies. Then, my sister and I will cross the ocean to his empire. When we’re there, Vera will meet the same fate as you and Maksim. Then, I’ll shed my identity as Viktor Smolov and become Maksim Smolov.” His grin widens and morphs into a diabolical laugh as my jaw drops in horror. “Smart, I know.”

“It’s not going to work,” I blurt out, desperately trying to find some flaw in his plan. “No one will believe you’re Maksim. Your accent, first—"

“What does a woman know?” he barks, cutting me off sharply. “Enough of this. You and my brother will reunite in the afterlife.”

“Don’t hurt him,” I hiss, and for the first time, it occurs to me that maybe nobody is coming to save the day.

Hell, it sounds like Maksim is probably in the same situation as me. Captive.

If either of us are going to make it out alive, I need to do something. But what the hell can I do?

“It’s too late for that, tsarina. Vera probably has her heel on his throat already. She doesn’t play around, that one.”

“No.”

“Oh, yes. He walked right into our trap. If we didn’t want him to suffer first, he’d be dead already. But that’s coming.” He smiles at me. “Any time now.”

I don’t let his words get to me. I can’t. If what he’s saying is true, then as long as I’m alive, Maksim will be too. I need to get out of here. Now. I frantically scan the room, wildly searching for something, anything I can use to free my hands, and—there!

But is Viktor really as dumb as he lets on?

“Well, I guess that’s it,” I sigh dramatically. “Oh, but… I mean…”

“What?”

“Don’t worry about it. I mean, what’s the point? I’m going to die anyway…”

I let my eyes wander over his shoulder.

“Spit it out, girl.”

“Can-can I use the toilet? My stomach is upset.”

He considers it for a moment. “Have you ever seen someone die?’

“No.”

“Well, then let me tell you what happens. The second it’s over, they shit themselves. Always—well, almost always. If they’re empty, it’s cleaner. And let me tell you, I have no plans to clean up after you. So, get it over with.”

To my absolute shock, he walks over and picks me up by the wrists. Then, leaning into my ear, he grunts. “If you even think of making a run for it, I will cut off your limbs and make you watch as I feed them to my dogs.”

I nod in understanding, terrified, but knowing I have no other options.

“Good. This way.” Viktor yanks me by the wrist and leads me toward the only visible doorway. On the floor by the entrance, I spot the item that caught my eye earlier. When we’re near, I fake a stumble and, somehow, manage to snatch it up and slip it into my back pocket without him noticing.

“Hey!” he snaps, tugging me back to my feet. My heart stops. Did he see? “Watch it.”

No. He didn’t. Idiot. How did he and Maksim come from the same bloodline?

“I can’t help it,” I nervously shoot back. “Do you know how tight these ropes are? Maybe if you loosened them a little…”

He only grunts in reply and keeps moving.