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“So, what do you think?” he asked, making my brows furrow a bit.
“About what?”
“This building,” he answered as he looked back at the brick structure. “I just bought it.”
My brows rose at that. “You did?”
“Yeah,” he replied, grinning like a kid on Christmas. “Now, I’m not sure what I’m going to do with it just yet, but I couldn’t afford to let the real estate opportunity pass me by. I got it for a steal because the previous owners are trying to salvage as much as they can before declaring bankruptcy.” He let out a heavy sigh. “Such a mess that situation.”
“That’s the business world,” I remarked lamely.
“Oh, well…how about we head inside?” he suggested. “The applications and permission forms are in my briefcase, and…well, maybe I can give you a tour, and then you can tell me what you’d do with a building like this.”
Now, while it didn’t seem like he was flirting with me, I wasn’t too sure. Of course, he could just be excited about having just procured the building, but it was hard to tell. Granted, I wasn’t afraid of being assertive, so if he did cross a line, I had no problem correcting him. Yeah, it might cost me the job, but I’d rather be poor than bend over for a sleazeball.
Setting my doubts aside, I smiled as I said, “Sure.”
“Great,” he replied, then stepped aside to open the door for me. He also got points because he hadn’t placed his hand on the small of my back like most men would have. Mr. Simons was keeping things professional, and that made me feel better.
Once we got inside the building, it looked like an abandoned mess, and no matter what he chose to do with the property, it was going to be a bitch to fix it up. However, as I looked around, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up when I spotted what looked like a tent in the far corner of one of the back offices. Now, while Port Townsend didn’t have a really high homeless population, there were still a few of them living here, and I was immediately worried that we might have stumbled upon some trouble.
“Mr. Simons, are you sure that no one is here?” I asked quietly. “I see…is that a tent?”
“Oh, don’t worry,” he replied easily. “I know for a fact that the place is empty.”
I turned to look at him. “Are you sure? It’s a big building.”
Just then, Jack Simons pulled a gun from somewhere behind him, and all the air in my lungs froze with panic. There’d be only one reason why a man would lure a woman into an abandoned building, then pull a gun out on her. The irony also wasn’t lost on me. In a matter of only a few days, I’d been subjected to more bullshit than any one person should deserve.
Even though it was obvious, I asked the stupid question anyway. “What are you doing?”
That smile that I had believed carried confidence now carried nothing but malice. “I’m finally winning, Ms. Andreev."
Doing my best not to let hysteria take over, I asked, “What does that mean?”
“It means that you’re going to help me send a little message to Avgust Kotov, and it’s going to be one that he will never forget,” he answered, a dark glint in his eyes.
So, he didn’t bring me here just to rape and murder me.
He brought me here for something much, much worse.
Chapter 29
Avgust~
“Seriously, Pakhan,” Maksim drawled out. “Just go get her already.”
Maksim and I were both at Lullaby’s, and we’d lost our asses at blackjack because neither of us had been able to concentrate on cards when Nikel Ovchinnikov was on his mind, and Samara was on mine. Despite how we’d left things, Samara Andreev was still the only woman that I had ever loved, and she was also the only person that could tie me up in knots like this.
I eyed Maksim over my glass of vodka. “I thought that you didn’t like her?”
“I don’t,” he answered honestly. “At least, I do not like what she did to you fifteen years ago, nor do I care for what she’s doing to you now.”
“While your loyalty is much appreciated, I am the one that let her go both times,” I pointed out.
Maksim arched a brow. “And how are those decisions working out for you?” he asked flippantly, his insolence shining bright.
I couldn’t stop the smirk on my lips. “You know, it is your fault that I am in this mess. She overheard you talking about my non-existent wife and children.”
