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I’m going to die, aren’t I?
Maybe this was how it was going to end for me: dying in the hands of a ruthless crime boss with no chance to defendmyself. I wanted to cry and laugh at how ridiculous the situation was, at how I’d unexpectedly gotten wound up with the man who was definitely going to be my end. I wanted to call Ruby, or my mother, or maybe Zeya, to hear their voices one last....
“I need a fucking answer. Who else knows?”
I gurgled on my own saliva and choked back a sob. When the words stayed stuck and tied on my tongue, I tried to shake my head to give him a sign.
Thankfully, he got it and released his hold just enough to allow me to spit out the words, literally. “No one. No one, I…I swear.”
My breath intake was sharp.
His eyes bore into mine, searching and seeking for something satisfying. And when he was sure he’d found nothing, he finally let go. My knees gave way, unable to hold my weight any longer, and I dropped to the floor, crying and coughing until the walls of my throat seared like I’d swallowed acid.
He dropped to his haunches and brushed a teardrop off my cheek with his thumb.
The anger I felt roared to a different degree when I looked up at him. I wanted to spit on his face, scratch those green eyes out, and curse him. Curse the very womb that had conceived such a monster. But I held my tongue from wagging. It was only going to dig me into a deeper hole of trouble.
So, my shoulders trembled, and more angry tears rolled down my cheeks. I stifled a whimper and placed a hand on my chest—a futile attempt to stop it from heaving while I looked past the curving black ink peeking out from above the collar of his shirt and into his eyes.
Egor tilted his head, tucked unruly strands of my hair behind my ears, and angled my chin up so I gazed at him squarely. The corner of his lips crooked to the side, in the most wicked snarl I’d ever seen on a human.
“You made a big mistake messing with me,Detective. You never should have threatened me. You’re smart. You should have done your research. The terrestrial animals on the lower food chain all bow to the king of the jungle—the lion. And in the real world, it’s not that different. The middle class can only talk, but it's those in the seat of power that dictate how shit runs. Cats may be in the same family as the king, but the kitty never calls the shots. You didn’t know your place, and now you’ve crossed a line.”
He rose to his feet and stuck his hands in his pockets, his eyes going hard. “There’s no turning back. If you want to stay alive, you need to behave; do exactly what I tell you to do, how I tell you to do it, and when. One slip up, and that’s all it’ll take to have your head rolling.”
That wicked smile reappeared, and I had never seen a more menacing person.
“Do you want to know why?”
My breaths came out shaky and in puffs. And I almost hated myself for letting the angry tears fall.
He didn’t wait for a response.
“It’s because I own you now,” he said with his back turned to me.
He started walking away but stopped abruptly and turned around like he’d forgotten something.
When his eyes met mine, the satisfaction in them was unmistakable. “Oh, and if you try anything stupid, trust me, no power on or beyond the Earth will save you from what’s coming.”
Chapter 9 – Egor
Arlo tapped the steering wheel and input small whistles, his head slowly bobbing in rhythm with the song playing from the stereo.
I eyed him. He was in an unusually joyful mood, and it upset me. Because while hewas having such a swell day, mine was not as great.
Earlier that morning, almost everything at work had ticked off, and I had to trace the source.
Seven long days, and I hadn’t laid eyes on my little captive. Something about her excited me: her feistiness and resilience. And maybe a bit of her pretty eyes and snarky responses. She was like entertainment for me, keeping me at the edge of my seat, anticipating what she would do next.
The car swerved, and I sighted the penthouse's roof from a fair distance.
Beside me, Arlo cleared his throat and turned down the stereo. He was peering closely, a smug expression on his face. “You’re going to make me lose money,Korol.”
My eyebrows arched, and he explained further with his eyes on the road. “Anatoly made me bet. Said I should give it a week.” He stole a glimpse and returned his focus to the cars in front of us. “You were supposed to talk about your little prisoner, say something about wanting to know her well-being or how she’s coping and all that....”
He trailed off and grinned.
I pointed to the upward curve of his mouth. “What’s the reason for that?”
