Page 111 of Essence of Fear

“Shoot, I dare you,” Boris taunted the men with their guns pointed at him. “You’re willing to risk the fact that you might shoot her, too? What will happen to you then, when Konstantin finds out you risked her life for mine?”

Finally, Viktoria understood.

She knew what he meant by a guarantee.

Boris was using her to get him through Konstantin’s home, while the rest of his men took on the people outside. It was like a goddamn war happening behind the walls of her brother’s house. She tried to bite Boris’s hand, but the bastard didn’t even react.

“Step out of the way,” he demanded.

The men never lowered their guns.

Unquestioningly, he took his own weapon, aimed it at the side of Viktoria’s temple, and laughed. He pushed the cold gun metal so hard against her head that she sucked in a shaky breath from the chill that passed through her body.

Memories flashed behind her eyes. Her whole life. She focused mostly on Pav.

They hadn’t gotten enough time together. She wanted to tell him more that she loved him, even if it was crazy and she didn’t understand how to be the best she could be for him. She wanted the time to learn, though.

She wanted so much with him.

“I will kill her right here and now if you don’t move,” Boris taunted the men in the entryway. “Now get out of my fucking way.”

Slowly, one by one, each of the three men lowered their weapons and stepped back to allow Boris and Viktoria to pass. He practically had to drag her along with him because she still refused to give him anything, even something as simple as her walking for him.

“Konstantin!”

Boris’ shouts echoed through the darkened, quiet house. His voice bounced off the walls and came back to them time and time again the longer they walked through the house. They were on the second floor, maybe ten feet away from Konstantin’s office when finally, her brother answered Boris’ calls back.

“I’ve been waiting for you, Boris,” her brother said. “Come in, and we’ll chat.”

She didn’t understand why her brother seemed so calm when inside, she felt like she was dying. This was not a good situation—she could hear the violence happening outside the house, and Konstantin’s men? Nowhere to be seen.

Boris jerked Viktoria forward, not seeming to be the slightest bit concerned about what might be waiting for him in the office. Maybe it was because he still had the gun pointed to her head and he figured Konstantin would be like his men. He wouldn’t be willing to risk his sister’s life when push came to shove.

But would he?

She always thought—or a part of her did—that her brother was just enough like their father to scare her. That at the end of the day, Konstantin was the one who would make the difficult choices. Maybe in a different way than Vadim would, but he would still make them, nonetheless.

Did that include sacrificing her, too?

She didn’t know.

God.

She hoped not.

Boris dragged her to the doorway of the office, and Viktoria quickly found her brother sitting behind his large desk. Calm and collected in a three-piece suit, as though nothing in the world were bothering him. Konstantin sat with his hands folded on the desk and his cold gaze on them. Amelia was nowhere to be seen, and that was a clue to Viktoria.

Hadn’t they said Konstantin’s wife was here?

Where was she?

Did he … know?

Had he known they were coming, and put Amelia out of the danger zone because—

“Viktoria,” Konstantin murmured.

Her gaze snapped to her brother.