Page 128 of Stolen Temptation

His brother, Nikolai, offers me an apologetic glance before turning his full attention to Leo. “I am sorry for my brother’s abruptness.” He rises from the table as well. “He’s anxious for the wedding.”

“As is Kiara.” Leo’s lips curl into a smile. “And don’t worry. She’ll behave herself going forward. Put her in her place if she doesn’t.”

Nikolai excuses himself, leaving his mother as the last remaining Russian in the room.

I glance at her, hoping—foolishly—that I might detect some sympathy in her dark eyes. But she simply arches a thin browat me while dabbing at the corner of her mouth with a cloth napkin.

“Pull yourself together, child.” She smooths a hand over her perfectly coiffed dark hair and looks down her nose at me. “Our family doesn’t have room for a sniveling, whining brat. No tears. And you’d better start putting on some weight, or else carrying Maksim’s child will be burdensome. No one likes a dead mommy.”

With my head in disarray and my stinging face still burning from Maksim’s attack, I can only nod.

My life is over. I’ve been sold, body and soul.

Chapter 33

Rory

Waking up with a hole in my chest isn’t an experience I’d recommend, but at least I’m alive. Hurts like hell, though.

I’ve been shot before, a stray bullet to the arm and a graze to my thigh, but this pop to the chest smarts on a whole different level.

Only one bullet hit me, so why does my entire body ache and feel as heavy as cement?

I peel open my eyelids and find myself eye level with off-white ceiling tiles in a hospital room.

“He’s waking up.”

Myearsare still waking up, too, because Darren sounds like he’s miles away.

“It’s about damn time.” That’s Cian, as sentimental as ever.

Awareness returns gradually, one grain of sand through an hourglass at a time.

One blink. Two. Three.

Slowly, the room comes into focus and my hearing evens out. After one of the guys fiddles with a remote so the top half of the bed rises, I can see everyone better.

But all I really see is Kiara’s pale face contorted in horror while I lay useless on the floor as Leo hauled her away.

Where is she? What did he do with her?

Is he still planning to sell her to some monster?

I need to find her.

Immediately.

Determined to get out of bed, I toss the blanket back, but when I start to sit up, pain rips through my chest. I groan and sway as dizziness rushes me like a tornado.

“Woah. Take it easy, champ.” Darren grabs my shoulder to steady me. “You’re lucky that bullet didn’t hit your heart, or you’d be dearly departed.”

Cian scowls. “He’s right. You shouldn’t move yet.”

“What’s going on?” I croak the words out, my throat drier than sandpaper. “Where is she?”

“The De Luca princess is gone.” Cian shakes his head. “We have no idea where, and honestly, she’s the least of our problems.”

Like a slow-dripping faucet, the memories of the past few weeks return to me. Our numerous losses. The Kings in chaos. The fire at the club. The aftermath. “The mole?”