Page 130 of Stolen Temptation

Because we both know exactly what he means.

The Petrovs were at the auction.

I remember what that man in the VIP section said before Kiara ran into me.

The artist has already been sold…

I hate the picture that the newly connected dots in my mind create.

They’ve sold Kiara to the Petrovs.

Fuck!

“It’s Leo.” Darren seconds my conclusion. “The auction was just a ruse. He’s going to marry his sister off to the Russians so they can get their best shot at overthrowing us.”

As Finn and Cian break into Gaelic curses, I wave an impatient hand at Darren.

“I need a computer. Now.”

“Thought you’d never ask.” Darren retrieves a tablet from a bag and hands it to me. I refuse to let my shrieking injuries and limited mobility stop me.

With stiff, clumsy fingers, I navigate at a snail’s pace to the network of tapped CCTV cameras I monitor and locate the footage of Leo abducting Kiara. I follow them through the streets back to the De Luca estate. I scrub through footage nearby from the four days I’ve been under, and as far as I can tell, neither of them has left the estate since the morning Leo shot me.

But I’m sure that’s going to change any day now.

“The wedding is supposedly happening soon.” Finn’s grim words suck the air right out of the room. “Very soon.”

He might as well have hit me with another bullet to the chest.

Unless I drag my sorry ass out of this bed, Leo De Luca will condemn the woman I love to a miserable existence as a ruthless pakhan’s wife.

Chapter 34

Kiara

It’s been eleven days since Leo shot the only man I’ve ever loved and dragged me back to the De Luca estate. And I’ve never felt sicker.

Depression is an understatement.

I’ve barely risen from bed. If Theresa weren’t taking such meticulous care of me, I’m sure I would have already died from this despondency.

That horrible moment when Leo shot Rory plays in a continuous loop in my mind. I don’t know if he’s alive or dead, but I do know I’m never going to see him again. I need to find a way out of this situation. Otherwise, I’ll be trapped in a loveless marriage to a man who makes my skin crawl. Even living with Leo seems like a vacation by comparison.

My groom’s face appears in my mind like a specter in the dark. I cringe, trying to banish the image by rolling over under the covers.

After tossing and turning for several more minutes, I lift my heavy eyelids a crack and peer at the clock on my bedside table. It’s four in the morning.

Dread bulldozes me.

In a short time, my impending nuptials to Maksim Petrov will be upon me. By the end of the day…I’ll be his wife.

The horror fantasy reel is the gift that keeps on giving.

By this time tomorrow, I’ll have either figured a way out of this mess or I’ll be married to Maksim. As much as I don’t want to give up, the events from eleven days ago took a toll on me. I don’t know if I’ll survive a wedding night with my groom. He’s not the sort of man to take no for an answer…especially with someone he believes he owns.

He won’t give me a choice. Not like Rory did.

Pointless tears well in my eyes.