Page 128 of Break Me

“Did you have anything to do with kidnapping her child?”

“Are you fucking crazy! I would never hurt Emily. Never.”

Since he almost came at me, I believed him.

“What about the fire at Alexsey’s house?” Mikhail stood with his hands clasped in front of him, not bothered in the least.

Liam was nervous. “I orchestrated it. I had to prove my worth. It was a damn test.”

“Do you know that Halle came close to losing her life to save mine?” Yes, I was having difficulty keeping my anger in check, but I tried to think about Halle’s sweet smile and her request.

“Not at first. Fuck. How would I know that her engine company would be called? Besides, the fire got out of hand.”

Mikhail laughed. “Liam certainly didn’t give a shit about your life, brother.”

“I told you,” Liam hissed. “The fire got out of hand! I’m no arsonist. Okay? But it worked. Viktor trusts me.”

At least that added credence to the plan I’d mentioned to Mikhail and the others.

“You’re lucky that beautiful woman cares about you or I wouldn’t have any issue removing you from this earth.”

“What do you want me to say?” he was stupid enough to ask.

I laughed. “You don’t need to say anything, Liam. But you are going to do something for me. Now, if you do so without hesitation then we’ll consider the debt you owe to this family paid. You will have the settlement funds returned to Halle and at some point, you will pay her back, but you get to live.”

“What do I need to do?”

Smiling, I closed the distance between us until he was forced to look into my eyes. “It’s simple. You’re going to make a phone call and engage in a final meeting.”

He nodded, realizing he had no other choice.

I wrapped my hand around his throat simply to make a strong point. “But if you fuck with me, you will die. It truly is that simple.”

“You defied me,” I told her.

“I did what I needed to do. That’s the kind of woman I am, Alexsey.”

I pressed down on the accelerator, driving more erratically than I should. The woman could anger me like no other.

Seconds ticked by.

Five minutes.

I wasn’t used to not knowing what to say.

The silence in the car was suddenly deafening.

It didn’t matter if the engine was rumbling or the radio was on. All noise seemed to be blocked out.

Maybe because she’d refused to say anything since I’d returned.

“You’re not going to say anything else? You’re not going to chastise me or promise a spanking?” she finally asked as if possibly reading my mind. Which I honestly wouldn’t put past her. She was far too talented for her own good.

And she had no idea what I was thinking.

“I’m sorry about Liam and I’m very sorry about Sean.” My response seemed to surprise her.

“I am too. I think I always knew he was killed. I just didn’t want to believe it, I guess. I’m so angry with Liam, but I’m pleasantly surprised he was trying to do the right thing even if he did so the wrong way.”