Page 114 of Claim Me

Drake continued to whimper, peering up at me in a way that allowed me to realize he knew I was his lifeline.

“One last time. My arm is getting tired. Where is Marissa being held?”

Gasping for air, he continued to flail while trying to catch his breath. “I have a little cabin in the woods. She’s there. No one knows about it.”

“What are the plans?”

“Marrying Rurik tomorrow.”

I laughed. “Well, I guess there will be a change of plans. You will supply me with the location.”

“Yes. Yes!”

“If you lie to me, you will suffer. Trust me. You won’t like my methods.” I shifted my gaze to Mikhail, lifting my eyebrows. “Help a brother out, will ya?” I asked him.

“Are you certain you want to do that?” he asked in a playful tone that I’d heard more often now that he was a married man.

“Yeah, what the hell? I’m in a generous mood.” Together we hoisted Drake up and over the railing.

“What do you want to do with him?” my brother asked as Alessandro and Alexsey stood with their arms crossed, obviously enjoying the show.

“Keep him on ice until I decide. Maybe after that, I’ll feed him to the fishes. Or worse, I’ll send him back to his master.”

CHAPTER 30

Marissa

“Help me! Please. Someone. Anyone. Help… me.” The last two words trailed off and I closed my eyes. My throat remained scratchy from screaming to no avail.

No one was coming to save me.

Shivering, I dragged my tongue across my lips to try to keep them moist.

Freezing.

I was freezing, my toes already numb. Even though I was continuously bending my fingers, the tips were already stiff from the cold. The moment I shifted, pain blasted through my arms and legs from the tight metal shackles biting into my wrists and ankles. At least the agony gave testimony that I was still alive.

For how long I didn’t know.

The despair was much worse than the cold. In my mind, I continued to call out to Kazimir, praying he would find me.Sadly, something told me deep down inside it was already too late.

Blanketed in darkness, only a tiny slender string of light coming in from a window at least fifteen feet away allowed my vision to adapt to the stark shadows. What few objects surrounded me were misshapen, yet every time I blinked, I could swear they were moving. Monsters waiting in the shadows.

Whimpering, I endured another flash of agony while trying to lift my bare feet from the floor. Memories and images were fleeting, what little I remembered terrifying.

I’d been drugged by the roses, kidnapped by Joseph. The last thing I remembered was being shoved into the trunk of a car.

Tears slipped down both cheeks, feeling as if they were freezing on contact. I hated being so weak both mentally and physically. There was no way of knowing how long I’d been here. There was no food, no water. Just the cold and darkness.

A racking sob left my chest and even though I’d suffered from the actions, I struggled with the bindings. As exhaustion took hold, I slumped against a cold wall, doing my best to curl into a tight ball. With my knees bent, my arms wrapped around my legs, I continued to sob as I thought about the brooding and handsome Russian.

I’d told him how I felt. Had it mattered to him?

His expression hadn’t changed, still hard and chiseled after my admittance. Yet I’d seen emotion in his eyes. Or was it just wishful thinking?

Another sob broke the eerie silence, although I could hear something crawling only a few feet away from me. My mind played tricks, leaving me seeing images of rats and snakes.

Why had I insisted on playing the concert? Why hadn’t I listened to Kazimir?