Page 10 of Darkest Game

What does he mean by that? “I’m nineteen.”

“That’s a relief.”

“I don’t…”

“For you to look as good as you do. I’d hate for you to be a minor.”

Goosebumps break out on my skin. This Liam guy is strange and scary and slightly… sexy? I don’t know. I’ve never met a man in person before that I had these weird thoughts for.

“Shit,” Liam mutters.

Looking out the window, I see Mark running towards the car… by himself. “What’s happening?”

Mark gets into the car. “Drive, drive, drive!”

It’s then that I hear gunshots and within seconds I see Mikhail and Nico running out of the house… in our direction.

“Shit,” Liam says again, starting the car and driving away before they can reach us.

Something overtakes my body and I slam my hands against the glass. “I’m in here! I’m in here!”

But it’s pointless. Liam’s car is too fast and Mikhail and Nico are too slow on their feet. We round the corner and I lose sight of them.

“What the fuck happened?” Liam asks.

“I tried to break into the house but I got caught. They began firing at me. I had to run.”

“You clearly didn’t take Natalya or Sasha.”

“I know. I couldn’t get to them. They were too heavily guarded. I’m sorry I let you down, Liam.”

He sighs. “Well, we have Irina. We just have to hope that she’s enough for Jack to not lose his shit on me.”

I’m silent on the drive. There’s no point in screaming. No one will hear me in the car. It’s better that I stay focus and pay attention to my surroundings. They didn’t blindfold me, which could be a good thing.

Or a very bad thing. Am I going to be killed? Is that why they don’t care to cover my eyes?

We drive out of the city and to a smaller town a few hours away from New York. I’ve only ever lived in New York city. My father never let me travel when I was younger and Denis obviously never gave me the opportunity.

Liam drives up a long dirt road that leads up to a house. It’s a cross between a ranch style and a cabin. Multiple men are hanging out on the front porch, smoking and chatting. But their smiles disappear when Liam stops the car. He pulls me out of the car himself. His hands are warm and strong on my biceps and I can’t help but notice that he smells like cinnamon and cigarette smoke.

A tall man leaves the house and stands on the porch, staring down at Liam disapprovingly.

“Hey, Jack,” Liam says with a lazy easiness.

“Liam. I only see one girl with you.”

“Yes. Mark fucked up. Got caught trying to steal the sisters and we had to run. Had to settle for just the one.”

Jack nods as he comes down the stairs and stands right before me. I try to run but Liam tightens his hold on my arms. Jack’s eyes linger over my breasts and move lower before returning to my face.

“She’s pretty. I’ll give her that. But she’s not Natalya or Sasha. I know what those girls look like. I’ve seen pictures of them with their husbands. Natalya is the lead dancer at the New York city ballet. Everyone knows what she looks like.”

“Mark fucked up. Once more. He grabbed Irina because she was easy to take. She’s one of their sisters.”

“Oh, one of the sisters? Well that’s just great, Liam.” He laughs but there’s no humor to it. “I asked you to steal Natalya and Sasha for me. Not their sister.”

“I know. But this is still a good thing. We can use her to hurt them. There’s one thing I’ve learned about the Petrov sisters and it’s that they love each other. I heard stories of how hard Natalya and Sasha were fighting to try and get their other sisters back. This will hurt them.”