Page 15

I hadn’t realized how terrible my decision to run away was until now. I’d thought I could simply go back to my apartment and move on with life as usual or book a flight to Oregon to stay with Mom.

I was wrong.

There were at least five men stationed in front of my home when I got there. All five of them were tall, dressed in suits, and had that murderous look on their faces that Andrei’s bodyguards had.

To be honest, I couldn’t tell if these men were some of Andrei’s associates whom I hadn't met or if they belonged to one of the rival families he mentioned. Regardless of the answer, I was determined not to get caught by them.

I’d turned around and found a café where I sat most of the afternoon. I didn’t have my credit card or any money on me, so I’d pretty much starved through the day, and now that it was nighttime, I was out of energy and with nowhere to sleep.

Running away like that was a hell of a bad decision. I should’ve kept my anger in check and recovered some of my things before leaving. There was no turning back now that I’d left, though.

I would rather sleep on the streets of New York City than return to Andrei’s mansion.

The cold air cut through my skin like blades. I was still wearing the shorts and shirt I’d worn earlier today, but they barely protected me from the cold.

The city blurred around me—dark alleys, flickering streetlights, shadows stretching across the cracked pavement. I had no destination, yet only one thought kept me from breaking down.

Freedom.

I was free from Andrei now. Free to live however I wanted.

As long as I was free from him, I could stay at Hazel’s place until I got a job and a new apartment. The only problem was my battery was dead, I didn’t have her number off-hand, and I didn’t have transport money to make it to her place.

I was basically stranded.

I sighed, wrapping my arms around myself to keep warm from the cold. I just had to make it through tonight. Everything was going to be better tomorrow.

A burst of blinding headlight flashed in my direction, and I heard the screeches of tires as a model of car I couldn’t quite see came to a halt beside me.

Raising a hand to block out some of the light and narrowing my eyes to see who it was, my heart stopped.

Men in suits similar to the ones I’d seen in front of my apartment slipped out of the car.

Alarm bells went off in my head. The danger signs were glaring, and I couldn’t waste a moment. I jumped to my feet and made a run for it.

A black SUV skidded to a stop in front of me, blocking my path. More men in black suits poured out of the SUV and joined the race.

My heart hammered in my throat as I realized that these weren’t Andrei’s men. They weren’t Russian. They were from one of those mafia families he’d warned me about,

I turned the other way, running as fast as my tired legs could carry me, but I only made it so far when a third car drove toward me at high speed, only stopping when it came in close contact with me.

My blood turned to ice, and my pulse spiked. I collapsed on the floor, panting for breath.

This was it; I was going to die tonight. No one was going to save me.

Andrei had no clue where I was, so he couldn’t find me. No one could.

A man in his late fifties stepped out from the third car, grinning with sick amusement as he prowled toward me.

I stumbled back, my body coiling with fear.

I hated him instantly. I despised the awkward twisting of his lips as he grinned and the scar across his forehead.

“Well, well,” he drawled as he closed the distance between us. “Looks like I just found myself a prize.”

He had a slight Romanian accent. Was he from the Romanian syndicate? They weren’t as infamous as the Italians and the Bratva, but they were well known for their heavy involvement in child and women trafficking, drug trafficking, fraud, and whatever else I was too scared to think of.

Cold sweat slicked down my skin, and my breath caught in my throat. “Who the hell are you?”

He winched and clutched his chest dramatically. “You’re hurting my feelings, fat?,” he sneered. “Too bad you haven’t heard of me when I know so much about you.”

“What do you want?”

His grin eased into a wicked smile. “Now that’s a smart question, little one.” He stretched his hand out to touch my face, but I pulled away and glared at his hand.

“Don’t touch me, you fucking pig!”

He laughed maniacally and leaned in. Suddenly, he grabbed my hair and yanked it back, sending a jolt of pain down my spine and forcing me to confront his soulless eyes. “I’m a very patient man, little one, but the next time you move your tongue so freely will be the last time you have one.”

I chuckled despite the pain and fear I felt. “You think I don’t know what you want? You can’t get it out of me if I don’t have a tongue.”

“Who says you need a tongue to give me the information I need?” His gaze flicked to my hands, and I quickly hid them behind my back. “You can write; that is all I’ll need.”

My stomach churned, my throat burning with unshed tears.

He let go of my hair.

One of his men stepped forward and handed him a towel, and I cringed as he wiped his hand like I was carrying a deadly disease.

“Let’s make this easy for both of us, shall we?” he drawled, straightening up to his feet. “I only need one piece of information from you: Where is Tyfun-1?”

I scoffed. “Why would I tell you? I don’t even know who you are.

He tsked and shook his head. “Forgive my manners. I’m Gavril Lupescu.”

I spat at his feet. If I had to die, I would at least go out as a badass. I imagined Dad went out the same way, and it was the reason no one had been able to find the shipment.

“Your name is as disgusting as you are. I don’t have the information you need, and even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you where it is. What’s the assurance you won’t just kill me after I tell you?”

“Good point,” he drawled. “You’re a smart one. Now, depending on my mood, you may make it out alive. Refusing to tell me, on the other hand, will seal your faith completely, and it won’t be pretty.”

“I don’t give a shit.”

“Oh, trust me, you do.” His eyes glinted with something dark and evil. “Imagine your beloved mother crying her eyes out at your wake. She won’t even be able to hold an open-casket funeral because of how bloody and damaged your body will look.”

Tears sprung to my eyes, my heart shattering as the mental image of my mother at my funeral flashed in my head. “Fuck you!”

“Wrong answer.” He sighed dramatically before signaling his men. “Take her.”

Two men stepped forward. They pulled me up from the ground and started dragging me to the SUV.

I struggled—kicking, fighting, clawing, and biting. It was all useless. They were too strong, and I was too weak.

They shoved me into the SUV and slammed the door shut behind me. The engine roared beneath me, and as the car lurched forward, the city faded behind us.

My mind raced.

I had no idea where they were taking me, and I knew it was impossible, but I hoped Andrei would save me.

***

The warehouse smelled of damp metal and gasoline. I had no idea where it was or how far we had driven, but I suspected it was on the outskirts of the city.

I was tied to a chair, my wrists bruised and hurting from the rough rope biting into my skin.

The dim lighting, along with the monster sitting across from me, made me feel like I was stuck in some sort of nightmare.

God, please let this be nothing but a bad dream.

Gavril paced in front of me. His tone shifted between amusement and rage, but the cold expression on his face remained constant.

“I’m asking one last time, Giselle. Where is Tyfun-1? I know your father hid it before he died, and you got his last message. Where is it?” he asked with a sharp tone.

I swallowed hard, my throat dry. “I don’t know. I really don’t know where he hid it. I didn’t know what Tyfun-1 was until after his death.”

He smirked, his eyes darkening with rage. “If you insist.” He held his hand out behind him, and one of his men stepped forward, handing him a shiny new blade. “You leave me no choice then.”

A shiver ran down my spine, and panic stole my breath as he rubbed the blade on his suit jacket.

If he was going to kill me, I hoped he would just go straight to it and spare me the torture, but men like Gavril wouldn’t just kill someone they considered an enemy. He was too much of a sadist. He’d torture me, make me beg, and then he’d leave me to rot to death.

Tears blurred my vision, but I dared not blink them away. Whatever he wanted to do to me would be a hundred times worse if he sensed I was afraid, and I wasn’t in the mood to feed his ego.

He pushed off the chair and stalked toward me, holding the tip of the knife up so I could get a good view of the pointy end.

I thought about Mom, thought about art and selling off a piece in a gallery filled with people who appreciated raw talent. I hadn’t gotten a chance to live that dream yet. I hadn’t lived at all.

Andrei would be looking for me by now. It was one thing that he considered me a tool, but I was his lifeline, and he wouldn’t just let me escape. He’d try to find me no matter what it would cost him.

I needed to stall Gavril until he did.

“Maybe I can think of something,” I said sharply. “My father left a clue behind. I’m not sure where exactly the shipment is, but I’ll figure it out.”

He stopped walking, and his brow quirked up his receding hairline. “What clue?”

“A text.” I inhaled, trying to remain calm. One mistake, and my life would be over. “The one you said he sent me before he was murdered.”

“You’re trying to buy some time, aren’t you?” He leaned toward me, bringing his face so close that the smell of tobacco and liquor on him made me gag. “You think the Yezhov boy will come to save you. Too bad you’ll be waiting until your last breath. You’re nothing to a man like him.”

Every fiber of my being trembled with the fear that no one would come to save me. I felt like a trapped animal, helpless and exposed for vultures to circle and dine on.

What if Andrei couldn’t find me? I’d be trapped with a beast like Gavril. I’d take my last breath alone and in pain.

My eyes burned, my heart threatening to explode from my chest, yet I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing how scared I was.

“Am I nothing, or are you afraid he’ll actually find me?” I straightened up and met his stare. “You know he won’t let you go that easily if he finds out you have me.”

“Stupid bitch!”

The first blow landed across my ribs. Pain seared through my side, and my vision flashed white for a moment.

Gavril shook his head with fake pity. “Such a shame. I wouldn’t have to be unpleasant if only you could be cooperative and not run your pretty mouth.”

I clenched my fist and groaned, but I wasn’t going to cry. “Is that all you’ve got?”

He grabbed my chin so tight his nails were literally tearing into my skin. “Watch your mouth, child. I’ll have your tongue next time.”

My breathing was labored. I’d grown too weak and exhausted from the lack of food and everything. My mind wavered between giving in to his demand and trying to find where the shipment was and letting him torture me to death.

No, I wasn’t going to give in. I couldn’t give in. I couldn’t break. I hadn’t gotten my revenge on the people who killed my father yet.

I closed my eyes, reminding myself I couldn’t let this man break me so easily.

My eyes tore open as a loud bang reverberated through the warehouse. It was a gunshot from outside.

The air shifted, and the entire place turned into a chaotic mess as more gunshots rang out, the sound drawing nearer with each shot.

Smoke and the smell of gunpowder filled the air, and Gavril’s men scrambled toward the source of the chaos.

“Come on, you idiots!” Gavril screamed at his men, who’d gathered around to protect him. “Kill that bastard and bring him to me.”

Some of the men obeyed, and the others stayed back, using their bodies as a shield for Gavril and pointing their guns toward the smoky entrance.

It all happened quickly, and before I could process everything, the men around Gavril were…dead.

Vomit crept up my throat at the sight of them. There was blood, so much blood.

I raised my feet as some of the blood trailed toward me, and my panic flared in my chest. I’d never seen a dead body. It was hard to process that these men had been alive only a second ago, and now they were nothing but corpses with bullet wounds. I’d never been exposed to such brutality before.

Gavril pulled a gun from one of the dead bodies and pointed it toward the entrance. “Whoever you are, show yourself.” He then pressed the gun to my temple, the tip of it ice cold against my skin. “Show yourself, or the girl dies.”

“Go on,” a deep voice said from the foggy darkness ahead. “Kill her. I dare you.”

Andrei.

It was Andrei’s voice.

Relief washed over me as he emerged from the darkness. His eyes were blood-red with rage, his face colder than anything I’d ever seen.

For the first time since the day I met him, he didn’t look mysterious and snobby; he looked angry—really angry.

The gun began to quiver as it was pressed against my temple.

Gavril pulled it away and pointed it at Andrei; then, as if clouded with confusion, he pointed it at me again. “Take one step forward, and I’ll pull the trigger,” he warned, cocking the gun.

I held my breath, my gaze fixed on Andrei.

Andrei didn’t look at me. His full focus was on Gavril. He was glaring at him with that murderous rage still in his eyes. “I’d always thought you were a smart man, Gavril. It seems not.”

Gavril laughed, but it was a mere hollow sound to mask the fear in his eyes. “I should have killed this stupid bitch earlier.”

“Killing her will be the difference between you leaving this place dead or alive,” Andrei drawled, a low warning in his voice. “If I were you, I’d run.”

“Fuck you, Yezhov.” Gavril whipped the gun back toward Andrei and pulled the trigger.

Andrei ducked behind a crate to take cover. His men rushed in, and Dobryn pointed a gun at Gavril, who’d started to make a run for it. “Don’t shoot him,” Andrei barked, shooting up to his feet and racing after Gavril.

A growl slipped from Andrei’s throat as he caught up with Gavril and smacked the back of his head with his gun.

Gavril stilled, and then he thudded to the ground like a sack of grain.

“Tie this bastard up and make sure he wakes up,” Andrei ordered.

“Yes, sir.” Dobryn pointed at three men to carry out the task.

Andrei’s eyes locked onto mine. The storm in his blue eyes had calmed, but he still looked angry. “We meet again, solnishko .” He walked toward me and, kneeling in front of me, started to loosen the ropes. “What the hell were you thinking, running away like that?”

My stomach twisted with nerves.

I wasn’t thinking. I just wanted to escape him, to be far away from him. The things I heard him say over the phone this morning had shredded my heart apart, and I needed some space to myself.

He was angry, rightfully so.

After loosening the rope, he helped me to my feet and peered into my eyes with his cold, blue gaze. “Don’t ever do something like that again,” he gritted out through clenched teeth.

I should have been afraid of him, but I wasn’t. Despite the anger laced in his voice, he had come all the way to this place to save me.

I felt safer with him than I had the last couple of hours. I was grateful he’d come.

So, rather than trying to escape him again, I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him. “Thank you, Andrei.”