Page 56 of Misdeeds of a Billionaire

Sasha answered on my behalf. Not very helpfully, if I might add. “She didn’t seem keen on seeing him.” I narrowed my eyes on the Russian. “Might be better to send someone else in. Someone more charming.”

I fought the twitch in my jaw and the growing urge to lunge across the table. I wanted to break his nose and make that face a little bit less crazy. How his wife didn’t scream every time she looked at him was beyond me.

Rather than punching Nikolaev in the face, I smiled serenely at my sister and brother.

“Don’t worry. I’ll drag the truth out of Odette.”

Chapter24

Odette

Imade my way through the streets to the dingy little hotel on the outskirts of New Orleans. The pouring rain soaked through my clothes as I stomped through puddles covering the cobblestone of the French Quarter.

Bitterness slithered through me. Yesterday, I thought we’d be free of smugglers—finally able to start our lives. And yet, here we were, none the better. I went to five banks, hoping for a loan.

A million-dollar loan.

They pretty much laughed in my face. I had no permanent residence. Barely any activity under my social security number. Some even insinuated my identity was false. After my last failed attempt at a loan, I roamed the streets aimlessly. I didn’t have it in me to go back to the hotel.

I just needed to come up with an idea to get my hands on a million dollars.

Except, my stupid brain kept circling back to Byron Ashford. I never expected to run into him again, least of all here. In New Orleans.

It was raining hard, drenching me to my bones. Yet, I couldn’t feel the chill nor the rain. I was numb. To the rain. To my feelings. To everything.

Maybe I’d reached a tipping point.

I turned the corner into a dark alley, taking a shortcut to the hotel. It was dark, damp, and the scent of urine filled the air. I took two steps in when my head flew sideways, hitting the building wall. My cheek exploded as I felt my purse fall to the ground, landing with a loud thud.

I took a lungful of air and readied myself to scream, but before I could make a sound, a hand wrapped around my mouth. I bit into it with all my might and another slap landed across my cheek. Pain exploded, followed by a burning sensation. My eyes stung as I blinked my tears away, desperate to see around me. A shove and a thwack smacked against my skull. I fell to my knees, facedown. Gurgling sounds filled the air. Mine.

A sharp kick to my stomach followed and I collapsed on my front. I yelped, crawling on my knees, reaching for my bag. I had pepper spray, I just had to get my hands on it. Just as my fingers brushed against faux leather, a booted foot flattened over my fingers.

I screamed, but another kick in my stomach followed. “Make one more sound and I’ll shoot you.”

There were many times over the last months I’d worried we’d find ourselves dead, but it wasn’t until tonight that my fear had a shape and a taste. His leg the only piece of his body within my reach, I wrapped my hand around his ankle and pulled myself closer. I didn’t make a sound, but I sunk my teeth into his shin, like a rabid dog. It was a matter of life or death.

“You goddamn whore!” A shiny green army boot kicked me off.

The warm, metallic taste of blood filled my mouth. Adrenaline coursed through my veins, and I felt every cell in my body awaken with panic. Another kick followed, hitting my neck. My body throbbed. My breaths became shallow and my face ached like never before.

I started crawling away from him, my knees scraping against the cobblestone. A hand wrapped around my hair, yanking my head up with a violent jerk. Then he grabbed my foot, pulling me back toward him. He spun me around, bringing me face-to-face with him.

“Two weeks. Or I’ll end you and your sister, once and for all.”

He let go of my hair and my face hit the concrete with a thud. His footsteps echoed in the dark alley, softened by the raindrops that were coming back into focus.

I peeled myself from the ground and reached for my purse, grabbing the scattered contents. Then, I painfully made my way back to the run-down hotel that had suddenly become a haven. I had no idea how I made it back, past the lobby, and up to our room.

The hotel door shut with a soft click and I stood there, finding the room enveloped in darkness, two figures sound asleep on the bed. It was only then that I finally broke down. My back against the door, I slid down to the floor and curled into a ball.

I bawled like a baby, keeping my cries silent while my son and sister slept.

* * *

“Soeur.” Sister.

I woke up to a soft voice and nudging. I issued a groan—wrapping arms around me—my entire body aching. I didn’t want to wake up. I didn’t want to feel all this pain.