Page 24 of Scorned Beauty (Scorned Fate #5)

Fuck you, Dom. I blocked his number, turned off my phone, and took out the SIM.

I exited the car and stomped the sliver of circuitry under my shoe with so much satisfaction and vigor, it gave me momentary respite from my tattered heart and pride.

I plopped back into the passenger seat and dug into my backpack to extract my burner.

Phil had a wide grin on his face when he slid into the driver’s seat.

“That was petty as fuck, but entertaining,” he said. “Remind me not to get on your bad side. The officers gave them a warning. Stalking is illegal and carries a fine and jail time. If they come anywhere within your visual or physical proximity, they’ll be arrested.”

And that took care of that. I was still seething. Typical Dom. There was comfort that he cared, but I wasn’t a toy he could stick in the corner shelf until he decided he wanted to throw me away permanently after he’d settled on a newer model.

Phil found parking near our apartment building. Logistically, I couldn’t leave with Harriet, but Phil promised to look out for her and I’d set her residency payment to auto deduct from the bank account.

Wherever I landed, I needed to settle in first. I rented a storage unit on the outskirts of New Jersey where I had a trunkful of things, including emergency cash. All I needed was Ginger, important documents, and my laptop. Clothes maybe, but I could always buy more.

Phil accompanied me to the fifth floor, but when we reached my unit, the door was ajar.

“Fuck,” he whispered.

Our eyes locked.

He drew his weapon. “What do you wanna do?”

My shoulders slumped. I was so fucking tired. “You can leave.”

His eyes flashed. “The fuck I am. I got you into this.”

“If they’re in there, then I’ll know what happened to Billy.”

Before we could come to a decision, the door opened and Anton stood there already pointing a gun at us, or specifically, at my head. “Are you guys coming in?”

I stalked past him. “Where’s my brother?”

“Well, that’s why we came to get you. He needs a doctor.”

“I’m not a doctor.” I blew out a breath. “Are you saying he’s still alive?”

“Barely.”

I squeezed my eyes shut for a second. Maybe I said a prayer even when I wasn’t the praying kind. I looked around the apartment. “Where’s my cat?”

“If you’re talking about that she-devil, she better not show up.” I noticed the scratches on Anton’s arms.

She was alive, then.

“Kindly let Phil go.”

Anton had two henchmen with him who brought up the rear, forcing Phil to give up his weapon.

“Fuck, no,” Anton said. “This man is a pain in the ass.”

“You can’t have a dead fed?—”

“What’s another one? There’s already a manhunt for us, not to mention our own bratva is turning on us…fucking rats.”

“You know, apparently I’m a rat too, so I can commiserate.”

Phil was looking at me like I was crazy. A lethal calm had settled over me in the last few seconds since I realized Grigori’s men had come for me. I was tired of the anxiety I’d been living with. I wanted to know what my fate was. Or hope had died in me, and I wanted Anton to end my misery.

“And this man here”—Anton got close to Phil—“is a pig.”

He wheeled his arm and sunk his fist into Phil’s gut. Phil folded over with a groan, then Anton grabbed the collar of his shirt and tossed him on the couch.

“Stop it,” I yelled.

“Hold her back,” Anton snarled.

Phil staggered to his feet, cocked his elbows, and issued a cocky gesture. “Come on.”

The two men clashed in the center of my small apartment, sending my furniture scraping across the floor. Both of them landed heavily with a thud.

“My neighbors are going to call the cops, you dumbasses,” I shouted. We were not going to get arrested and miss the opportunity to find my brother. I knew what Phil was doing.

Well, he wasn’t dying on my watch.

“Stop it now!”

Anton might have a little brain, but he was a bruiser of a fighter and turned Phil’s face into a bloody pulp in a flash. Then he dragged him across the room and unlatched the door leading to the fire escape.

I tried to wrench myself free from the goon holding me, but he gripped my upper arms painfully. I jerked my elbow to his chin and stomped on his feet.

He spun me around and punched me in the stomach. “Bitch!”

I fell to the floor and tried to get up, but a wrenching pain low in my pelvis had me crying out.

“Boris, dammit, what did you do?” Anton roared. “Grigori said unscathed.”

“I hit her in the stomach. He can’t see it.” The man hovered over me, nudging me with his boot. “Stop pretending. I didn’t hit you that hard.”

An orange missile jumped on his back, and he started screaming.

“Fucking cat!” Boris yelled.

“Don’t hurt her.” I strained to get on my knees, fighting against the nausea building inside me.

I whimpered when I heard the breaking of glass and Ginger’s yowl. Tears streamed down my cheeks. “Ginger…Phil…”

I glared tearfully as Anton returned. “You’re so much trouble, suka .”

“What did you do to Phil and my cat?” I gritted through the wrenching pain in my belly. I couldn’t stand up straight. Rioting fear replaced my earlier calm. Instinctively, I knew the worst was yet to come.

“They took a tumble down the fire escape.”

A horrified gasp escaped me. That was five floors.

“Don’t worry, the bastard hit the landing midway down the building. I’m not too sure about your cat.”

“Monsters. You’re all monsters.”

“Yeah…luckily Grigori doesn’t want any bruises on your face.” He gripped my chin. “He has plans for you, so ketamine it is.”

A needle pricked my neck.