Page 50 of Ruby Menace

He ends the call and puts his phone away, leaning back against the seat and looking straight ahead. His jaw is tight.

I hold my breath until he slants a look at me. “What did Petrov’s men do to you?” he asks.

“I… they…” I wave my hand in the area of my chest. “They cut me. It stung, but it wasn’t unbearable. It was mainly to scare me, I think.” And to amuse themselves, but I don’t go into that.

“That was all?” He’s still looking at me.

“They put a plastic bag over my head and stopped me from breathing,” I say hoarsely. The thought still makes fear surge in me. The helplessness. The terror.

Kirill’s expression darkens. His hands, which are resting on his thighs, clench into fists. Then he nods and leans back in his seat again.

What does this mean?

Is he pleased that it wasn’t worse? Does he care? I wish I understood what he’s thinking right now. I can’t pick up even a hint of what’s going on beneath his impenetrable exterior.

For the next few minutes, I sit in silence, casting furtive glances at him, my heart pounding as I try to figure out what’s about to happen next. But some tiny part of me is starting to develop some troubling suspicions.

He doesn’t trust you.

He thinks you betrayed him.

And I have no doubt about what Kirill does to traitors.

He kills them.

Chapter Twenty

Kirill

I’m seething, my fists clenched so tight my knuckles are white.

My jaw is locked, teeth grinding together as I try to contain the rage coursing through me. I can’t trust myself to speak right now, so I stay silent, focusing on the hum of the engine and the passing scenery outside the tinted windows of the luxury SUV.

Tiana is silent too, her dark eyes watching me warily. I can feel her gaze on me, but I don’t meet it. I’m too angry, too consumed by the fury that’s threatening to overwhelm me.

Ya ub’yu kazhdogo iz nikh!

I’m going to kill every fucking one of them!

I can almost taste the blood of my enemies as I imagine what I’ll do to them. Petrov’s men got off lightly. What I have planned for him will probably earn me a place in hell. But it will be worth it.

The things they did to my woman… and my child.

Bozhe moy!

Tiana is pregnant with my child. The shock of it has left me reeling. It’s the only thing stopping me from spinning this car around and driving it straight into fucking Petrov’s estate so I can rip his guts out with my own hands.

Tiana remains quiet beside me, poised on the edge of the seat as we keep driving. I’m glad I got a chance to tell her how much she means to me; I think it will go some way to getting her to understand why I have done the things I did for her. And what I plan to do again.

Vlad Petrov just hammered another nail in his coffin.

It’s a relief that she’s giving me space, waiting for me to calm down before we speak again. There’s a lot to discuss. Our family. Our future. How we’ll get those fucking Feds off our backs. I’m so fucking pissed off that they tried to drag her into their little shitshow.

And Zoya, on top of it all.

There are a lot of scores to settle.

I exhale a calming breath, taking in the cool, air-conditioned air as I try to ground myself. The car comes to a stop outside an unassuming building. I open the door and climb out.

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