Page 54 of His Dark Pull

Why am I being so bold? This can hurt me— But I can’t stop.

He steps back, and a flicker of amusement dances in his eyes. “Why so feisty? This is so unlike you,”he muses. “But I’ll answer your questions, and maybe that will teach you to answer some of mine, too.”

He makes a low, strange sound. “You know what? Iloveoffice-Dexter. He’s real, a gentle soul. I am a decent photographer, one of the many skills my father forced upon me at boarding school. ‘Stay away for six months, Dexter, that’s fine,’”he mimics, his voice drips with bitterness. “But enough about me. I just need to know if you know enough about us, about the Europeans, the Veles Network, to give us away.”He flashes a grin.

Who are you?

“I’m not talking,”I declare. “Not to you, not to any other part of this— this organization.”I look around, searching for any means of escape, but the room is bare. The walls are solid.

“We’ll see about that,”he says, his eyes never leave mine, a promise and a threat all in one.“

“How did you do it? You’re a fuckin’ photographer.”The curse in my mouth feels good as if I’m on their level.

Dexter leans closer, a gleam in his eyes. “You want to know how I financed Veles, Ava?”he asks. “Smuggling is just the start. We moved art, Ava. Priceless masterpieces stolen from private collections. Forged documents, fake provenance – all easy enough to create when you have the right people in your pocket.”

He gestures to my bound hands. “Even your design skills served me, Ava. Remember those brochures you created for a high-end art auction? I had my people swap them out with ones containing subtle alterations, fake details that would raise no suspicions until it was too late. Good thing I had the cameras installed at Spectrum, it served me well.”

Cameras were used to serve the Veles Network, andSpectrum was used as a cover.I wonder what else he hides there?

My stomach lurches.I’vebeen a pawn in his game, andmy work has been used to further his criminal enterprise. The world I thought I knew, the world of art and design, has been corrupted and twisted into a tool for deception and greed.

Why is he telling me this? That means he won’t let me go, doesn’t it?

I dare ask another question:“Why the robberies?”

“A little cash was needed to get started again. Now you can answer a question for me, can’t you?”

“Idon’t know anything!”I grit my teeth.

“Sure—You’ll talk eventually. Everyone does. Everyone breaks, Ava. But I don’t mind you staying for a while. We had fun last night, didn’t we?”

I fight to maintain my composure as he moves closer. His body fills the small space with a suffocating intensity. “You’re a tough one,”he murmurs, his breath hot against my neck. I like that. But make no mistake. I’ll get what I want from you, one way or another.”

With that, he turns and leaves the room, his footsteps echoing down the hallway, leaving me alone with the chilling echo of his words and the terrifying realization that I am trapped and at his mercy.

Moments later, Kovacs enters, carrying a small screen. He sets it down in front of me, a sly smile playing on his lips as he turns it on. With a rough hand, he pulls my hair, forcing me to look at the images flickering on the screen.

“Now watch, princess,”he says, his voice cold. “Just sit back and enjoy the show.”

The grainy images on the screen flicker before me, a disorienting kaleidoscope of blurred shapes and distorted movements. I lean closer, my eyes straining to make sense of the scene, but it’s like peering through a dense fog, the details obscured, the figures shifting and morphing into unrecognizable forms.

And then, as if a veil is lifted, the image sharpens, the outlines solidifying into a scene that sends a jolt of ice through my veins.My apartment.My haven. And there, amidst the familiar furniture and scattered belongings, are Tyler and Sarah, their faces worried as they search the room.

My heart pounds against my ribs.

They are looking for me, their movements frantic, their voices hushed whispers that I can’t quite make out.I can’t let anything happen to them,I think, the realization hitting me with the force of a blow.

Kovacs’s voice breaks through my thoughts, shattering the fragile barrier of my resolve. “Isn’t it just adorable?”he sneers, his eyes fixed on the screen, a smile twisting his lips. “Isn’t it cute how worried they are about you?”

You bastard!

I freeze, my body tensing as his words sink in, their meaning clear and terrifying. He is using them, using their love and concern for me as leverage, a weapon to break my spirit, to force me to talk.

He leans closer. “I’ll give you until tomorrow to think about it,”he hisses, running a hand over his bare scalp.

The guard returns, his rough hands gripping my arms, pulling me away from the screen, away from the sight of my friends.

As he escorts me back to the cell, I stumble, my legs weak, my body heavy.What will happen to them if I don’t comply?

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