Page 263 of Unexpected Hero

I won’t beg.

And I won’t be broken.

If I hadn’t already heard them refer to Viktor as the boss, I would’ve known he was in charge from the deferential way the men acted when he and his entourage walked through the front door.

That was maybe a half hour ago. All our captors went on high alert, jerking to attention.

The tone he used with them would have been intimidating, even if it wasn’t in gruff-sounding Russian. Somehow, that makes him more menacing.

I suspect the men who came with Viktor are his bodyguards. I’d call them minions, but that’s disrespectful to the little yellow guys who love bananas.

Viktor’s presence commands respect. His arrogance tells me he knows it.

The only other thing I know about him so far is that he wants to kill me. Or, at minimum, he wants me to suffer.

And I have no clue why.

A few minutes ago, a monstrous man with biceps as big as my thighs threw me into an empty room in the center of this disgusting house.

Without a word of explanation.

Now, I’m standing in the middle of the room and being circled by a shark in a fancy suit.

Viktor entered a minute ago. He hasn’t spoken to me yet. But his body language communicates his disdain for me in vivid detail.

If his wardrobe and fancy watch are anything to go by, Viktor comes from money. Lots of it.

His eyes are fathomless pits, spewing venom at me as they slither up and down my nude frame.He gives me the heebie-jeebies.

He also gives off mafia vibes.

Averting my sight from him, I scan the room again. Not sure why since there’s nothing to look at. There’s a mattress on the floor but no windows. And no way out. Even if I got away from him, I wouldn’t get far. One of his men waits on the other side of the door. The gun he shoved under my chin was a nice touch.

Bastards.

“Look at me,” he seethes, finally speaking. “Eyes on me unless I tell you otherwise.” His English is flawless, with no hint of an accent.

As I force myself to obey his command, I lift my chin to feign confidence. The thought of him knowing how terrified I am doesn’t feel right.

He clicks his tongue at me.“You know why you’re here?”

My hands are fisted so tightly I feel the prick of my nails on my palms. “Seems pretty obvious.”

With his head cricked to one side, he smirks. “Yes, I suppose it is.” He locks his straight arms behind his back and paces around the room, circling me again.“Stay facing that wall.”

His fancy shoes click against the hardwood floor with each step as if they’re threatening me.

After one revolution, he speaks again, but his shoes continue their ominous warning as he goes. “Don’t you wonder why we picked you?”

My brows pinch as I try to decode his question. There’s something hidden in it, but I can’t imagine what the deeper meaning might be.

“Because I was alone at a bar?”

Like a damn idiot.

His returning laugh is wicked and dark, with tendrils of cruelty woven throughout the timbre.“For most pretty girls, that would be enough. Like the ones in the other room.” He stops circling me, planting himself inches from my face. “But you are special, Violet Anastasia Holt.”

I’ve never heard my name spoken with such disgust.

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