Page 17 of Bound

“You’ve gotgirlsin Brighton Beach?” I inquire.

Finn laughs. “I’ve got girls all over the city, old man.”

As usual, I’m immediately sorry I asked.

The three of us head inside, and the overwhelming stench of body odor, piss, and death floods my nostrils. It’s so rank that I don’t think anyone will even notice when we leave a body behind.

Liam spots them first and silently alerts us. They’re on a dilapidated loveseat in the middle of the room that is soiled with filth. Both of them are asleep. Luka is wedged in the corner, and Kira is curled up beside him with her head resting on his thigh.

Rounding the room, I approach from behind as Liam and Finn walk directly toward them. I flex my hand around the handle of the blade in my hand and silently wedge it against Luka’s throat as Liam announces, “Someone has been looking for the two of you.”

Startled awake, Luka reaches for the gun, which is resting by his thigh. I pull the blade tighter against his throat, causing it to dimple the skin, and he immediately stills. “We don’t want anytrouble.” His voice cracks with fear as he pulls Kira tighter to him. “We’re leaving the city tomorrow.”

“Unfortunately, Akim isn’t taking very kindly to the two of you running off together,” Liam imparts.

Tears well in Kira’s eyes as she looks to Luka for help. His voice is gruff as he tries to assert himself, “We aren’t going back.”

“You’re right.” Finn grabs Kira’s arm and pulls her from Luka. She briefly cries out but doesn’t scream like I expect her to.

The shit I will do to protect my family…

“Youaren’t going back.” I pull the blade across his throat, severing him from ear to ear. It looks brutal as blood pours down his chest, but by severing both his windpipe and jugular, death should come for him quickly.

Kira is stoic as Finn pulls her through the warehouse and to the Tahoe we left parked at thecurb. Shoving her into the backseat, she speaks for the first time. She repeats the same phrase in Russian.

Not understanding her, and knowing my brothers don’t either, I try to comfort her. “We aren’t going to hurt you.” Unlike the Bratva, we don’t fuck with women. Selling them, hurting them, and killing them are some of the few things that even our skewed moral compasses aren’t okay with.

“Akim will.” Her accent is so thick that I barely understand her.

I glare at Liam, and he huffs, “Don’t.”

As though she knows how much it will affect me, Kira stares at me with huge brown eyes when she shares, “He’ll make anexample out of me. Show the other girls what happens when you run.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

DECLAN

“Let it go.” Liam shakes his head. “What happens to her isn’t our problem.”

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding,” I scoff. “When she gets beaten within an inch of her life because we brought her back, that is very much our problem.”

Pulling to a stop before Akim’s coffee shop, Liam barks at Finn, “Get her out of the car and bring her inside.”

“Please,” she begs, grabbing my shirt as Finn pulls hers from the SUV. “He’ll kil?—”

Her words are cut short, muffled by the glass, as Finn slams the door shut.

“Of all days,” I huff.

“Fuck. I’m sorry,” Liam grabs my arm as I reach for the door handle. “I need her to be believable. She couldn’t know.The minute I get what we need from Akim, I’m getting her out of here.”

“Go hifreann leat a shliomadoir lofa!” I snarl as I climb out of the Tahoe. “I could beat the ever-loving piss out of you.”

Liam heads inside, and I stand on the sidewalk for a second, trying to harness my anger before going inside and doing something fucking foolish. After taking a few deep breaths, I open the door and head toward the office we previously visited. I walk through the door just in time to watch Akim’s fat fucking mitt crashing into Kira’s face. The sound of his fist colliding with her skin echoes off the cheap paneling as she crumples to her knees.

“Whores on their knees are only good for one thing,” he spits at her. “Either suck my fucking cock or get the fuck up.”

Blood trickles from a small cut beneath her eye, but she manages to hold back the tears welling in her eyes.This isn’t her first round with him, or men like him.Gulping hard, she reaches for the desk and uses it to pull herself back to her feet.

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