Page 70 of Cruel Promise

No, I’m not ok.

Because I have to save my husband.

Chapter

Ten

NIKOLAI

The knife slices across my arm, but I don’t scream. I never scream.

Not even when I got my scar.

After wiping the blood off the knife, Maxim tosses the bloody towel on the ground. “You’re not an easy man to hurt, Nikolai. You never seem like you’re in pain.”

“If it’s pain you’re looking for,” I say through gritted teeth, “then you’re going to be disappointed.”

“We’ll see about that.” He drags the knife down my other arm. Blood drips onto the ground.

“If you keep going like that, there’ll be nothing left of me for you to torture.”

“I know what I’m doing.” Another nick to my arm. I don’t even flinch.

“Where did you learn to do this anyway?” Making conversation helps. The truth is—I’m in pain. Serious, fucking pain. Maxim has been slicing and dicing away at me for hoursnow. I just need to make it through this. I made it through before with Anton. I can do it again here.

The only difference is I don’t give a flying fuck about Maxim.

“A biker who knows torture,” I continue. “It’s unusual.”

“When Lev was president, he liked to bring men here. Those who got into trouble. Those who needed shaping up. I learned from him.”

“Where are we, anyway?” It’s just a cement box with one door. It could be anywhere.

Maxim smiles, but there’s no humor to it. “Why would I tell you that? Thinking of escaping?”

I tug on the cuffs around my wrists, but they don’t budge. “I’ll make it out of here, Maxim. I always survive. Don’t underestimate me.”

He gets right into my face and points the knife close to my eye. “You may be powerful, Nikolai Petrov, but you’re just a man when all is said and done. And all men die.”

He drags the knife across my scar.

And for the first time, I flinch.

Anton sliced the dagger across my face. It burned. It was the worst pain I’d ever felt.

I fell back onto the hot Texan earth as I stared up at my second in command. “What are you doing?” Blood seeped into my mouth.

“I’m taking over, Nik. It’s finally turn. My time to be in charge.”

Jose was still hiding next to one of the gun vans. Why didn’t he run?

Anton turned to him, gun out. “Come over here, Jose. I need help.”

Jose looked between the two of us and then dashed for the driver side door, but Anton shot a round into the earth by Jose’s feet, stopping him.

“I said I need help.”

Slowly, Jose walked over.

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