Page 24 of Savage Kingdom

As soon as he was in, the doors closed automatically and the van started to spin. It happened so fast, my body slammed against the other side as the van turned again.

“You okay?” the man asked.

It took me a second to gather my wits, and I realized I had not eaten anything since last night. Suddenly my body begged for water, since food I could do without. Slowly, I sat so I wouldn’t lose my equilibrium. I gazed at him as I nodded, and his brows were furrowed.

He didn’t say anything more but went and leaned on the opposite side of the van from me. It was empty and had no windows. The only light that came through was from the front of the car.

The drive was quiet until the driver talked.

“Yorovich’s men just passed us en route back to his estate,” the driver announced casually.

The guy leaned his head back, closed his eyes, and exhaled.

“What are you?” I asked before I could think better of it.

“Who are you?” he countered without looking at me.

I bit my lip and leaned back, not answering his question. Who I was wasn’t important. If he didn’t know it by now, then he was not of my world.

The heat of his gaze warmed my skin, making me hyperaware of his attention. I lifted my eyes and saw him gazing at me. Other than his jacket, I was naked, in a see-through baby doll—my body, exposed to him. Any other woman might have tried to cover themselves up, but not me.

My naked flesh didn’t make me uncomfortable. From a young age, I was taught to not shy or cower but own up to it.

So I did what I’d been trained to do. I was just surviving.

There was a small shift in him before he spoke. His eyes widened in surprise. “Bloody hell, you’re fucking hurt,” he spat.

That’s when I saw the blood that had pooled at my feet.

Puzzles were a distraction.They were something to figure out when you were bored, to pass the time, not to try and solve when you had a full load of problems.

The woman was a Rubik’s Cube. Actually, a Rubik’s Cube was a piece of cake compared to her. She had a tongue that was sharp like a blade, a body like an angel, eyes like a wolf, and impeccable aim. Didn’t even bat an eyelash when she handled the Uzi.

The guy driving the car was quiet. We both knew I was in trouble, but this was not the time nor place to discuss it.

Being fearless was not the only way I had managed to survive when most would have died. Having a plan A, B, and C had kept me breathing.

Sure, my government made them possible, but I had an escape plan for everything. The key was to always imagine the worst scenario happening.

When our driver announced that we had passed Mozorov, it made me feel lighter. Sure, I’d made a mess, but I knew Yoro would pay so word of this didn’t leak to the press.

“What are you?” The raspy tone of the woman’s voice had me opening my eyes.

“Who are you?” I countered, looking at her. She wasn’t that old. Her face held a youthfulness, but her eyes were of an old soul—too alert, not enough hope behind her gaze. My eyes trailed to the rest of her, lingering on her breasts. The way the nightgown stopped right above her legs, and there was a shadow that was quite tantalizing, covering her sex.

Our eyes met, and I knew she was aware of how I looked at her, yet she didn’t care. She didn’t use her beauty to try to get what she wanted—at least not yet. She claimed to be Yorovich’s most prized possession, and I believed her, but I also knew there was a reason why he kept her chained up.

I’d seen slaves, and she didn’t act like them. There was something stronger within her that didn’t break.

I stopped looking at her tits and cunt and made my way down to the rest of her when I noticed she was bleeding.

“Bloody hell, you’re fucking hurt,” I spat.

Slowly I reached for her leg. I didn’t want the bitch to kick me in the face. There was blood on her left foot and some sprinkled on her right. She had stepped on the glass that had scattered from the bomb.

Not once had she complained.

Lifting my shirt, I ripped it from the bottom. When I had the cloth in my hand, I noticed she was looking at my abdomen, or rather, my tattoos. My chest and back were covered, and my legs. Not my arms or neck, nothing that would make me stand out on a surveillance feed.

---