Page 104 of Emperor of Havoc

Rodion grabs my ass again, chuckling darkly as he starts to undo his belt.

“Hold still, bitch,” he orders, his tone gleeful.

Time slows as the air thickens with dread.

The scrape of a zipper undoing.

The pressure of rough hands.

The horrible, excruciating wait for the invasion of my body.

I close my eyes, a tear beading in the corner of one of them as the impending horror fades to a blur around me. Rodion’s hands slide down my back, over my ass, about to move between my legs?—

There’s a screech as a metal door slams open, then the sound of a gun going off. Instantly, Rodion rips away from me, and I jolt as hot liquid splashes across my back.

The hands release me. My eyes fly open as I whip my head to the side.

Takeshi.

He storms into the room like the Devil himself—a frothing, savage, vengeful agent of malice. A wraith of fury. A mad emperor of havoc and destruction.

He’s got a gun in one hand and a bloodied katana in the other. He raises the gun, putting a bullet through the brain of the man who was just holding me. Blood splatters across the wall as Nina screams.

The rest of the men rush Takeshi. He puts a second bullet through a second skull, then raises his sword high as he charges the others, roaring. I slump to the floor, staring at him in awe and terror as his blade flashes, cutting through the neck of one of the Russians and spraying a geyser of blood across the wall. The next man is run through with Takeshi’s blade.

A choking, gurgling sound has my head snapping to the side. Rodion is slumped against a wall, his eyes wide, his hands desperately clutching at his neck to stop the heavy flow of blood gushing from the hole in his throat.

Takeshi storms across the room, winding his arm back. Rodion gurgles on his own blood and tries to raise a hand to ward off the attack.

But there’s no stopping Takeshi’s fury.

His katana splits first the air, then Rodion’s hand from his wrist, and finally his head from his neck, letting it roll across the floor.

Takeshi rips his gaze to mine.

“Kat…”

I break as he rushes to me, the tears I’ve been holding back suddenly spilling free and pouring down my cheeks. His strong arms surround me, pulling me into him, and his hands are gentle as they pull my yoga pants back up over my ass. Slowly, he takes his jacket off and puts it around my shoulders as more Ishida-kai men pour into the room.

“I’m here,” he murmurs, holding me close. “I’m here, princess.”

He turns toward the men hovering in the doorway.

“Get her out of those chains!” he snarls, nodding his chin at Nina. “And get him to a doctornow!” he roars, indicating Ryu.

My men spring into action as I cling to Takeshi, burrowing into his warmth and strength. Tears blur my vision as I clutch at his shirt. The scent of blood and sweat clings to him, but I don’t care. He saved me.

I’m still clinging to him as he carries me from the room, past more bodies of Vorobev soldiers, and then past a very headless Sergey himself.

“I’m right here, Kat,” he growls quietly. “And I’m not going anywhere.Ever.”

32

KATARINA

The room is dark,a heavy, velvety blackness wrapping around me. For a moment, panic surges in my chest. Then my breath releases as the disorienting fog of sleep gives way to memory.

I’m in bed.

---