Page 4 of Beautiful Agony

My jaw clenches so hard it hurts. "I'm going to make you hurt. If you touch a single hair on either of their heads, I'll flay your skin until you're raw and bleeding."

"OhGod, yes." She lets out a breathy moan. "Keep going."

Bile rises in my throat but I force myself to continue. "I'll break every bone in your body. Starting with those fingers of yours."

"Fuck," she moans louder. "Are you hard thinking about hurting me, Vadyusha? About making me bleed?"

The sound of her pleasure makes my stomach turn. But I need more time for the trace. Just a little longer...

"You want me to hurt you?" The words taste like poison on my tongue. "I'll hurt you worse than anyone ever has."

"Yes!" Her moan echoes through the speaker. "Tell me how you'll punish me."

My eyes stay fixed on the tracing program, watching the circle narrow down. Just a little longer.

"I'll cut away those lips of yours." My voice drops lower, channeling every ounce of menace I possess. "The ones you can't seem to keep shut."

Her breathing grows heavier, more erratic. "What else?

"Then I'll move to your throat." I force myself to say. "Wrap my hands around it until you're gasping for air."

"Don't stop." She lets out a high-pitched whine. "I'm so close."

My free hand clenches into a fist, Lacey's bite marks stinging as they reopen. The pain helps ground me, reminds me why I'm forcing myself through this sick game.

The tracking circle continues to narrow.Just a little longer.

"I'm going to break you in ways that would make the devil himself weep," I growl into the phone, hating every word but knowing I need to keep her talking. "And when I'm done, I'll make sure you're still alive enough to feel what comes next?—"

Her scream of pleasure cuts me off, echoing through the speaker as she wails like a banshee.

The sound sends my skin crawling.

"Oh God, that was good." Sayanaa's voice comes out breathy and satisfied. "But you know what would make it even better?" Her voice returns to an icy clarity. "If you weren't trying to trace my location this whole time."

My jaw clenches. The tracking circle on my screen is still narrowing, but not fast enough.

"What's wrong, Vadyusha? Cat got your tongue?" She giggles. "Or should I say... kitty? Your sister really does have the mostbeautifulgray eyes. Just like yours. Maybe I'll pluck out one of them and put it in my martini while I play this conversation back tomorrow night."

My grip tightens on the phone until my knuckles turn white.

"But thank you." Her voice drips with mock sweetness. "For the lovely phone sex. We should do this again sometime. Next time, I'll let you listen while I play with my new toys. I have the feeling that they're bothscreamers."

And then, the line goes dead.

"Sayanaa!" I yell, but it's no use.

That monster has both my wife and my sister—a sister I never knew existed until tonight.

Twenty-four hours to return the Archbishop's bible, or they both suffer.

That bible contains everything needed to destroy Kirsan's operation. Years of financial records. Names of corrupt officials. Evidence of human trafficking routes across three continents.

With it and the deal I just struck with Megan, I finally stand a chance to end his reign of terror.

But at what cost?

If I hand it over, I'm essentially surrendering. Everything Irina died for would be wasted. The women trapped in Kirsan's web would remain there, with no hope of rescue.

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