Page 59 of Hidden Heir

I know she’s here. Her existence is the only thing keeping me from giving in to the darkness that constantly fogs my vision. She’s the reason I’m still breathing, and I’m going to get her out of here.

As the days pass, I fight back less and less. The only time I get water is when they try to waterboard me, and food is a thing of the past. So I stop fighting back to conserve what little energy I have. I need to remain alert so I can escape and find my way to Brooke. Then I’ll get us both out of here.

Eventually, Paul comes to see me. That rat fucker.

He wanders into my cell, chewing on an apple as he watches me dangle in front of him like a pig’s carcass.

“Well, well, well. The great Leonity Koval hasn’t made a sound in three days, they tell me. Have we managed to finally break that famous iron will of yours?”

I don’t have the energy to scoff. “If your rats were doing something worthwhile, maybe I’d make a noise,” I croak, unable to hide the wince as my throat scrapes together. My flesh is raw from dehydration and the screams they’ve managed to bleed from me. Exhaustion is a gift in that regard.

“Well in that case, I’ll have them bring in the poker next,” Paul remarks. “Brooke is quite fond of that one.”

I jolt immediately in my chains, glaring every ounce of venom I have at the bastard.

He smirks. “There’s the Leon I’ve heard about. Just had to make sure you were still in there.”

“I’m gonna kill you,” I mutter. “I’m gonna kill you nice and slow. I swear it.”

“We’ll see about that.” Paul takes another bite of his apple, chewing loudly as he lazily paces in front of me. “Tell you what, I’ll let you hold onto that dream a little longer. You know what might get you closer?” Another bite that leaves juice rolling down his chin. “You tell me where she hid the drugs and I’ll kill her quickly.”

“Drugs?” I scowl. “She didn’t steal any drugs.”

“No, but her brother did. That drug shipment, plus the shit he skimmed off the topandemotional damages brings us to the seven fifty. Did you think I just plucked that number out of thin air?”

“It isn’t her debt,” I spit at him. “Even if it was, you lost your shot at getting it back.”

“I did?” Another obnoxious bite.

“You would have had your money if you’d just taken it quietly. That amount is so small, barely a drop in the water, but you had to let your pride get in the way,” I snarl. “You let it consume you. Now that you have me here, you think you’re safe?”

Paul rolls his eyes. “It’s the principle. In the real world that’s a lot of fucking money. But I can’t have people thinking they can just steal from me and get away with it.”

“You sure it’s not because the Murphys will skin you for losing that much? Now there’s nothing you can do to stop me. I would have paid that debt three times over if you demanded it but now you’ve gone too far.” I lean forward in my chains as far as my broken body will allow. “Now I’m gonna kill every singleone of you and wipe the fucking Murphy clan from existence. Do you understand? And I’m gonna make damn sure everyoneknows why.”

Paul shifts his stance and takes a final bite of the apple. “You’ll never get the chance. The Murphys will praise me for this in the end.”

I lift a brow. In the end? The way Paul shifts his weight and can no longer look me in the eye causes a hollowness to swell inside my gut. Those three words, in the end, leaves me to assume they aren’t praising him right now because they don’t know.

“Praise you? They don’t know you’ve done this, do they?” I press. “You’ve kidnapped the Koval Pakhan on your own dime and your Captain doesn’t have a clue, does he?”

Suddenly it makes sense why they didn’t kill me immediately. I’m too important. My death would ignite a war that will consume the Irish in a swirling inferno because my father, as much as we disagree, will not allow my death to go unpunished.

“You fucking idiot,” I laugh. “You really did let your pride get in the way.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Paul spits, tossing the apple core at my feet. “Once I get those drugs back, it’ll be easy to point the trail back to you, and I’ll look like the savior while you and your whore rot in here. You don’t get it, Leon. You have no power here. As far as the outside world is concerned you ran away with your bitch. All that’s left is for your bodies to wash up in the canal.”

I sneer at Paul as he smirks proudly and walks away.

Those fucking drugs are the only thing keeping us alive—for now.

So where the fuck are they?

26

BROOKE

Pain has become a familiar sensation yet nothing prepares me for the agony of having a large, thick iron nail hammered through the center of my left palm. I scream, arching my back off the water-logged stone floor in an attempt to twist away but as soon as I move, Paul drops down and presses his knee to the middle of my chest.

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