Page 31 of Sinfully Mine

“Time for your reward, Dr. Clark.”

The doc smiled right before Tony pulled out his gun and shot him between the eyes.

I screamed and backed away, trembling as my fight-or-flight response kicked in. I wanted to run. My muscles tensed with the prospect of it, but I knew running meant Tony would chase me. I had to remain on my feet and in control.

“Ah, Ricky said you were a smart one.” Tony gestured to the warehouse, which I hadn’t noticed until now. “Go inside.”

I walked around Dr. Clark’s body and refused to look down. His fate wasn’t my fault, and I didn’t have the capacity to care. I approached a set of double doors and entered, blinking as my eyes adjusted to the low lighting.

Outside, only a few feet beyond the door, I heard crows cawing. Not just one or two. No, I listened to what sounded like dozens of crows.How bizarre.

“Grace!”

My father’s panicked voice came from the right. I spun in his direction, running toward him as Tony stepped in front of me.

“Stay where you are.”

“Please,” I begged. “I just want to see him.”

“Not yet.”

What the hell was going on? Who were we waiting for, and why?

I didn’t have long to wonder. A helicopter was closing in on our position. I heard the blades outside and could see the dust swirling over the ground through the open doorway. The wind picked up, and I closed my eyes, wishing I could run to my dad.

The crows must have flown off as the helicopter landed, but I heard them squawking again as the blades slowed and finally stopped. Black bodies hopped along the ground, and it was the strangest, most macabre sight.

But not as unsettling as the man dressed in a fancy suit and coat, wearing all black except for a crisp white button-down shirt. He looked out of place, and when he opened his mouth to speak, I understood why.

He was Russian.

“Mr. Durov.” Tony gestured to me and then to my father. “Everything is ready as you requested.”

Nicolai Durov. The snake that controlled the trafficking ring inside the U.S. A man who sold people like they were animals, uncaring if they were abused, raped, or murdered to satisfy someone else’s enjoyment. Only wealth mattered to him: wealth, power, and status.

“Ah, yes.” Nicolai shrugged out of his coat and handed it to one of the henchmen standing behind him. They followed him into the building—guard dogs who would kill on command.

My father fought against the bonds tying him down but couldn’t break them or escape. He’d been positioned in a chair, lashed by the ankles and wrists. “Nicolai.”

The Russian stared at him, amusement flickering across his features. “You will watch as I have your daughter initiated. She will be fucked by numerous men, raped as punishment for your crimes. When it is over, I will sell her every night until she dies from the repeated violation. What is the expression? Ah. Yes. Any eye for an eye.”

My eyes widened in horror. How could he speak of something so vile without any remorse?

“Take her. Right in front of him,” Nicolai ordered Tony.

I lifted my fists, ready to fight with every ounce of life in my body. No fucking way.

“Touch her, and I will slit your fucking throat,” a deep and familiar voice threatened.

I gasped in surprise, turning toward the door as Hunter walked inside. He didn’t carry a gun or weapon; he just quietly approached me as Nicolai roared in fury.

The Russian yanked a weapon from his bodyguard and pointed it at Hunter’s chest. “You were not invited to this party.”

“Then we have a problem because Grace is my ol’ lady.”

The Russian laughed. “You bikers. Always so formal about your little titles.”

Huh? Did Hunter and Nicolai know one another?

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