Page 31 of Ruthless Bonds

Gavriil removed the cloth from the tray and two things that looked like syringes lay there. He put on a pair of medical gloves and walked over to Dove.

“This is a tracking device, nothing to be alarmed about. An insurance policy, so to speak.” Before she could protest, he injected it into the back of her neck. She slapped her hand over the spot and glared at him. He walked over to the tray to grab the other syringe, but Kreos stopped him.

“No, I’ll do it.” Kreos stood and put on a pair of medical gloves, ignoring the look Gavriil was giving him.

He stalked over to me like a predator who had just captured his prey, which was basically the truth. I shivered as he moved my hair to the side, his fingers trailing over my neck. There was a slight prickling sensation that made me gasp as he injected me. His fingers lingered on my skin for longer than necessary, it seemed, before he walked back to his desk.

“What now?” I asked as I rubbed the back of my neck. There was definitely a small lump there, no bigger than a centimeter.

Gavriil handed me my phone, and I snatched it from him, making sure to stare him directly in the eyes. I hoped he understood the look I was giving him—Fuck with my sister again and I’ll cut your balls off.

“You go home. Go back to your life. I’ll be in touch when I need something.”

“And when’s that going to be?” I couldn’t hide the anger in my voice. Was I just supposed to sit aroundwaiting? The stress of not knowing would put me in an early grave.

“So eager,kotic. Do you want to come home with me tonight? I’m sure I can find something for you to do.”

Gavriil’s head snapped to Kreos, as if he couldn’t believe what had come out of his mouth. Neither could I, for that matter. My face burned as I stared at him with my mouth open. I cleared my throat, shaking my head. “No—no, I don’t want to.”

“Very well.” He shrugged and stood, straightening out his suit. “Gavriil will take you home.”

Dove and I stood and walked toward the door. I wasn’t sure what to say at this point.

Thanks for not killing me or my family. Looking forward to not dying in the near future. Oh, and looking forward to being owned by you.Whatever the hell that meant.

“Miss Wolfe.”

I turned around to face him, attempting to keep my face neutral.

“Remember what I said. Don’t make me punish you.”

“Yes, sir.” I glared at him and stormed out of the room.

The ride home wasn’t much better. When Kreos said Gavriil would take us home, I thought he meant drive us. I hadn’t realized he meant the three of us would pile into a huge SUV while two men built like gladiators sat up front and drove us.

Gavriil sat across from us, his tablet in his lap, not paying any attention to us whatsoever. I knew better than to say anything, and so did Dove. So, wesat in silence the entire car ride. When we got to our building, he stepped out and walked us to the lobby door.

I reached into my purse for my keys, but he pulled them from his pocket and dangled them in front of me. “The mess inside your home has been taken care of.”

Oh, how nice for my kidnappers to clean up after themselves. I reached for the keys, but he moved his hand away before I could grab them.

“What?” I snapped.

“You have no idea how lucky you are. He’s never shown mercy like this before.” His voice lowered as he dropped the keys into my open palm. “Don’t give him a reason to regret his generosity. The consequences would be—severe.” He glanced at Dove.

My jaw tightened as I debated stabbing him in the eye with the keys. Instead, I nodded and stepped around him. Once we were behind the glass lobby door, Dove flipped him the bird, which only made him smirk. I didn’t even have the energy to scold her.

I was shocked when we got into our apartment and everything had been put back in its place. There was no evidence of any struggle, no bookshelf knocked over. The only sign a fight had taken place was the hole in the wall from my baseball bat.

My mind immediately flashed back to Kreos when he’d slit Sergei’s throat. The absolute brutality of it made my stomach churn, but Kreos hadn’t even batted an eyelash. I guessed that was a normal thing for him. How many people had he killed? Was it something he enjoyed? What was he going to make me do? He knew I was a thief; maybe he would have me steal thingsfor him. A crushing weight settled on my chest, and I squeezed my eyes shut.

It’s OK. I’m OK. Everything is OK.

If I said it enough times, maybe I would actually believe it.

None of this meant anything. I could still have a life. A future. The photography competition was two months away, and I could still win. Nothing had to change.

Dove had a million questions, but I shook my head. I just couldn’t talk about it anymore. All I wanted was a hot shower and to crawl into bed. I promised her I would explain everything in the morning.

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