Page 97 of Ruthless Bonds

The good news was that I was probably still on Kreos’ estate.

The bad news was my ankles were bound to the chair legs and my hands were cuffed behind me.

I really needed to evaluate my life choices and how I kept ending up in these situations.

“Sorry if I hit you too hard.” Nadya’s voice came from across the room, making me gasp. She came closer, jumping over a few of the broken bottles. It wasn’t lost on me that she was no longer limping.

Like at all.

What a little snake.

In the center of the room was a table, and on it were the contents of Kreos’ safe: journals, SD cards, flash drives. There was also a big shiny gun and two big syringes next to a bottle of wine. “Good news though, I found a bottle opener.” She laughed.

“Where are we?” I asked, my gaze traveling around the room, looking for a way to escape.

“Underground in the tunnels. I’m sure the Pakhan showed you.” I nodded, and she continued. “I like to come down here sometimes to think. It’s so quiet. Isolating. You can scream as loud as you want, and nobody will hear you.” To prove her point, she screamed at the top of her lungs, her hands balling into fists at her side.

OK. Crazy bitch mode activated.

“That felt great.” She cackled, then turned her attention back to me. “How’d you know?”

“Know what?” I just needed to keep calm and keep her talking until I could figure out how to get free.

“In the office just now. I saw it all over your face even before I hit you.” She tapped her chin, watching me closely.

“Your tattoo,” I muttered.

Her eyes flashed with surprise, and she looked down at her ankle.

“The house on Maple? The man in the basement wasn’t dead. He gave me your coin. It matches yourtattoo.”

“My father’s coin,” she said and grabbed the bottle of wine. “And you didn’t tell the Pakhan about that?”

I sighed, shaking my head. “No, I didn’t realize how important it was going to be.”

She laughed, the sound sending a chill down my spine. “Indeed, Mrs. Zokrova. He would have found out about me pretty quickly after that, I imagine.”

“And who are you? Is your name even Nadya?” The handcuffs were digging into my wrists, and I shifted in the chair, trying to see how constricted I was. Something poked me in my butt cheek, and I stilled as realization dawned on me.

Sasha’s collar was still in my back pocket.

I threw a silent thank you to the man upstairs, and the one down below, because at this point, I didn’t know who was on my side.

“My name is Elena Petrov. Daughter to Dimitri and Natalia, sister to Alek and Nikolai. All of whom perished at the hands of Viktor Zokrov.” Her eyes blazed with anger, and I did my best not to move.

So that was it. Kreos’ father had killed her family, and that was what had started all of this. I needed to keep her talking, get her to tell me everything. Kreos should have known something was wrong by now, since I hadn’t checked in with him. But I couldn’t wait and just hope he would come and save me in time. I had no idea what she had planned, but I guessed it would not be pleasant.

“I’m sorry, Elena. I don’t know anything about that. What happened?” I wriggled my hand, pulling on the metal buckle of the collar. It wasn’t much, but itcould help me get free. As long as I didn’t drop it and get caught.

“Thirty-five years I’ve carried this burden. I was only eight, but I remember everything. I remember my father’s face, my mother’s screams as our entire family was slaughtered. We were the most powerful Bratva in Russia, and Viktor decided he wanted the title of Pakhan. He thought he deserved it and spared no one in his path of destruction.”

Oh, fuck. Kreos had told me about this. What had he said? His father had wiped out generations in a matter of hours. That was how he’d claimed his throne and become Pakhan.

“Elena, I’m so sorry.” And I was. The brutality behind something like that… and then to survive it… “How did you survive?” My hands were twisted awkwardly with the cuffs, but I guided the metal piece of the buckle into the tiny keyhole. The jewels on Sasha’s collar jingled slightly, and I coughed, trying to cover up the noise. If Elena caught me trying to get free, God knew what she would do.

“When the shots first started, my mother rushed me into the kitchen. Below the cupboard under the sink was a small nook. It was just big enough for me to fit inside.” Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, and I could see that scared little girl in her eyes.

None of this was OK. What Kreos’ father had done, what she was doing now. So much pain and anguish. And for what? Power? It seemed so… pointless.

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