Page 41 of Lethal Alliance

“There are plenty of men who’d pay handsomely to marry Sergei Petrovsky’s daughter.” Vilnus eyes my body greedily. I wear thick flannel pajamas even in the Miami heat, precisely because of these visits. “We need to take you shopping. Such a beautiful body shouldn’t be covered up by those ugly pajamas. You need a man to teach you how to show it off.”

His pudgy hand darts out, squeezing one of my breasts with sudden force. I bite down on my cry of pain, trying not to react. This is the game we play, where he tries to get a reaction, and I do all I can to deny him even the slightest flinch at his touch. Four years in his captivity have taught me about his obsession with inflicting pain, the way his eyes get feverish with excitement when he senses fear.

“If you and your brother would just open that vault, all this unpleasantness would be at an end. I could marry you off to a nice man, one who would give you children, a nice home. I could even marry you myself. Keep you here, in your own home. You would be a queen, Darya. Together we would rule Miami.”

His hand tightens brutally on my breast. I swallow my gag reflex. This is another one of his favorite games. I don’t know if he honestly believes in the sick fantasy he conjures up or whether it’s just another way to torture and intimidate me.

Either way, it’s terrifying.

“You think I wouldn’t do it, don’t you?” His eyes narrow to gleaming, predatory slits. “You think that because I’m fifty with a wife and children, you’re safe. Well, a wife is easily disposed of. Mine has bored me for years. I don’t enjoy fucking her anymore, if I ever really did. Not as much as I’d enjoy fucking you. And Iwouldenjoy that, Darya. You would, too, believe me. I know how to make a woman scream.

“One bullet, and my wife is gone. As for children—well. My daughters have already been broken in. I did that myself, Darya. I’m not letting any man take what’s mine by blood. I took them both after they first bled. Taught them how to please a man. Tell me, why I shouldn’t do the same with you?”

I force myself to meet his eyes, to pretend his words don’t fill me with revulsion and terror. “You won’t do it to me because you know I’m too valuable.”

Pretend I’m unafraid. Pretend I believe my own words.

“Your daughters don’t hold the key to a fortune. I do.” I force myself to stare him down. “And if you ever try to do to me what you did to your own flesh and blood, you won’t ever get what youreallywant. Because you don’t actually care about my body, do you, Vilnus? The only thing you care about is what is inside that vault. And I promise you this: if you force me into your bed, that vault door will remain closed to you forever. I swear it on my own life.”

“Then tell me!” He yanks me toward him, pulling my face close enough to his that his spit sprays me when he speaks. “Tell me how to open it, Darya.”

“I’ve told you. I can’t open it. I don’t even remember my fingerprints being taken. It was all done when I was a baby. All I know is that it takes three sets. I didn’t even know that much, or who the third set belonged to, until you told me. I’ve told you a thousand times that I don’t know how that vault works. Neither does my brother. And if my father knew, he would have told you by now.”

“Then tell me why I shouldn’t fuck you bloody!”

“Because you know that my fingerprints are one of the keys.” I hold up my hands, rippling my fingertips. “I’ll cut them off myself, Vilnus. I’ve told you already that I’ll do it, if you force me. I might not know where this Borovsky boy is, but I do know that even if you find him, you still need Alexei and me to open it. Lose me, and you won’t ever breach that door.”

His breath stinks of cigarettes and alcohol, and his fingers dig into my breast hard enough to leave bruises even through the thick material. But after a moment, and a particularly vicious squeeze, he thrusts me away from him.

“I’ll fuck you one day,” he mutters, stumbling toward the door. “I’ll fuck you until you know how little girls should scream for their men.”

I lie awake for the rest of the night, trembling with fear, wondering how long I will survive before his patience runs out.

I joltto consciousness with a sickening lurch. I must have cried out, because Roman is staring at me.

“I’m fine.” I push myself up in the seat, rubbing my face. I’ve clearly slept, because we’re in the underground garage beneath the penthouse. Roman’s phone lights up as he turns the engine off. He punches the answer button.

“Da.”

He listens intently for a few moments. “No,” he says decisively. “It’s only a few hours until dawn. You need to get some rest, Pavel, same with your team. I’m waiting for a call from someone, so I won’t act before then anyway. None of us have slept in days. We know where the girls are. For tonight, there’s nothing more we can do. Leave a team to keep trying to hack the security cameras on the compound, and make sure everyone else gets their heads down. We’ll meet at the lab first thing in the morning.”

Mickey sits up, rubbing his eyes and frowning. “Is that Pavel?” He reaches for the phone. “I need to talk to him—”

Roman hits the end call button and glares at him over the headrest. “You’re going to get into that elevator, go to your apartment, and go to bed. Nobody, not even you, can work without sleep. I want your word that laptop will stay closed until you’ve had your head down for at least a few hours, or I’ll fucking take it myself. Am I clear?”

“Fine.” Mickey casts him a resentful glance. “But you have to promise to wake me if anything happens.”

“If anything happens, you’ll be the first to know.”

“Hm.” Mickey gives him a rather hard look, then switches his eyes to me. His face softens. “I’m glad you’re home,” he says quietly.

“Me too.” I touch his arm and he gets out of the car, giving us both a half wave with his back turned as he gets into the elevator.

“That boy gives me more grief than the entire squad of tech heads,” Roman mutters, shaking his head. Despite all that’s happened, I find myself half smiling. There’s an exasperated familiarity in his exchange with Mickey, something oddly touching in the way he casts his eyes skyward and rubs a crease on his forehead as he speaks. I can hear the pride behind his words.

The paternal pride.

I swallow hard on the sudden rush of emotion.

---