Page 38 of Savage Don's Captive

“Already have,” he answers right back. The man must have seen our little exchange because he tugs me back a step and I’m forced to extend my neck to the side just so I can get a sliver of air into my lungs.

“Hey!” the man yells, pressing the gun further into my skin. “I’m in charge here, Gianelli!”

I hear the Russian accent on him, and I immediately think of the Russian mob. But I’m not aware that the Bratva are this sloppy. And so underdressed! I mean, aren’t mobs supposed to be rich and all that? These men look like they shop at Goodwill.

“Okay, big guy.” Dominic takes a step forward, stepping over the bleeding man’s leg. “You should put the gun down and settle this like men.”

“What’d you say, Gianelli?” Before I know it, the man brings his nose to my cheeks and fucking sniffs me. I pull my face away, but it’s no use, I can barely move an inch anymore.

I close my eyes, praying that it’ll be over soon. The weight of it all presses down on me, and I hold on to that fleeting thought, wishing the storm would pass before I break.

I never felt so disgusting in my life, and as someone who’s working as an investigative journalist and diving into the underbelly of society, digging through the filth of humanity’s worst, I have my fair share of feeling like the most repugnant person in the world. But this—this is different.

It’s at that very moment I realize I’m wearing nothing underneath the clothes that Dominic made me wear, and if the pervert moves his hand the wrong way, it will only take a matter of time before I get molested.

“How about you share her with us?” he teases before I feel something wet gliding down my cheeks, and when I open my eyes to check what it is, the asshole is fucking licking me. “We can call a truce for that. Take turns with her.”

An image of them taking advantage of helpless little me appears in my head, and bile immediately rises in my throat. Is this how my life is going to be? Being taken advantage of by men? It makes me so sick that TJ’s threat of pulling out my teeth and nails sounds so good in comparison.

My eyes look at Dominic, and I don’t know why I keep on hoping that he’ll be the one to protect me right now. He’s as evil as this guy, right? Except that his clothes are expensive and he needs something from me. A part of me can’t help but wonder what would happen if I gave him exactly what he wanted. Would he leave me to fend for myself and let the triplets rape me?

But his eyes don’t meet mine, and I silently plead that it does because, for whatever screwed-up reason, they give me comfort. And it’s most likely because, between the guy who’s holdingme against my will, Dominic is the lesser evil. But an evil nonetheless.

“If you’re going to kill me…” I grunt, and the desperation in my voice even surprises me. Dominic blinks at me, his lips twitching at the corners. “Do me a favor and just do it.”

“Oh, and she’s a little feisty thing, isn’t she?” the man chuckles, his belly bouncing against my back as he licks my face again. “And she tastes good, too. Like… vanilla.”

“Coconut,” Dominic corrects. “But who gives a fuck?”

“You know he wants me dead, right?” I challenge, my eyes never leaving his. Of course, I don’t want to die like this, but the look he’s giving me is priceless. And honestly, at this point, a quick bullet to the head isn’t so bad. “If you pull that trigger now—”

“Shut the fuck up, Alessa.” Dominic takes a step towards us, and I realize that TJ isn’t behind him anymore. Something in me relaxes, knowing that it will only take a matter of time before this all ends. Either the big guy behind me falls with a bullet in his head, or I do.

“Alessa,” the man hums. “Is that your name, dorogaya? A beautiful name for a beautiful girl. I’m Pavel.”

How suitable… a horrible name for a horrible man

“That’s enough, Dumb Dumb,” Dominic interrupts, and starts casually walking towards us. “Let her go.”

Pavel roughly pushes me back and cocks the hammer before he chuckles.

“Take another step,” Pavel challenges. “I fucking dare you. One pull and she dies.”

“She dies, your brother dies,” Dominic promises. “And when I get my fucking hands on you, I’ll cut your limbs and feed the rest of you to the maggots. Make sure you’re alive to feel all their little teeth chew on your flesh.”

“You know what I’m thinking, Dominic?”

“I’m surprised you’re thinking at all.”

“You can do whatever you want with me and my brothers, but I have a feeling that if I kill this pretty bitch of yours, you’re going to lose everything. If not everything, then something important.”

He just hit the hammer right on the nail.

This is hopeless, I realize. There’s no other way to get out of this without disarming Pavel, and with his gun this close to me, it’s impossible to do it without killing me in the process. Even Dominic’s desperation to get me back alive won’t save me. At least, I’ll die knowing that he won’t get what he wants from the Commission.

I feel tears roll down my cheeks. Dominic’s expression shifts—worry, anger, and something that almost looks like guilt flicker across his face.

I take one last breath before closing my eyes, my lips trembling as I think about the people I’ll be leaving behind. I think of my father, and I pray for nothing more than for him to get out of this thing alive—and maybe, just maybe, feel a little bad about how I ended up, thanks to his stupid life decisions.

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