Page 75 of Savage Reins
Vadim stands pressed against the far wall, Renat's forearm across his throat. Blood trickles from Vadim's nose, and his expensive suit is rumpled and torn. But his eyes hold no fear—only cold calculation.
"You want to save yourself?" Vadim continues, his voice strained but steady. "There's one way. Kill her yourself. Bring me her head, and I'll convince Dima you were never compromised. That this was all part of a longer game."
Renat's grip tightens. Vadim's face begins to purple, but he keeps talking.
"Otherwise, they'll take their time with her. Make her suffer for the disrespect. Make you watch before they put a bullet in your skull."
"There has to be another way."
"There is no other way!" Vadim's voice rises to a rasp. "You chose this girl over the family. Now live with the consequences."
I step into the room, and both men freeze. Vadim's eyes find mine first, and something shifts in his expression—not surprise,but satisfaction. As if my appearance was exactly what he'd been hoping for.
"Mira." Renat's voice breaks on my name. "You shouldn't be here."
"Please." The word tears from my throat before I can stop it. "Please don't do this."
Vadim laughs, the sound ugly and wet. "Look at her, Renat. Look at how she begs. Is this what you threw everything away for?"
Renat's hand drops from Vadim's throat. The older man staggers forward, straightening his jacket with shaking fingers. When he looks at me a sardonic smile stretches his thin, pale lips.
"You have until midnight," Vadim says to Renat, never taking his eyes off me. "Bring proof, or the Karpins will provide their own resolution."
He moves toward the door, pausing beside me. "You should have run while you had the chance, little girl. Now it's too late for everyone."
Renat stands with his back to me, shoulders rigid with tension. When he finally turns around, his face holds an expression I've never seen before—not anger, not betrayal, but something far worse.
Resignation.
"Mira," he says quietly. "What have you done?"
29
RENAT
Mira stands in the doorway of the maintenance shed, her face pale but determined. Behind me, Vadim straightens his torn jacket, blood still trickling from his nose.
"I can explain—" she starts.
The sound of car engines cuts through her words. Heavy doors slam outside. Footsteps crunch on gravel—multiple sets, moving fast. Vadim's smile turns predatory.
"Too late for explanations." His hand moves to his jacket. "They're here."
The shed door bursts open. Three men pour inside—Lev Karpin and his enforcers. Dima Karpin positions himself behind Mira, blocking her exit. His cousin Alexei takes the other side of the room. Lev himself fills the doorway, silver hair gleaming in the dim light.
Vadim draws his gun in one fluid motion, the barrel finding my chest. "The horse lost, Renat, under your name. These gentlemen want answers."
"It's not true!" Mira screeches as one of the men jams a gun into her ribs.
My world tilts. The pieces start falling into place, forming a picture I don't want to see. "Mira?"
She lifts her chin, meeting my eyes. "Rusalka won that race. She beat every horse on the track."
"We all saw it, bitch. She lost." Vadim's finger hovers over the trigger.
Mira's voice gains strength. "I swear… Rusalka wore Thunder's Shadow's number. I swapped them."
Lev steps deeper into the shed, his presence making the space feel smaller. "Explain." Blood thrums past my eardrums and I can hardly believe what I'm hearing.
