Page 8 of Hostage of the Russian
“For now, just your signature.” He reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a folder. “A marriage contract. Once signed, you’ll legally be my wife, and your father’s debt will be considered paid.”
“And if I refuse?”
“You won’t.”
The confidence in his voice seemed to fuel her determination. With a final twist, she freed her hands from the loosened restraints and lunged from the chair.
Kostya was ready. His reflexes, honed through years of training and combat, allowed him to catch her wrists before she could make it two steps. He pulled her against him, pinning her arms.
The moment their skin touched, something electric passed between them, a jolt that had nothing to do with the physical struggle. Kostya felt it race through his body, unexpected and unwelcome. By the sudden widening of her eyes, she felt it too.
For a heartbeat, they remained frozen, the strange sensation hanging in the air between them. Then reality crashed back, and Azriel renewed her struggle to break free.
“Let me go,” she demanded, twisting against his grip.
“You’re not going anywhere,” Kostya replied, his voice harsher than he intended. Something about her touch had unsettled him in a way he didn’t care to examine.
“I won’t pay for my father’s sins,” she said, her voice intense with conviction. “I don’t owe you anything.”
The declaration surprised him. Most people in her position would be pleading, offering anything to secure their freedom. But here she was, staring him down as if she were his equal.
“Your father offered you as payment,” Kostya reminded her, tightening his grip slightly. “That makes you mine.”
“I’m nobody’s,” she shot back. “Least of all yours.”
He pulled her closer, until their faces were only inches apart. “You’re brave, I’ll give you that. But you’re also naive if you think you have a choice in this matter.”
“There’s always a choice.”
“Is there?” Kostya released one of her wrists to reach for the contract on his desk, never breaking eye contact. “Let me be clear, Azriel. I’m not a patient man, and I’ve grown tired of playing this game. Even with you.”
She tried to twist away, but he maintained his hold effortlessly.
“Sign the contract,” he said, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper.
“Never.”
Kostya sighed, as if disappointed by her predictable response. “I had hoped it wouldn’t come to this. But since you insist on being difficult...” He pulled out his phone with his free hand and showed her the screen. “I have men following yourroommate, Emily. Your friend Sophia. Your cousin Meredith. Your former professor, Dr. Palmer.”
With each name, Azriel’s face grew paler.
“Every remaining person you care about,” Kostya continued calmly, “will suffer the consequences of your refusal. One by one, they will disappear. And you’ll know it was your choice that led to their deaths.”
“You wouldn’t,” she whispered, but the certainty in her voice had vanished.
“I’ve done worse for less,” he replied. “Your father knew exactly what kind of man I am. He should have warned you.”
She stared at him, searching his face for any sign of bluff or hesitation. Finding none, her shoulders slumped slightly. It was the first time he’d seen her facade crack.
“You’re a monster,” she said quietly.
“Yes,” Kostya agreed without hesitation. “And now you understand what happens to those who cross me.”
He released her wrist and held out a pen. “Sign, and they live. It’s that simple.”
He could see the calculations running behind her eyes, the desperate search for alternatives. But they both knew she had none.
With a trembling hand, she took the pen. “I’ll sign. But know this, I hate you. And I always will.”
