Page 9 of Snowed in with the Brutes
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Cora
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Ihave to come up withsomething else.
I could fall to my knees and beg for them to release me.I could tell them the truth in exchange for their protection, but what are the chances of that happening?None.
They’re the new heads of the consortium.If I tell them the truth, they could snap my head off my shoulders right here and now for my deception.Then what would happen to my dad?He would end up with the same fate as me—dead—and everything would have been for nothing.
My stomach drops as my reality sets in.There really is no way out of this for me.But I’m strong; I can do this and come out the other side just fine, can’t I?
I can’t control my racing heartbeat, though, or douse the infernal heat in my veins.But that’s a problem I’ll just have to ignore.
If I’m lucky, maybe they’ll send me away after one night.I’m a virgin, as clueless about how to seduce a man as I am about flying a helicopter.How much pleasure could I possibly give them?I have no experience whatsoever.
My gaze roams over all three of them.It’s obvious Kian has no interest in me at all.He stands with his back to me now, facing the window where, beyond, the storm is picking up its pace.
From that one split-second interaction with him, I can safely say I could ignite into flames right in front of him, and he couldn’t care less.I have no doubt he won’t be touching me with a proverbial ten-foot pole.That’s good.I’ve eliminated one of them.
But that leaves Flinn and Sinclair.Two is better than three, right?Who am I kidding?I’m not equipped to take on even one of them, let alone two or three.
Flinn and Sinclair don’t say anything; their gazes glide down my body and then all the way back up again.The silence ruins me.I fidget and burn up inside my clothes, which seems impossible since the cabin is still freezing cold.How are they not affected by the unyielding chill in the air?
Am I supposed to be doing something?Are they waiting for me to take off my clothes?Do they want to start right this minute?Oh god, help me.The thought of them touching my naked body sends me over the edge.
My heart thuds so hard it makes me tremble.
Why are they not saying anything?Why are they happy to watch me squirm under their scrutiny—Flinn’s with calm interest, Sinclair’s with a wicked smile on his face?
“You don’t have to do this.”The plea pours out of my mouth before I can rethink my stance.I lose my train of thought the instant Kian turns to face me now that I’ve spoken.His gaze traces my lips, just as Flinn’s and Sinclair’s do.I give myself a mental shake; I can’t be this easily displaced.
“Pierre Anderson—”
“Do you always refer to your father by his full name?”Sinclair challenges me.Dammit.
“My...My father made a mistake.A mistake that didn’t cause any harm.Yes, he was wrong, but he merely questioned the way a certain operation was being handled.”
“To the Bratva,” Flinn says.“It shows we aren’t in control of our subordinates.Not a good look.”
What I did expect.Oh, you’re right.It’s really just a petty crime, undeserving of the sentence—the sentence being me.
“Please,” I beg, hating myself for being this pathetic.“Just let me go.I’ll say anything you want me to say.Just let me go, please.”
Am I fighting for my life or my body?The answer shatters me.
“No crime goes unpaid,” Kian says.His first words to me, and this is what he says—sentencing me to a lifetime of being haunted by their touch on my body.
I hate them.I hate everyone associated with them.
“Fine,” I say and take off my jacket.They’re being very brave if they think I won’t use my teeth on their penises.The thought amps up my courage as I remove my other jacket.It would serve them right.
Next, my blue sweater comes off, then my green one.I’m two layers away from standing in my bra from when I remember I’m supposed to fall to my knees in front of them and deliver the statement of atonement before the touch me.
“Have you eaten?”
My brain malfunctions for a second.Did Flinn just ask me if I've eaten now, in the middle of me taking off my clothes?
