Page 26 of A Pawn in the Game
The man waves him off, removing his hand from my face. “Same thing. Which is what I wanted to talk to you about.” He bares his teeth with an unsettling smile. “A new business opportunity, considering the venture you started here.”
Luka’s eyes widen. He doesn’t like this man. One bit. They say the enemy of your enemy is your friend, but I’d rather bechained up and hungry again than try to befriend this newcomer.
Toma’s gaze trails the room until landing on the chessboard. “You play?” He smirks at me.
I move my head to the side, but Marko’s voice interrupts it. “She does.” I realize for the first time that there are three more people in the room. All of them guards, if I had to take a guess. “She’s great at it, too.” Marko wears a proud smile on his face. He’s a harmless buffoon, but he really threw me in the deep end with this one.
“Excellent. Let’s see what you got.” Toma rubs his palms together like a cartoon villain, making his way to a chair.
A guard I haven’t met before nudges me with his shoulder until I drop into a chair of my own.
Luka’s brother steps forward. “Shouldn’t we go talk business?”
“We’ll have plenty of time for that.” Toma’s eyes lock onto mine. “Let meplaywith our guest for a bit.” The way he saysplaysends chills down my spine.
He opens with a classical Italian opening. I just want this to end. He doesn’t seem like a guy who would appreciate losing in front of his men, and I have no intention of keeping his attention any longer than absolutely necessary.
I need to throw this game.
Still, Marko told him I’m a good player. Meaning I have to be smart about this.
I slide a pawn to D5, and the corner of his lips rises. He takes my pawn. I make three good moves, building my game, before letting him trap me. I pretend I don’t see his bishop threatening to check my king, or his knight free to do the same.
Still, it takes him eight more moves to win. He shoots me a wide smile, his yellow teeth on full display, and I exhale a relieved breath, knowing it’s over. “You could use more practice,” he says condescendingly. “But this was fun.” Turning to Luka, he continues, “Now I can share my incredible business idea with you. Onethat blends the help of our international friends with your newfound love of sex clubs.” Just as he gets to the door, he turns around again. “Oh, and I will send some of my men to take care of our little guest here. I don’t want her to wander around. She’s way too precious for that.”
A breath whooshes out of me as dread now digs a hole in my stomach. Everyone but Marko leaves, and I get to bed, tugging the covers up to my neck, trying to cover some of the exposed skin. It’s too late for that. The bad man already saw me. And who knows what will happen next.
CHAPTER 14
Luka
Leon does all the talking, while I’m barely present through the meeting. My insides are boiling with rage as my ears pound in my head. I’m glad the dogs aren’t here, because Hades would definitely feel the tension rolling off me. I make it through to the end without snapping one of my fingers off, which is a damn miracle, considering how hard my fists are clenching in my lap. Every word he says grates on my nerves like nails on a chalkboard.
He eventually leaves and Leon opens his mouth to say something, but I raise my palm, shutting him up. “Not now.”
I grab the bag of dry-cleaning Mia brought earlier and stomp down to the dungeon.
With a jerk of my head, Marko realizes he isn’t wanted anymore and makes himself scarce. Sophie’s lying on the bed, her forehead peeking out from beneath the covers.
“What the hell were you thinking?” I roar.
She has no idea what she did. Her silly little escape plan could shake my whole family. And put her in grave danger. I rub my eyebrows, trying to release the spots of red from my vision.
She barely looks at me.
“I asked: What the hell were you thinking?”
“I tried to escape.” Her voice is low and not at all what I expected.
I drop my hands to my sides. “No shit. But do you have any idea how dangerous that could have been?”
This time she sits up, the covers slipping to her waist. She looks straight into my eyes, my own fire reflecting in hers. “Newsflash. I’m already in danger. I’m fucking kidnapped and held in a sex dungeon and while I showered, someone stole all my clothes. I was forced to wear next to nothing while entertaining Creepy McCreepson there.” She glances at the chessboard. “I don’t think your warnings hold much weight.”
“Oh, trust me. It could get much worse.”
“Is that a threat?” She raises an eyebrow.
She’s absolutely infuriating. A mix of resignation and pure survival instincts.
