Page 65 of The Pakhan's Kidnapped Bride
I sneer, clenching my teeth together and saying nothing. I won’t confess to anything. He might be fishing for information. He might be taking a chance, waiting for me to admit what he isn’t sure of. I’m not that stupid.
Kristopher walks further into my office, his eyes dark with anger.
“My sister was never on vacation anywhere. She’s been here the whole time. I got suspicious after a while because she left without warning and didn’t stay in touch as often as she usually would. Our conversations were strained when I asked her about what she was up to or who she was with, so I traced her phone. She’s been here the entire time. In San Diego. Withyou.”
I snort, laughing bitterly.
“Just because your sister is in San Diego doesn’t mean it has anything to do with me, Kristopher. You’re jumping to conclusions.”
He lets out a frustrated growl. “Stop wasting my time. Tell me where she is before I tear your family to pieces, bit by bit. I will bring your entire world crashing down until she’s returned to me.”
He tosses three photographs onto my desk.
I glance at them, spreading them out to see each one clearly.
In one, Anya is leaning against my arm, laughing, her beautiful smile lighting the entire photograph.
In another, she’s in the passenger seat of my car. It’s nighttime, and city lights reflecting against the window, distorting the image, but it’s unmistakably her.
In the third, she’s walking into my office building. The same building we are standing in right now.
A slow, amused, yet dangerous laugh falls from my lips.
“I guess you did your homework,” I sigh, cocking my head to the side.
“Where is she?” he screams, losing his patience.
But his mistake was to threaten my family. The moment he did that, he lost any grounds for negotiation.
I already hate the man, I already despise the sight of him, and then he went and threatened the people who mean the most to me in this world.
I will never give him what he wants.
I will tearhimapart before I give him a moment of satisfaction in this life.
“You’re too late, Kris,” I muse, walking slowly around the desk, still looking at the photographs. Leaning over, I pick oneup. I toy with it, waving it through the air, studying it as though looking at art.
It’s one of Anya, leaning against my arm, wearing the most perfect smile.
My heart clenches as I stare at her.I would never hurt her.But he doesn’t need to know what. As far as he is concerned, I want him to think the worst.
I throw the photograph like a Frisbee, tossing it at him. It spins through the air, fluttering like a bird before it hits his chest and then falls to the floor. The image lands at his feet, her face turned up towards him. He looks down at it and clenches his fists.
“Do you see how happy she is?” I ask, leaning against my desk and folding my arms across my chest. The weight of my Glock is reassuring, tucked into the back of my belt beneath my jacket. “Do you see the radiance of her smile? How do you think I managed to make her that happy?” I laugh, knowing the thought of us being together would devastate him. “She let me do the most magnificent things to her. Your little sister. Not such an angel, is she?”
His face turns red with rage, and he takes a step towards me.
“Shut the fuck up before I break you,” he yells.
“Like I broke her?” I smirk, not moving, not showing any signs of backing down. My heart is racing, my blood pulsing with rich adrenaline. He may have had the upper hand, arriving unannounced and catching me off guard, but I’m the one in control here. I call the shots. I decide the outcome of this moment.
“Your cousin, Ardalion, and his two sisters—do you really want to put them in danger because of your ego? You want to let your arrogance ruin their lives?” he warns me, threatening my family again.
“Ardalion is ten times the man you are, Kristopher. You wouldn’t stand a chance against him. But even if you did, I wouldn’t let you get out of that door before I put a bullet in your head.” I gesture towards the office door.
He sniffs, turning his nose up at me.
“What the fuck do you want with her? Why don’t you just leave her alone like I told you to do years ago?” Kristopher complains.
