Page 112 of Tarnished Tyrant (Zhukova Bratva 1)

“Do you? Because you don’t seem especially grateful for what I’m offering right now.”

“And what are you offering, Nikolai? I don’t understand what is happening.”

He grabs my shoulders and pulls me close to him. I find my head tipping back, my lips parting. Despite everything, I want to kiss him right now. If he bent down to press his lips against mine, I’d let him.

Something is seriously wrong with me.

“You said you needed a job,” he says quietly. “So I’m giving you one. You said your sister needed shoes. I gave her some.”

“You gave her the shoes?”

He continues as if I haven’t spoken. “What is happening is that I’m giving you what you need.”

“Why?”

“Why not?” Nikolai asks, as though this is a perfectly normal thing for him to do.

I can hear Elise rummaging through the trunk behind me. I don’t have much time to sort this out. I drag a hand down my face.

“For all I know, you’re taking me to Iceland so you can push me off a glacier or something.”

“I can’t imagine why I would do that.”

“Because I know your secrets,” I hiss. “Because I could turn you in and—”

“And what? Ruin me?”

I shrug. “Yeah.”

He chuckles. “You don’t have as much control as you think you do, beautiful Belle.”

“Stop calling me that,” I snap, even as my stomach flutters.

“I am not worried about what you might tell someone. And I’m not worried about the consequences.”

“Then why did you record that… that video?” My voice trails off. I can’t bring myself to call it a “sex tape,” even though that’s exactly what it is.

Nikolai’s eyes darken with something awfully close to desire. It’s strange that he would look at me like that. Especially since I’m certain he can have any woman he wants.

“Clearly, you were worried about what I might say if you recorded that,” I continue. “It was collateral, right?”

“I like to cover all my bases. But have you ever considered,lapochka, that the video was for me?”

My entire body quivers. Nikolai leans closer, his minty breath washing over my face.

“Just like you did in my office: give in, Belle,” he whispers. “I’ll take care of you. I’ll take care of everything.”

Suddenly, Elise is next to me, a new suitcase I’ve never seen at her side. “Well? What are we doing?” she asks.

I glance at Nikolai. He’s staring down at me, waiting for me to decide.

But there isn’t much of a choice.

I don’t have a job. I don’t have money to get home. If I walk away from Nikolai now, I’m not sure how I’ll take care of myself and my sister.

But here he is, willing to help us. Maybe he really will throw me off a glacier. At this point, that’s a risk I’m willing to take.

“We’re boarding a plane,” I say, wrapping my arm around her shoulders. “Iceland, here we come.”

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