Page 85 of Sins He Taught Me (Bratva Crime Syndicate 3)

He narrows his eyes. “That’s a bold claim.”

“You know I’m right. If you come for him, that’s just business. He’ll understand. But coming for me… that’s so much worse.”

He looks at me skeptically, as if considering it. Then he reaches for his gun. A flash of panic hits me hard, and I imagine him simply pointing the gun at me and pulling the trigger.

Instead, he slips the gun under his jacket and says, “That’s a fair point and a good idea. Let’s go then.” He grabs my forearm, dragging me towards the door. Rather than fighting, I follow him outside, back to his car.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see a man moving near the bushes. Rogers pulls his hand back and we both turn to look at him. I put on a harmless smile, relieved to see that it’s the gardener, Andrew.

“Hi, Victoria,” he says, glancing at Rogers suspiciously. “Everything going alright today?”

My lip twitches, and I almost consider telling him that I need help. I’ve seen enough late-night specials on TV to know that the second you get in a car with a kidnapper, your chances of being killed go up substantially. The words are on the tip of my tongue, but the only thing holding me back is the knowledge that Nikolas is in the house and he’s in danger if I’m at home with him.

I swallow and say, “Of course,” forcing a smile. “My friend and I are going to go pick up some medication for Nikolas.”

“Oh, do you need me to watch him until you get back?”

I see Rogers’s ears perk up at the mention of Nikolas being home. Before he can question it, I quickly say, “No, no, he’s not home right now. He’s at a friend’s house for the afternoon.”

Andrew looks between the two of us, and I can only hope that he remembers Niko’s schedule as well as I do. Matvei would never let Nikolas leave the house unattended. Not with the vigilante running around.

Andrew presses his lips into a line. “Okay, well, be safe, okay?”

“Absolutely,” I reply, forcing another smile.

Rogers and Andrew nod at each other, then the man turns around and gets back to work on the bushes. Rogers grabs me once again, leading me to his car. As we pass by the guardhouse, I see two dead bodies slumped up against the window, blood smearing the glass. He killed them. Jesus, he actually killed them.

My heart is beating like crazy, and when I climb inside Rogers’s car, I feel myself start to hyperventilate.

Get it together, Vic. Keep it together.

I will myself to calm down and not lose my shit. I can do this. I just have to think of a way out of this situation. Rogers climbs in as well, and without putting on his seat belt, he starts up the car and pulls out of the driveway.

“You did well back there. It would have been messy if you’d forced me to kill that man.”

A cold chill runs through me, and seeking comfort, I put my hands on my knees, giving them a squeeze to try and calm myself. I turn to him, studying his intense profile. “Are you going to kill me?” I ask. There’s no use in beating around the bush. I need to know how serious this is.

Rogers glances at me and laughs humorlessly. “I’m not sure yet. I’ll decide when this all starts to unfold.”

Somehow, that doesn’t make me feel any better.

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