Page 7 of Wicked Vow

“Maybe he’ll do the opposite and sell you and Ruby off to one of his customers,” Mikhail sneers. “Although I can’t imagine either of you is worth all that much now. Maybe you, with your name.”

I shake my head at him, smiling wryly. “I didn’t know much about the ins and outs of my father’s business, Mikhail. But I did have dinners with him and went to his parties, and I had friends who were daughters of other influential men. If I did hear anything, it wasgossip.So you can rest assured that I know Viktor no longer trafficks women. I have no fears when it comes to that.”

The look that crosses Mikhail’s face then is almost as satisfying as anything else since I got the drop on him yesterday.

—

We have to wait until evening to collect the fake passports. I keep Mikhail chained to the bed, following his instructions to find the money he took from me and the other cash he has in the house. I busy myself with packing a small bag for the trip–a change of clothes and some toiletries. I’ve never had less in my life, but for the first time since Santorini, I feel truly hopeful. I still don’t know what to do about my unexpected pregnancy, but that’s something to think about and solve later. For now, I can use it to my advantage.

“Let’s go,” I tell Mikhail once it’s nearly dark. I keep the gun on him while he moves the body of the man who’d followed me off the lawn and all the way to where Mikhail keeps the car. “Drive straight to the appointment for the passports. Don’t try anything. Don’t even think about changing your mind or taking me somewhere else.”

“I could still try to get the gun away from you,” Mikhail sneers at me when we get into the car. “You’ll lower your guard sometime; I know it.”

“You can try.” I keep it pointed at him as I get into the car, braced across my lap. “But I’ll get one shot off before you do, and I’ll make sure that the child in my belly right now is the last one you ever have.” I nod towards his phone, plugged into the car. “Call your man and let him know you’ll have company with you and that he’s not to say anything and forget he saw us. Tell him you’ll pay him enough to make it worth his while.”

My heart is racing by the time we make it there. I’d been on a high of adrenaline when Levin, Max, and I rescued Sasha, but it’s nothing compared to this. I’d had help, then. I’d been the backup, while Levin and Max had taken point on the situation. Now, it’s just me.

No one is coming to help me if this goes badly. And if all goes according to plan here, soon I’ll have Ruby to take care of, too.

I can’t let either of us down.

The man we’re getting the passports from is a tall, thin, rat-faced man who looks horrified when Mikhail and I walk into his small, dim basement apartment with my gun pressed into the small of Mikhail’s back. He stands up instantly, his hands lifting as he shakes his head.

“I don’t want any trouble, I–”

“And you won’t get any,” Mikhail says, the smooth confidence he used so often with me back in his voice again. “As long as you hand over what I asked for. Two fake passports and IDs. I have a little extra cash for you to forget the situation you see here.”

“How much extra?” There’s a greedy gleam in the man’s eyes, and I laugh from behind Mikhail.

“Enough,” I tell him calmly. “Enough for you to look the other way and not tell anyone that you saw us. As long as you don’t gettoogreedy, you won’t need to worry about anything.”

“I don’t take orders from women.” There’s a tilt to the man’s head that tells me he’s thinking of trying to extort us, of ways to turn this to his benefit, and I feel a small, cold pit in my stomach. I know Mikhail is hoping this man turns on us, so that Mikhail can get the drop on us both and get the gun away from me. I can’t let that happen.

“What about Natalia Obelensky?” I raise an eyebrow at the man. “Would you take orders from her?”

“Your father’s dead,” the man bites out. “There’s no need to fear him now.”

“Yes, but I’m alive.” I cock my head, smiling slowly at him. “And you have no idea if I’m just as cruel.”

The man looks at me, and I can see the fear starting to spread over his features. After so many years of feeling as if my name were a ticking time bomb until the day it made me powerless, it’s good to feel as if it makes mepowerfulinstead. As if it gives me a way out of the life it tried to trap me in.

“Give us the passports and IDs,” I tell him sharply. “And we’ll pay you and be out of your hair.”

The man hesitates for a fraction of a second, but not for long. He hands me a thick envelope, passing it past Mikhail, who glares at us both but says nothing.

The moment I’ve tucked it away, I nod at Mikhail. “Pay the man, so we can go. Over the agreed amount, like I said. For his silence.”

Mikhail looks as reticent as the man was a moment ago, but he hands over the money. The instant it’s changed hands, I dig the barrel of the gun into his spine, nudging us both sideways towards the door so I can keep an eye on the man until we’re fully out.

“Drive to theCat’s Meow,” I tell Mikhail once we’re back in the car. “We’re getting Ruby before we go to the plane. And don’t even think about arguing with me.”

I can tell from his expression what he thinks of the situation, but he remains silent. I don’t know if his silence makes me feel better or worse. In my experience, Mikhail enjoys frightening me, telling me exactly what he’ll do to make me pay for my perceived sins. His silence means, so far as I can tell, either that he’s accepted that he has no way out of this–or that he’s biding his time until he can make a plan to do exactly that.

Knowing Mikhail, I expect it’s the latter.

The moment we step into the back door of the club, my gun still at his back, I see Taffy at one of the dressing tables. Her face goes white when she sees us, and I manage to speak only a second before she opens her mouth to scream.

“Taffy. Taffy!” I shake my head warningly, putting a finger over my lips. “Everything is fine. Where’s Ruby?”

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