Page 37 of Twisted Embrace

“Don’t worry, sweetheart. This is mine. You will need to learn to trust me. If there’s a next time, I may not be able to protect you.”

As he closed the door, I hid my face in my hands. Trust him. A killer. How was that possible? Unfortunately, I knew that’s exactly what I’d need to do if I wanted to remain alive.

For all the promises I’d made to myself and broken over the years, I made one more I had every intention of keeping.

My captor might rule my body, forcing me to obey his every whim, but the asshole would never break me.

Nor would he claim my heart.

CHAPTER 12

Enzo

Violence.

I’d left my men to clean up a fucking bloody mess, but it hadn’t satisfied the need to crush bones or rip out Russian hearts. If they fucking had any. The attack had been well orchestrated, enough so I was furious with myself for taking the risk in dragging her away from the protection of my other soldiers.

Fuck. Fuck!

How had we been tracked? I knew enough about Russian tactics from a former KGB agent to know the Bratva had adopted some of the best surveillance and tracking devices money could buy. However, it would have been impossible for them to get to our vehicles. That meant destroying everything Joy had brought with her, including the clothes she was wearing was necessary.

Everything was getting out of hand quickly, something I wasn’t used to. We needed to get back to Italy before the situation became dire.

While I’d instructed Anthony to take the Levins to a safe location, I had my doubts they’d remain alive. The Pakhan wouldn’t take kindly to anyone keeping his flesh and blood from him. What I was doing was going far above my usual reaction, which troubled me. A part of me wanted to please her enough to see her smile. The craziness of the thought wasn’t far from my mind. However, she lit up the darkest part of me, creating a golden glow of warmth and need unlike any other person had been able to do. Jesus. I wanted to devour every inch of her.

I pushed her inside the hotel room, keeping my arm outstretched, although I doubted we’d have any further issues tonight. However, I couldn’t put it past the Pakhan to have other soldiers combing the streets. I’d backtracked enough to hopefully pull them off the scent, ending up in Brooklyn. There would be no additional chances taken.

As soon as I locked the hotel room door, I headed for the window without turning off the light. After closing the blinds, I remained in the darkness for a few seconds.

“What now, Superman?”

Joy’s voice, particularly her terse tone should aggravate the hell out of me, but beneath her bravado and sarcastic remarks was a woman shaken to her core. I knew what despair looked like. Hell, it even had a unique stench as the mind and body processed the hopelessness of the situation. I’d witnessed its cruel effects several times, often the person losing control of bodily functions, weeping uncontrollably as their bladders released. While the odor was repulsive to some, it was nothing more than a step in the act of doing business. I’d ignored their useless attempts at pleading for their lives. It meant nothing to me. I had no conscience when dealing with traitorous scum.

The only thing that had ever pushed me to the point of blinding rage had been when they’d attempted to bargain for their worth, especially by offering up a member of their own family. Once they’d stooped to that level, I’d taken my time in providing whatever method of torture suited me on that particular day.

Joy was different, soft and nurturing, a lost lamb in a forest full of bloodthirsty wolves. I’d wanted to protect her at all costs, something I’d never done before. She was also trouble in the worst way. Even now, my cock stirred just thinking about her. Although I desired to rip off her clothes, fucking her like the animal I was, my irritation had shifted into ugly anger. She’d had no idea how close she’d come to dying.

What really pissed me off more than anything else was the way I’d reacted the moment I’d noticed the assailants were chasing her. The rush of adrenaline had been immediate, the need to rip them apart limb from limb so strong I’d tasted blood in my mouth. That kind of off the cuff reaction couldn’t happen. I couldn’t give a shit about the woman. Not for a second.

There was too much to worry about, far too many ways the Russians could tear apart the empire. Fuck. Fuck.

While not one of the fuckers had carried so much as a wallet, the perpetrators had been easy to identify by the crude carving on their wrists. I’d seen something similar on men employed by the Volkov Bratva out of Moscow. It would seem the aging tradition of receiving a mark indicating a life sentence within the syndicate traveled ocean waters. Only in death were they allowed out of their pledge of loyalty.

That also meant instead of sending minions low on the totem pole and easily disposable to do basic dirty work, the Pakhan had sent core soldiers. They’d been expertly trained in acts of abduction and vengeance. Given the duffle Anthony had found in the trunk contained rope and duct tape, it was obvious their intentions had been to kidnap her, then drive bullets into our brains like dogs.

The thought we’d been tracked remained unsettling, but even worse was the possibility that one of my men had betrayed me.

Including Anthony.

I didn’t want to believe it, but I’d told four people my plans in taking Joy to a temporary safe location. D’Artagnan was one, and the three men left had been in my employ for long enough I considered them trustworthy.

“Why won’t you answer me?” Joy asked, her tone more demanding than before.

I moved to the dresser, flicking on the light and placing my weapon on the surface. The rage surfaced and I slammed my fist against the cheap wood three times. Nothing would abate the fury.

Joy didn’t offer a regurgitated exclamation of hating me or issue a single whimper. I raked my hand through my hair, catching the reflection of my bloodstained face in the mirror. This had gotten messy far too quickly.

“Are we safe or should I worry the boogeymen will come rushing through that door at any second?”

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