Page 65 of Savage Beauty

Igor may have enough hate in his heart to do worse than kill me. Sasha will be under his control, paralyzed by the terror of what Igor might do to me, but it will make no difference. He’ll dangle the bogus possibility of reuniting us, and we’ll both fall into line. We have no other option now.

* * *

When the door opens, I jump; I must have been dozing again. I don’t know what my abductor injected me with, but it’s still affecting me, and I turn my head to one side, swallowing as I fight another wave of nausea.

“Hello, Josephine.” Igor sits on the edge of the bed. “Good to see you’re still alive.”

I don’t want to cry in front of him, so I squeeze my eyes closed.

Igor’s fingers are suddenly on my chin. They’re rough, and he grips too tightly. “Look at me, you whore. Now.” He laughs as I comply. “Oh, you’re angry, aren’t you?” He slaps my cheek. “You never had any business being here in the first place. This world has only two roles for women; as sweet, docile wives or cheap sluts. You don’t get to be both. And seeing as you’re already a slut, you have no place as the bride of a man like Sasha Kislev. I’ll never know how you connived your way into that place of privilege.”

“He came tome.” My voice is hoarse. “Sasha made me marry him. None of this situation is of my making.”

“Ah, of course.” Igor slides a hand over my thigh, and I try not to cringe. “And he killed Marc Bonneville, the rich guy. I can only assume your pussy is worth all this strife, but I don’t see how. One whore is much the same as the rest.”

I close my eyes again. All I want is to block him out.

“So tonight is the bratva’s annual grace-and-favor party, where our employees and associates live it up on thekomissiya’stab,” Igor continues. “You and Sasha are newly married, so you must be there together, or it’ll look strange.” His smile is predatory. “So this will be the first of many similar scenarios where you dress up, stand beside your husband in public, play nice, and then return home with me. You’ll be my little pet. And if you or your precious Sasha act out, you’ll regret it.

If he’d just go away, I could fall asleep again. Perhaps it’ll all have been a sick dream when I wake, and I’ll be safe and held in my husband’s arms.

The thought of him pushes my fear and grief over the edge, and a tear finally escapes. Igor wipes it with his thumb, and I shrink away from his touch.

“Get used to it,” he snaps. “You’ll feel my hands a lot over the next few weeks. After Sasha is sworn in as pakhan, I’ll need to get him well ground down, so you won’t see much of him. Once he understands you’ll be paying for his mistakes with your body, I’m sure he’ll be a good little soldier, but until then, discipline is important. After all,” he slaps me harder, making my cheek sting, “spare the rod, spoil the child.”

So I’m going to be Sasha’s wife in public and Igor’s whore in private. How can I live like that?

“You’ll never get away with this,” I whisper. “Sasha won’t stand for it. He’ll find a way to fuck you up.”

“The faith and hope the two of you have is heartwarming but misguided,” Igor says, seeming irritable. “Tosca is dead, and his family are under thekomissiya’sprotection while I decide what to do with their organization. No one else knows what’s happening here.”

His eyes scan my body as he speaks. “You can’t run away. I would find you easily. And won’t kill yourself. Not when you’re carrying Sasha’s baby, and not once it’s born, either—like Sasha’s mother, you’ll be trapped in a sham marriage, with only your child to console you.” He laughs. “And who knows what life will be like for that little shit? I haven’t decided yet, but it’s tempting to arrange an accident for Sasha. I could marry you, take over the Kislev bratva for real. So many fun possibilities!” He tilts his head, taking in my disgust. “Or I could stab you in the belly right now for daring to look at me like that.”

I stare at the ceiling as Igor’s face draws closer to mine. His breath is sour, and I taste bile in my throat. Igor sticks out his tongue and drags it from my chin to my hairline, and I can take no more. My scream of anguished horror delights him, and he pauses, his face inches from mine.

“How about a kiss?” he croons.

He needs me to make his dirty little scam work, so he can’t kill me. I know what I’m about to do is dumb, but I can’t help myself; it’s worth it.

A quick hock in the back of my throat, and I spit in Igor’s eye. He pulls away with a roar, wiping his face with his sleeve before drawing back his arm and smashing my face with a powerful backhand. I cry out as his heavy gold ring catches my brow bone, and the pain makes me see stars.

Igor is breathing heavily. “Filthy little cunt,” he sneers. “Better hope your make-up covers that.”

The last thing I see is his blurry back as he walks away. My skull throbs, and I roll my head on the pillow, trying to stave off unconsciousness.

What the hell am I gonna do?

44

Sasha

Istay on the couch for a long time, watching the room change as the light seeps in. The pain in my chest is abating, and I suspect my ribs are merely bruised, as I can move without wincing. I’m unsure about my head, but I’m awake and not bleeding anymore, which counts for something.

Igor will let Josie and I play our parts in front of others, but she’s no longer mine to keep. If I’d anticipated this possibility, I’d have put her on a plane to anywhere, even if I’d have had to tie her up and throw her in the cargo hold to do it.

Our marriage was bullshit, then became beautifully, terrifyingly real. Now it’s fake, a shadow of what we were. What wecouldhave been. And Josie is what she always feared she’d be: property. A thing for a man to use.

My wife is strong. She won’t break straight away. But she can’t withstand that kind of life forever. What will she put herself through to ensure our child’s safety? I don’t think there’s anything she wouldn’t be willing to endure, but the possibilities make me feel cold to the marrow of my bones. Igor despises me and knows better than most that nothing hurts like love. If I hadn’t fallen for Josie, he wouldn’t be able to use her to control me, but it’s not myself I’m worried about.

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