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I pull my gun from my holster, pull back the safety, and fire over and over again. I shoot in places that won’t kill him, like his legs, arms, hands, and feet. I want him to suffer and to suffer greatly at that.
I wanted to kill him today. That was my original thought, but now I want him to suffer for a while longer. I’ll leave him here for maybe a week, and every day I’ll make sure he’s in the worst pain of his life. I want him to be to the point where he’s praying for death, and even then, I might not grant it.
Soon, Anzor will die, and it will be by my hand.
Chapter Nineteen
Amelia
It’s a little past eleven, and Ruslan hasn’t come back yet. Nervousness settles deep in my gut, and I do my best to refrain from freaking out. I throw the comforter from my legs and get out of bed, walking in my pajamas and fuzzy socks out to the main seating area.
I take a seat on the couch and pull the blanket that’s thrown over the back of it over my legs. Everything looks as it should, and I wonder where he is. If he’s running late, he usually sends me a text, or he might even call me. But today, he hasn’t. I don’t know what he’s been doing over the last couple of days, but things have seemed a bit more tense for him. Not between the two of us, but like something is stressing him out.
Footsteps coming toward me cause me to glance up, and Danill fills my vision. “Miss Amelia, is everything all right?”
“Yes, Danill. I couldn’t sleep, and Ruslan isn’t home yet, so it’s making me a bit worried.” Ever since he went missing, I’ve been a bit more on edge. It’s only natural, I suppose.
“He should be home shortly. He told me his obligations today kept him for longer than he thought they would.”
I keep my eyes on Danill, and for some reason, I’m feeling a bit feisty. “And what sort of obligations keep someone until almost midnight?” I raise both of my brows and await some sort of answer, but I know Danill won’t give me one. It’s not his place to speak about Ruslan’s business, and if I really want the answer, I’ll have to ask Ruslan myself.
“That isn’t my place to say, Miss Amelia,” Danill tells me and offers me a sympathetic smile. His sympathetic smile doesn’t make me feel better. It just aggravates me even more.
I bluster a sigh and rise from the couch. If I’m going to be this aggravated, I need a damn drink. I walk over to the small bar area and pull out a glass and bottle of tequila. There’s an ice maker built into the bar, so I grab three cubes of ice and then pour the tequila over them. Once I’m finished, I put the tequila back from where I got it before I take a sip.
Just as I’m swallowing the tequila, I hear the distinctive sound of the elevator doors opening, and sure enough, more footsteps are coming my way. “Danill, I need you to head out to the factory and make sure Nazyr has another set of eyes on—” Ruslan pauses immediately when his eyes land on me as he rounds the corner.
I lean against the bar and take another sip. “Please, go on.” There’s no doubt about if I’m annoyed or not. It’s pretty damn evident in my voice.
It’s now I really take in what Ruslan looks like. His suit is a bit disheveled, and the first few buttons aren’t together like they normally are. He has sweat lining his brow, and there are red splotches on what was a perfectly white dress shirt. He unbuttons the front of his suit and takes it off, hanging it over the back of a dining area chair.
“Danill, head to the factory and make sure Nazyr has help with Anzor. None of us are leaving him alone yet.” Ruslan speaks to Danill but keeps his eyes trained on me. He unbuttons every button on his dress shirt and, once he’s finished, pulls it off, then hangs it on the back of the chair as well.
“Certainly,” Danill replies, and he heads down the hallway toward the elevator.
“Why are you getting home so late?” I can’t stand here and act like I’m totally okay. I’m annoyed. I’m frustrated. I’m downright pissed. He has a phone, and he could’ve called or even texted me. Instead, he’s let me fester in my emotions and get worried about him, and in my opinion, that’s totally fucked up.
“I was handling some pressing business matters.”
“Yeah, which totally explains the blood on your shirt,” I snap at him, and Ruslan’s taken aback by my quick-witted anger. I know he’s involved in the crime world. He’s told me that, but what he hasn’t done is tell me exactly what’s been going on these last couple of days. “I’m tired of being left in the dark. Especially over the last few days. You’ve been acting weird, and it’s irritating the fuck out of me. There’s so much secrecy, and there isn’t any reason for it.”
Ruslan nods a couple of times. “Yes, you’re right.”
“You’ve said we’re together now, so you need to be more open and forthcoming with me, Ruslan. I’m never going to be a woman who sits back in the shadows and doesn’t know what’s happening. I’m your partner, not your enemy.” Before Ruslan, I never felt worthy enough to know about these sorts of things. I probably wouldn’t have ever spoken up before, either, but I am now.
“You’re absolutely right. I owe you answers,” I know this can’t be easy for him either, but I’m glad he’s making such an effort to be honest with me.
“Okay, so what’s going on?”
“You know I was taken, but you don’t know I found out who was behind my capture and torture.”
I swallow hard at what he’s telling me. He found who did this? Good! We’ll make them pay greatly for everything he went through. God, who am I? I wouldn’t have ever thought this way before, but so much has changed over the last few months. I suppose it’s not necessarily a bad thing. I’ve become stronger because of it.
“Who’s responsible?” I question, and Ruslan sucks in a sharp breath before answering me.
“My stepfather, Anzor.”
I narrow my eyes, not understanding why his stepfather would orchestrate all of this. “What reasoning would he have?”
