Page 174 of Betrayal and Vows

My wrists burn as zip ties cut into my skin. I bite down hard on my tongue, tasting copper as pain shoots through my mouth. The scream building in my throat dies, replaced by the metallic tang of my own blood.

A man with dead eyes lights a cigarette, studying me like I'm livestock. "Vadim promised you'd fight. But crying? Pathetic."

Anton never let them see him cry. Neither will I.

I force my face into a mask of stone, even as my heart shatters into a thousand pieces. Even as I wonder if I just watched the only man I will ever love die.

I look around. I’m in the back of a van. How long have I been out? It doesn’t feel like long but I don’t know.

Five minutes?

Five hours?

“I will kill you,” I say calmly.

He smirks. “With your tongue?”

“I like when they fight back. I bet you’re a wildcat in the bedroom. No wonder all those men want to claim you.”

“No man will ever claim me.”

He sucks in on the cigarette and then slowly blows out the white smoke.

"The boss wants you alive," the man continues, smoke curling from his lips. "But I get you first. A 'processing fee.'"

His hand slides up my thigh, fingers digging into my flesh. Revulsion crashes through me, followed by white-hot rage.

I kick but that only seems to make him happy. He sucks in another drag from the cigarette before he puts it on the metal floor of the van.

His hands grab my knees, pushing hard enough to bring tears to my eyes.

He leans forward and licks from my chin to nose.

I slam my forehead into his nose with everything I have. The crunch of cartilage breaking is the most satisfying sound I've ever heard. He falls backward, blood streaming down his face.

I slam my foot into his ribs while he's still howling about his broken nose. The impact sends him sprawling sideways, his head cracking against the van wall.

"You fucking bitch!" he snarls through the blood streaming down his face.

I twist my bound hands, trying to get better leverage for another kick. My heel connects with his kneecap and he screams again, clutching his leg.

The man in the passenger seat turns around, shaking his head in disgust. "Shit, Lev. You're getting your ass handed to you by a girl with her hands tied."

"Shut up," Lev pants, wiping blood from his nose with the back of his hand. "She caught me off guard."

"Off guard?" His friend laughs mockingly. "She's half your size and trussed up like a turkey. What's next—are you going to tell me she overpowered you with her feminine wiles?"

I use their distraction to my advantage, pulling my knees to my chest and driving both feet into Viktor's stomach. He doubles over, gasping for air.

"That's it!" Lev lunges at me, his face twisted with rage and humiliation.

"Lev, stop!" the driver barks. "Boss wants her unmarked!"

"I don't give a shit what the boss wants," he snarls, his hand wrapping around my throat. "This little whore needs to learn some respect."

Black spots dance in front of me. I stare him directly in the eyes. I will not be afraid. If Anton is dead, I will go to my own death knowing I never backed down. When he welcomes me into his arms on the other side, he will be proud of me.

Suddenly, the van jerks to the side. And then the other.