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But what would I do after that? Where would I go? How would I escape this place? I wouldn’t. As frightened as I am, I have to think smart. I have to go along with whatever is going to happen, at least for the time being.
Ahead is a huge archway, and as we pass through it, I notice we’re in a wine cellar. A few feet ahead, I spot a set of stairs, and the man’s grip on me becomes tighter. His fingers bite into the sensitive flesh, and I grit my teeth to stop myself from reacting.
When we reach the next floor, we enter a hallway. The flooring beneath my feet is marble, and I whip my head around, taking in every sight and sound.
At the end of the hallway, we enter a dining room that’s set for dinner, but that’s not what makes my skin crawl, or a tiny cry escape my lips. It’s the three men sitting at that table with resentful scowls on their faces.
The youngest one’s eyes roam over my body, and when they meet mine, there is a sinister smile on his face that has me taking a step back.
“Sit,” one of the older men orders.
“Have dinner with us, or maybe we could have you for dinner?” The young man licks his lips. I shiver, afraid to speak.
The man holding me releases me and shoves me toward the table. Hands out, I barely catch myself on it. I bite the inside of my cheek when my hip slams into the hardwood, and pain radiates up my side.
“Sit the fuck down!” the other man commands.
I trudge to the only open chair, which is across from the younger man. I wish I were wearing something else, wish I weren’t here at all.
I feel so naked beneath their scornful gazes.
“Give her to me. I’m sure fucking her will prove a point.” His gaze narrows. “I bet she’s a virgin. Pure and untouched.” The lust in his eyes builds. “We can send the bloody sheets to him just to prove our point.”
What? Send the bloody sheets to who? Oh god, they’re going to rape me and kill me.
“Please… I don’t know what this is about but—”
“Shut the fuck up!” the man to my right yells. His fist comes down on the table, causing the glasses and silverware to jump. “You will not touch the girl, Igor. Not until after we’ve heard from Lucca.”
Lucca? I knew it. I knew it had to do with something bad, but I never would have expected this. To be kidnapped and held hostage because of him. I’m reminded of how he told me he would always protect me.
But he’s not here right now. He’s not protecting me. He’s hurting me. I knew I should’ve tried harder to push him away. Nothing good ever happens when he is around or a part of my life, and this is proof of it.
“Please, just let me go. Whatever he did to you… I have nothing to do with it.”
The man closest to me grabs a crystal glass filled with an amber liquid that’s to his left. Every muscle in my body tightens as he brings it to his lips and gulps it down.
I’m stuck looking between the three men, and my heart feels like it’s going to burst inside my chest at any second.
The nameless man places his glass on the table and smiles. The look alone makes me want to sink through the floor. I don’t know what Lucca did to these men, but they want to shred me like hungry dogs.
“We need Lucca to cooperate with us, and he won’t do that if we hurt his little butterfly. So, you be a good girl, Claire, and don’t give us any more of a reason to kill you.”
My throat tightens. I didn’t give them a reason to do anything. I shouldn’t even be here. Whatever beef they have with Lucca, that’s on him. Somehow, I’ve gotten roped into this, though, and now I’m worried I won’t escape unscathed.
I look down at my shaking hands.
He’s always trying to protect me without realizing his protection comes with a cost, and that cost always falls on me. Tears form in my eyes, but I blink them away. I don’t want to cry in front of these men.
“Don’t cry, princess. Lucca is coming to rescue you…” Igor’s voice is low, and his gaze terrifies me but not as much as what he says next. “The question is will it be soon enough.”
And that’s the biggest question of all? Will Lucca save me in time?
8
Lucca
I’ve never wanted to kill anyone as much as I want to kill Petro Volocove right now. He fucking took her. He fucking took Claire. They left Steven beaten and Tracy a sobbing mess. I could barely understand her on the phone, she was so distraught.
