He growled, clenching his jaw.
“You gotta let it go, man. Except you plan on holding a grudge—but I wouldn’t recommend that.”
His hand shot out, grabbed my hair, and yanked it back. My head shot toward the ceiling as I let out a quiet, infuriating laugh meant to bruise his ego.
His scowl deepened, seething in silence. “You think you’re so tough, huh?” He held up the blade in front of me. “I’m the guy with the knife, and I could easily cut out that sharp tongue of yours.” His voice was thick with a Russian accent.
“I don’t know what’s worse,” I whispered to him. “Your bad breath…or empty threats.”
The words struck him harder than he cared to admit as a hint of fleeting insecurity flashed in his eyes. He glared at me with undiluted hatred in his eyes while his grip around the knife tightened.
“Do you have a death wish?” He combed the blade through my hair.
“We both know you’re not gonna kill me,” I answered, my voice laced with confidence. “If your boss wanted me dead, I’d be dead by now.”
“Hmm.” He let out a throaty groan. “Enjoy your immunity while it lasts.” His lips curled into an evil grin. “Sooner or later, the boss will have to dispose of you.”
I glared at him in silence, even when he drew invisible lines on my cheek with the tip of the blade.
He continued, “And when that time comes, you’d better pray I’m not the guy he assigns the job to.” His tongue clicked rapidly, a wicked smirk spreading across his face. “Oh, the things I’ll do to you…”
The anticipation in his eyes and the sound of his evil laughs made my skin crawl. Although I seemed unfazed by his words, my heart was racing inside. This man clearly couldn’t wait to gut me like a fish. Or worse.
I recognized that look—that animalistic hunger that drove men like him to do despicable things to vulnerable women. The mere thought of his hands on me made my face contort in disgust. Anger and irritation flooded my heart, prompting my fingers to curl into fists.
He laughed.
Laughed still when he cut me loose, one rope at a time. The man straightened up, then muttered some words in Russian that I assumed were more threats.
He grabbed my arm and forced me to my feet, his fingers clamped against my flesh. I didn’t flinch—refused to even wince despite the pain.
The two men escorted me out of the room and down the hallway, their boots heavy on the floor. As we moved deeper into the building, turning several corners, I scanned the surroundings as discreetly as I could.
I counted at least three possible exits and about five guards roaming around. Armed. There were cameras at every corner, capturing every movement. The security was tight, making escape next to impossible.
I spotted a room that looked like an office with its door wide open. Inside was a man seated at a desk beside a window, reclining in his chair with a glass in his hand. He was on the phone, barking orders, his tousled black hair framing his face.
It was him. The boss.
“Move.” The angry man pushed me forward, forcing me to pick up my pace.
We continued down the hall until we reached a red metal door. The other man withdrew a bunch of keys, selected the right one, and inserted it into the keyhole.
After a few turns, the door clicked open, and I was shoved inside. Knocked off balance, I tripped and fell onto the small mattress on the floor.
The angry man gave a wicked laugh. “Home sweet home.” He slammed the door shut behind him.
“Fuckin’ idiot,” I murmured to myself, pissed at how he’d pushed me so hard.
What if I hadn’t landed on this excuse of a mattress and had hit my head on the concrete?
The room was a small box with high walls and a tiny window way beyond my reach. Even if I could get up there, no human could fit in between those bars. The window was designed to allow air in and out of the confined space.
It was dark and stuffy in here, and the foul stench of a dead animal—a mouse, perhaps—drifted into my nostrils. The only light came from the moon filtering in through the small window above.
If the heat didn’t kill before morning, then the stench would. Even the mattress was reeking: sweat, blood, and something that smelled like piss.
Fuck.
