Page 16 of Savage Truce

“Kirill,” she barks, and the next second the man grabs my arm in a brutal hold while ripping my handbag away from me. I gasp as he drags me toward the SUV where another man opens the back door, and I’m shoved so hard onto the seat that my shins slam into the bottom metal panels.

Stunned out of my mind from being manhandled, I barely have time to pull my feet into the SUV before the door is slammed shut.

Realizing this is it and my time in the UK has come to an abrupt end, my heart cracks right down the middle.

I try the handle, but the door doesn’t budge. Mother climbs in beside me, and when I look at her, her hand flies through the air and connects with my cheek, the slap rattling me even more.

While two men get into the front, she practically growls at me as she says, “You will obey me without any arguments. It’s time to return to Russia.” Her eyes lower to my body, and the anger on her face intensifies. “Your grandfather is going to be very displeased with how fat you are. I told you to lose weight!”

Even though my chest is filled with an array of chaotic emotions, anger triumphs them all. “Don’t ever raise your hand at me again, and my body is mine to do with what I want.” Courage pours into my chest, and I demand, “Unlock the doors! I am staying the full two weeks. I have obligations –”

A weird expression ripples over Mother’s face, then she tilts her head and hisses, “Danil. Seems we’ll have to go with plan B.”

The man in the passenger seat gets out of the SUV again, and when he opens my door and reaches for me, I begin to slap his hands and arms wildly. He manages to grab hold of me, and only when I feel a prick do I realize Mother has injected me with something.

“No!” I gasp, giving her a horrified look.

“You’re giving me a headache. I’ll deal with you in Moscow,” she says as she gets comfortable in the seat while my vision begins to blur.

I turn my head toward the door as Danil shuts it, then my mind feels horribly woozy, and everything wobbles before I pass out.

CHAPTER 5

Rodian

Rodian Volkov; 37. Anastasia Donovan; 25.

Walking into the kitchen, I see my mug standing ready by the machine, and it brings a smile to my face.

After pouring some coffee, I stand by the window and look out over the garden where autumn has changed the landscape from green to colorful browns, oranges, and reds.

Soon winter will be here.

Movement catches my eye, and I watch as Artem takes a walk from flowerbed to flowerbed, stopping every couple of steps to inspect a bug or something that’s caught his attention.

Even though he’s thirty-three, he looks much younger, and his anxiety disorder has made him very skittish of people. He only interacts with his mom, my parents, and me.

My cousin glances over his shoulder, and spotting Pavel, one of the new guards who’s busy doing a perimeter walk, he makes a beeline for the house.

I hurry to the back door, and opening it, I call out, “Pavel, whenever you see Artem, give him privacy and move to the front.”

“Yes, boss.”

The guard jogs away while I step outside, and as Artem comes to a stop near me, he looks to the side while scratching his head. “There was a grasshopper.”

Placing my arm around his shoulders, I give him a sideways hug. “Show me, Bratishka.”

He loves it when I call him ‘little brother,’ and it makes a crooked smile form on his face.

Lifting his head, he meets my eyes while he mumbles, “It’s brown.”

Seeing the torment in his gaze, my heart squeezes, and I wish I had the power to give him the peace he so desperately needs.

We go to the spot where Artem last saw the insect, and I crouch beside him. While he searches the shrubs, I take a good look at him.

Not liking the dark circles under his eyes, I keep my tone soft as I ask, “How are you sleeping?”

My cousin just shrugs, then his eyes widen, and he points at a bunch of leaves. “There!”