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It was all Nikolai from the very beginning.
“And now that Scar’s no use to you, you killed him.”
Nikolai nodded. “He cost my family hundreds of thousands of dollars when your father and the others got the FBI to shut our operation down. Did Scar keep his mouth shut when they took him in? He was loyal; I’ll give him that. But now, I’m running the show. It was my plan to stage the blackmail on you to draw your brother and the others in. There’s no way Ethan Jameson would’ve ever let his sister’s reputation get tarnished.”
My pulse thundered in my throat. I played right into Nikolai’s game, just like he wanted. Carter and all the guys were in a lot deeper than I thought possible. Swallowing hard, I moved away from Nikolai until the cold glass of the window touched my shoulders; there was nowhere to go.
“What if I never told my brother and did the blackmail photos? None of them would have been sucked into this hell hole.”
Nikolai shook his head. “No, I was banking on you telling him. I knew that you'd break if I ran Reynolds ragged enough.”
And I did.
Clenching my jaw, I turned my face away from him. “You’re such a slimy bastard.”
Nikolai caged me against the window, his hands splayed on the glass beside both sides of my head. “What is it about Reynolds, huh?” he growled, his voice clipped with anger. His body brushed against mine, and panic rose in my throat. “The guy’s probably fucked over half the female population in California.”
“You don’t know shit about him.”
Nikolai leaned in close, his chuckle deep and sinister as he grazed his nose across my cheek. “I know he’s going to die tonight.”
He said the words with such conviction that I knew he believed it. Terror gripped me, kicking my fight-or-flight senses into full gear.
“You’ll die too if you don’t back the hell up,” I snarled, my hands trembling with outright hatred.
My breaths came out in rapid pants as I contemplated my next move. I wasn’t a fool to think I could get away from Nikolai, but I sure could do some damage.
Nikolai bit his lip, clearly turned on if the hardness of his cock pressed against me was any indication. Thoughts of reaching into his pants and breaking his dick came to mind, but I knew that wasn’t a viable option. Before I could ram a knee into him, the door burst open.
“Ah, there you are.”
The breath whooshed out of my lungs. I recognized the voice, although it’d been a long time since I heard it. I could see the doorway underneath Nikolai’s arm, and there he was … Seth Michelson. He had the same build and sandy blond hair as Nikolai, but the eyes were completely different. Seth’s were a golden hazel and warm, not the icy coldness of Nikolai’s blue.
Seth stared at his brother’s back, his eyes narrowed in concern. Nikolai had me blocked from view. Sweat dripped down the small of my back, and all I could hear was the thunderous beating of my heart in my ears.
Keeping me caged in, Nikolai glared at Seth over his shoulder. “What the fuck are you doing here?” Then his attention snapped to me. “Not a word,” he whispered.
Seth chuckled, but then his tone turned serious. “Our father sent me. He wanted me to see what you’ve been up to. Hopefully, tormenting women isn’t one of your endeavors.” He cleared his throat. “Ma’am, are you okay?”
A low rumble of annoyance vibrated in Nikolai’s chest. “She’s fine. Now get the fuck out of here.”
Closing my eyes, I wanted to tell Seth not to go, but I feared the repercussions. Carter was about to fight, and I couldn’t risk making matters worse than they already were.
Seth huffed. “Your guests are waiting for you.”
The door shut and I pushed against Nikolai’s chest. “Get away from me.”
Nikolai backed off and slammed his hands on the desk, the wood cracking under his strength. “Son of a bitch,” he seethed. His eyes were wild, like a caged animal ready to attack; it terrified me. He ripped his phone out of his jacket pocket and put it to his ear. I didn’t realize the animosity between him and Seth ran so deep. “Answer the fucking phone,” he growled, pacing the floor. A few seconds later, I could hear a voice on the other end. Nikolai blew out a sigh and focused on me as he spoke. “I’m taking Emma upstairs. I need you to keep her there until the fight’s done.”
Gasping, I started for the door. “Oh, hell no, I’m going.”
Nikolai cut me off and grabbed my arm, hauling me away from the exit. “You’re going to do what I say.”
The door swung open and Seth appeared again, his eyes wide with shock when they landed on me. “Emma, what are you …?” Then his gaze fell to Nikolai’s bruising grip on my arm. Seth lifted his hardened stare to his brother. “I don’t know what’s going on, but I suggest you let her go right now. I’m glad I had the good sense to know something was wrong.”
Nikolai pulled me closer. “Fuck you, brother! I don’t take orders from you.”
Leaning against the doorframe, Seth appeared calm and collected, but the tension in the room suffocated me. “Yeah, well, I’m not giving you an order. I’m making you a promise. If you don’t let Emma go now, I will take this to the next level.”
Nikolai’s fingers loosened around my arm, and I jerked out of his hold. “Douchebag,” I hissed under my breath.
Seth held out his hand but kept his stormy hazel eyes on Nikolai, almost daring him to fight back. “Come with me, Emma.”
I took his hand and he pulled me out of the room. I didn’t know if I was safe with Seth, but it was definitely the better alternative.
