AllFreeNovel
Share Us
All I could see were his eyes, grayish blue and full of malice, but I would have recognized that punk from the beach’s arrogant, bratty voice anywhere. Anton. His partner burst through the door into the living area and I heard Hetty shout for help and then a crash. The thought of poor Hetty getting hurt because she had the misfortune to work for me pissed me off enough to forget how scared I was. I pulled my knee up sharply, getting him in the groin. Then I used my fist in the way I’d practiced with Ivan, clocking him in the cheek with enough force to make his head snap back while he moaned in agony over his crotch injury.
Speaking of agony, Ivan hadn’t been kidding when he said it hurt a lot worse hitting someone in the face than it did to hit his open palms. I feared my hand might be broken. I kicked him again, this time in the shin, and shoved past him into the house. I made it two steps in to see Maksim storming into my room with his gun raised, only to see him be struck over the head with a heavy copper urn by the other guy who’d been hiding by the door.
“You coward,” I yelled, bending down to run at him like a bull.
I was just improvising at that point, scared half to death and mad as hell. I only got another two steps before Anton grabbed a handful of my hair and jerked me backwards. I fell to the floor and saw his foot coming toward me. Terrified he was going to boot me in the stomach, I curled up in a ball to protect the baby. Thinking I was down for the count, he went to help with Maksim, who was shaking his head and lurching to try to take down the one who’d nailed him with the urn. Hetty hurried to my side to pull me into the bedroom with her.
“We’ll lock them out and call Mr. Morozov,” she said, helping me up. “Security is coming, we just need to hide.”
As she dragged me toward the bedroom, I saw that Maksim had his hand on his gun again and thought this might be over soon, and I wouldn’t need to hide. I was so mad I didn’t care if those two bastards’ brains ended up all over my cream leather sofa. In fact, I kind of hoped that would happen.
“Maksim, look out!” I shouted, horrified to see the one behind him pull out a knife that was so long it almost looked like a pirate sword.
With a smooth, sure movement, he slashed the blade cleanly across my guard’s throat, and as Maksim gurgled and reached for his neck to try to stay the gush of blood, the horrible, masked man shoved him across the room toward the balcony. I was frozen in terror as he pushed Maksim right over the side. A second later, the loud crash that could only be his body hitting the terrace below shook me out of my stupor.
Hetty and I locked eyes and raced for the bedroom. Where in the hell was the mansion security? Hetty slammed into the closed door and wrenched it open, trying to push me in ahead of her. But then a big arm wrapped around my neck and a damp, sickly sweet smelling cloth got smashed over my nose and mouth. I reached for Hetty but was getting pulled backwards, away from her. That big knife swung at her, missing her face by only an inch. She screamed and swerved away and that was the last thing I remembered before everything went hazy, then completely black.
***
I woke up somewhere dark and damp, feeling stiff and sore, and with a raging headache. I tried to stretch out my aching back to find I couldn’t move my arms at all. They were wedged behind me, tied to a pole that dug into my spine. No amount of tugging or jerking could get them free. Panic bubbled close to the surface, but I shoved it down. The longer my eyes were open, the more I could see. The place wasn’t pitch dark, there were small, rectangular windows high up on the walls that let the light come through. It didn’t seem like daylight, more like street lamps. I sat on a bare concrete floor and my hands had a little leeway, enough to get slightly more comfortable. My legs jutted out in front of me and thankfully they were free, so if I had the chance, I could kick someone if they got close enough.
I was probably in a basement, based on the high windows and the fact the place was completely empty. If I craned my neck, I could see what might have been the railing to some stairs. It helped to calmly take stock, rather than freak out. I’d just go over all the facts of my situation.
I already knew who nabbed me. That dumb kid of Ivan’s rival. It had to be revenge against Ivan for humiliating him, or maybe his father wanted to make a power play. Either way, it probably wasn’t going to end well for me. I curled my legs up around my stomach, trying not to cry. So much for remaining calm. This was a real prison, not my beautiful suite at the mansion. I squeezed my eyes shut, wishing I was back there, then gasping as I remembered that Maksim was most likely dead, and maybe Hetty had been killed as well.
I took several deep, slow breaths, to calm myself, not wanting to throw up since then I’d have to sit in it. I tried screaming, but my voice only echoed in the large, empty room and nobody answered. I lapsed into silence and tried not to think at all. After a while, footsteps on the stairs startled me out of my fear induced trance. I pulled at my binding again, wincing at the sores that were forming on my wrists, then sat very still when the footsteps stopped at the bottom of the stairs.
“You can still save your sorry lives if you let me go,” I yelled, pleased that I sounded braver than I felt. “That’s you, isn’t it, Anton?”
The silence was unnerving, but it was even worse when he strode out of the shadows, pulling off his mask. “So, no need for this anymore,” he said, tossing it aside.
He stopped in front of me and hauled back his foot to slam it into my thigh. It hurt but thanks to my extra padding, I didn’t think it did any real damage and I was able to stare defiantly up at him. His face was a mess of cuts and bruises, which made me smile. It wasn’t justice for Maksim, but I liked thinking this jerk had paid for something he did.
“He’s going to make you suffer before he kills you,” I said. “You don’t look like you need any more bruises.”
He ran a hand over his face. “This? This was all for show. I barely felt a thing.”
“You’ll feel it from Ivan,” I said.
He dropped down to leer at me, roughly grabbing my chin when I recoiled from him. “I don’t know why you’re so important to the Morozov king, but you must be.” He shoved my shoulder to the side and wrenched my rings off my finger, holding them so close to my face my eyes crossed. “Are these trinkets to keep you spreading your legs without complaining too much?”
I kicked at him and threw my head forward, hitting him in the bridge of his nose. He yelped and plastered his hand to my forehead, knocking me into the brick wall behind me. For a second I saw stars.
“I’mgoing to make you suffer before he kills you,” I said, changing my threat as I wished I could rub away the pain that bloomed at the back of my head.
He stood and paced back and forth. “Surely you’re not his wife. You can’t be. No wedding, no fanfare. So why the fuss?” He was babbling to himself as he tossed my rings from hand to hand and then stuffed them into his pocket. I kicked at him again, but he was out of range, and my fury over my rings went unheeded. He stopped and shook his head at me, swooping down so fast it took my breath, and the last bit of my courage. His eyes were dark with hatred and it was all focused inches from my face. He wrapped his hand around my throat and squeezed. Who are you?” His grip tightened until black spots appeared in my peripheral vision. Just as quickly as he grabbed me, he let go and stood, sneering down at me once more. “I suppose we’ll know soon enough if he takes the bait and comes for you.”
I choked and thrashed against the ties at my wrists as he marched away, muttering something to the silent man who’d waited at the foot of the stairs while he taunted me. His ominous threat made me forget all about my rings, and even the pain in my head as I struggled to get my breath back. I curled into a ball as best I could, staring at the dim light coming through the windows, not sure what to hope for.
If Ivan came for me, he’d fall into their trap and might get hurt or worse. I couldn’t think about worse. If he didn’t come, what would become of me and the baby?
“Oh, Ivan,” I whimpered, sinking into despair as the lights outside eventually winked out, leaving me in total darkness.
Chapter 16 - Ivan
Every last member of my security staff turned the house and grounds upside down and inside out while I conducted my own frantic search with Dmitri. My brothers were either on their way or looking into what might have happened. They were the only ones I trusted even a little bit at the moment, because I was finding it difficult to believe my home had been so easily infiltrated, my wife stolen from under my very nose.
Every time I passed a member of the house staff while I looked under beds and in closets, I had to wonder if that was the person who betrayed me. And to whom and for how much? How much was my queen worth?
