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I hang up on him and switch off my mobile in case he tries to ring back, putting it down on one of the steps. I peer through the banister rails with fearful eyes, scanning the situation.
Ten bags... I count as the pile gets higher, my eyes going back and forth. Twenty bags... Thirty bags...
James and the other guy have to do a few runs downstairs, while Maksim wanders my apartment, his shoes delicately clinking against the marble floors. He's dressed in black slacks and a white shirt that's rolled up at the elbows, revealing a gold watch. He looks like he's ready for business.
As he passes by the staircase, not noticing me, I'm swamped with nerves, trying to figure out why he's here with all that money.
By the time James and the other guy are done running up and down like headless chickens, there are fifty bags piled around my dining table.
I want to go to James. He's the closest thing I have to safety right now.
“My little pet?” Maksim calls out from the kitchen area.
I cringe, trying to be as small as I can.
“You can leave.” He turns to James by the front door, his voice deceivingly gentle. “Wait for me in the car.”
“I don't mind staying,c?pMaksim,” James says, I assume to make sure I'm okay. “I can-”
Maksim only has to give James an iron stare before James head-bows, casts a sneaky glance around my place, and then he's gone.
Shit.I don't want to be alone with Maksim right now. I'm in too much pain and terrified he's going to cause me more.
Maksim saunters through my personal space once more, into the living area and then back out again. He stops at the bottom of the stairs this time, tips his head back and smiles up at me.
“Ah, there you are,” he says, a cunning gleam in his golden eyes. “Are you going to come down and see me?”
I nod, then I struggle down the stairs, meeting him on the bottom step. I hug myself, shrinking.
“How are you feeling?” He cocks his head to me, reaches out and runs his fingers down a length of my hair.
“I'm okay.” I blink at the floor, unable to endure his wicked gaze.
“Oh, now, my little pet,” he tugs on the strand of hair, “don't lie to me.”
I cringe again, expecting a blow for lying.
“I'm in a little pain, but I'll be okay,” I say softly, focusing on his shiny oxford shoes.
“Of course you will be okay. You're strong.” Taking my arm, he helps me hobble over to the dining table, where he insists I sit down next to the duffle bags.
Lowering onto a chair, I wince as my ass feels the pressure of the hard, flat surface, a jolt of pain shooting up my spine.
“Hurting?” Maksim says, amusement in his voice.
Distracted, I nod, peeking over the bags. There has to be millions here in crisp new notes.
“Do you know what this is all about?” Maksim pulls out a chair next to me, scraping it against the floor. “Do you know why I have so much cash?”
I peek up at him, taking a wild guess. “Charlie?”
He said he'd pay Maksim to set me free if he has to, and he's one of the few I know who would have access to this amount of money.
The way Maksim smiles at me... My blood runs cold.
“Clever little pet.” He takes one of my hands and holds it in his lap, occasionally squeezing me with long, cruel fingers. “He's paid me to tell you you're free.”
My eyes enlarge because there's negotiation in Maksim's voice, but then he gives me this surprised look and I glance away, trying to control the brewing of hope inside me.
