AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Grace watches me approach, backing as far into the chair as she can. I snatch her ankle, and she screams, trying to pull free. I wrap the thick leather cuff around her ankle and thread the chain through the metal loops, fastening it with a padlock. I do the same to her other ankle, then I chain them together and secure it with the last padlock. “You can’t run if you’re shackled.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“Deadly.”
There’s a knock at the door and I command them to come in, sighing when Maxim appears. He’s carrying a rucksack I don’t recognise. “Why have you got that?” yells Grace.
It piques my interest and I watch as Maxim places it on my desk. “Thought you might like to see these,” he tells me, reaching inside and holding up a handful of foil packets.
“What are they?” I ask.
“They’re from when I was on the streets,” she snaps.
I take one, my blood pumping faster through my veins as I realise she’s been protecting herself all along with Femidoms. I thrust it in her face. “That’s what you bought today?” I roar.
She shakes her head. “No. They gave them to me when I was on the streets,” she repeats.
“Lies!” I yell, throwing it across the room. I grab the rucksack and tip it upside down. Her belongings spread over the desk, and she jumps up to gather them. I push her away, and she falls to the floor.
My eyes fall to the pink purse and everything around me stops. The only sound is the beating of my heart as it thuds heavily against my chest wall. I reach for it, letting my fingers lightly brush the material before I grasp it. “Boss?” asks Maxim, and my eyes reach his. He stares back wide-eyed. “Is that what I think it is?”
I’m aware my hand trembles as I bring the pink purse closer. I press it to my nose and inhale, closing my eyes. I fall back into the chair and stare at it.
“That’s not mine,” says Grace.
I slowly open the first zipper, opening out one half of the purse. Inside is the ID card. Lara Morozov. Her serious face stares back at me, and I trace my finger over it, remembering taking her to have it done. It took a few attempts as she couldn’t stop smiling and she had to have a straight face. “Boss?” asks Maxim. “Is it hers?”
I open the second half. It’s filled with cash and bank cards, and I frown. Why are they still there? “Whose is it?” Grace demands.
I look up at the sound of her voice. “It was you?”
“What was me?”
“It was you.” I place the purse down on the desk. “You robbed her?”
She begins to shake her head as I get closer. She slides backwards, hitting the wall. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Ivan.”
“Lara!” I yell. “It was you all along!”
GRACE
He lifts me from the floor in one smooth motion, like I weigh nothing. I don’t like the way he’s looking at me. I don’t recognise this look. He holds me against the wall. “Tell me everything.”
“Ivan,” I begin.
He pulls me away from the wall before slamming me hard against it. “Tell me!” he roars.
“I don’t know what you mean. That’s not mine. I’ve never seen it before.”
He drags me to the desk and grabs my hair, forcing my face closer to the purse. “Why do you have her purse in your bag?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never seen it there before.”
“Then how the fuck did it get in there?”
“I have no idea,” I say, trying to stay calm. “I swear, it wasn’t in there before.” My mind races.Was it there before?I don’t remember seeing it, but Danny often stashed things in my bag.
“Fine. We’ll do this the hard way,” he growls, pulling me to the door. I can only take small steps because of my ankles being shackled, but he strides, causing me to stumble behind. He pulls open the basement door.
