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I will. Soon enough.
But for now, I have to sit and wait.
Clara slowly pulls herself up. I don’t miss the way her arms tremble when she braces against the coffee table for balance, or how she winces with pain when she stretches one side of her ribs.
She avoids looking at me. Won’t even look at my feet as she rises, instead just staring off into the middle distance with that same empty resignation in her features.
That hurts worse than anything Oleg or his men could do to me.
“I said, fuck off!” Oleg snaps.
Clara winces. Then she scurries away, shrinking in on herself with every step. She doesn’t even try to sneak a peek back over her shoulder.
There’s an ache growing inside my heart right next to the fury.
Oleg rolls his eyes once she’s left. “Sometimes, I do question whether she was worth the expense.”
That’s right. Oleg bid for her. He’s the fifty-million-dollar asshole I’ve been trying to track down this whole time.
Which means, on top of everything else, that his business dealings in Russia really are that successful. Which also means that he’s probably got even more resources, connections, and allies on his side than I can afford to take on, should I slip up in taking him out.
Because Iamgoing to kill him. That’s a certainty.
I just have to make sure I do it right the first time. One shot, one kill. If I miss, I’ll risk starting a war I can’t win.
I force myself to smile. It feels more conspiratorial than anything. “I have to admit, it’s pretty impressive what you’ve got going on here. Not saying your other girls aren’t as good, but… Fifty million dollars? For a single woman? Where the hell did you get that kind of money?”
Oleg simply shrugs. “She’s a special case. Worth every penny. And there is nothing I wouldn’t do, nowhere I wouldn’t go, to ensure Tolya’s freedom. Fucking her into submission so she recants her testimony is just a side bonus. Knocking her up would be icing on the cake.”
“So that’s your plan? Fuck the truth out of her? Sorry, Otets, but there’s no such thing as a magical dick.”
“You forget,” he counters, “I’ve been working with an elite clientele back in Russia. I supply the goods, and they’ve taught me a few tricks of the trade.” He sighs and flicks at a piece of invisible lint on the arm of his chair. “Even so, she’s getting quite boring. I was hoping for a lot more fight, a lot more fire.”
Maybe that’s another reason why he hasn’t slept with her yet. Which—thank God—is probably the best news I can be given at the moment. “Yeah, well, you win some, you lose some.”
Oleg runs a hand over his beard. “I’m thinking we can liven things up with her a bit more. I’ve been too easy on her. Giving her too much space to move around me, around in this house.”
I freeze. I don’t like what he’s getting at.
“Thinking of just going for it?” I ask as casually as possible.
A sick, twisted grin suddenly spreads across his face. “I should, shouldn’t I? Break her in for good. And I’m fairly certain that she’ll get her fight back once she sees the line of men forming at her door. I’ll even let you go in right after me.” He winks at me like I’m supposed to appreciate the consideration. “That should be fun! Let’s make a whole dinner party out of it. We’ll have her for dessert.”
The fakest laugh I’ve ever made sounds weird coming from my throat, but it’s the best I can do in these circumstances. “Send me the invite, and I’ll be there.”
Pavel silently joins me in rising from the couch and casually strolling toward the front door of the house. We can’t do anything sudden or unusual, not if we want Oleg to still think we’re on his side.
But the second we pull out of the driveway…
“We’re taking her back, aren’t we?” Pavel says it more like a statement than a question.
I don’t even have to think about it. Zero hesitation. One hundred percent murderous fury against the man I unfortunately share genes with.
“We’re taking her back. Tonight.”
55
CLARA
