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The guys wrestled Maksim into control, and he bellowed, “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” as they were zip-tying his hands and feet.
“Shut the fuck up,” I said as I righted myself again. There were two seats in the back of the Rolls, one across from the other like a regular limo. As I brushed myself off, I looked to my side and saw Avery seated there with a terrified expression on her face.
“You,” she squeaked and cowered before me. “What are you doing here?”
“Looks like there’s a change of plan, guys,” I said, and Ryker looked over, caught my meaning, and raised his eyebrows. “Two assholes for the price of one, but the problem is that nobody wants this bitch back. We might as well toss her in the Vltava River, and nobody would even miss her.”
At that, she crumpled up her face and burst into tears. And wouldn’t you know it, the bitch got on my good side and had me feeling sorry for her in a matter of seconds.
“You’re so right,” she sniffled. “You’re fucking right. Nobody gives a shit if I live or die. There’s not a single fucking person who would even notice.”
She was hunched over even more, in the middle of the seat with her hands on her forehead and her face between her knees.
“Somebody has to care,” I said. I looked across to where Maksim was shooting lasers of pure hatred at me. “Maybe he would?”
I asked the question looking directly into his eyes, and I already knew the truth. Maksim wouldn’t care. He could have known Avery for years, and he might have been banging her like crazy for a lot of them, but he had no capacity for love. He didn’t have it in him to care.
Archer took us back through the streets deeper into the city and then out the other side. We found our abandoned apartment building with ease as we’d scoped it out ahead of time. Our plan was to have Valen and Archer take the driver and the SUV back to where we’d taken it, then drive our rental back here. That way, the driver would be found, and they’d hopefully leave us alone.
Even if they didn’t, we were planning on flying out in a few hours after we sent the first demands to Ilya. We had to keep him on his toes and not give up our location; otherwise, he would send his people after us. We were able to fight back against a few of them at a time, but I had no idea how many he had on the ground in Prague, and I wasn’t about to find out.
“Come on,” I told Avery when we started to drag Maksim out of the SUV. “If you listen to us, we won’t have to tie you up. Otherwise, you’re going to get bound and gagged like Maxi here.”
She nodded, her eyes huge and damp with tears and her face a smear of expensive makeup. With it washed off and her nose red from crying, she looked vulnerable and weak, like a little girl.
I could see the child she’d once been, the one who had been abandoned by our father and abused by everyone she’d grown up with, even those who were supposed to love her.
“Okay, I’m going to trust you. If you try to escape, I won’t hesitate to kill you. Understand?”
She nodded again and sniffled.
“I need you to say it,” I told her.
“I understand,” she said. Her chin quivered, and her eyes began to water again. “I won’t run. I won’t escape, I promise. You’re the nicest person I know.”
And even though I didn’t really trust her, and I could still see her between my legs when I let my guard down, and I had the feeling she would turn on me the moment she saw an opportunity, I gave her a chance. She was my sister, after all, and if I wanted to start a relationship with her at any time, I had to give her the chance to prove her loyalty.
The Kings were on standby waiting for me to figure it out with Avery, but when I turned, they began to walk.
Aver was kept behind Kingston and Ryker, who had Maksim between them, and in front of Archer and Valen, who flanked me. She wouldn’t be able to run even if she wanted to.
We went into the building, took the freight elevator to the top, and stepped out into our suite. It was essentially wide open, made of concrete, and devoid of comfort. There was a single plastic chair in the center of it, and several other office chairs and desks pushed against one unfinished wall.
The guys slammed Maksim into the blue plastic chair and quickly bound his hands behind his back around the chair. They wrapped duct tape around his angled, locking him to the chair legs.
He was mumbling and screaming under the muffled duct tape gag, but I had no sympathy for him.
I walked over, stood in front of him with my feet wide apart, and looked down in disgust.
“You are a fool,” I said with disdain. “You should never have fucked with Ivan’s daughter.”
His eyes narrowed, and he yelled something at me, moving his head around in desperation as he said it. I laughed at how ridiculous he looked and slapped his face to release some of the pent-up anger that was turning my mouth to bitter bile.
He yelled louder, his voice catching in the duct tape and muffling in a steady, “mmm mmmmm” sound.
I laughed in his face and said, “It sucks to be you, asshole.”
And then I took the heel of my hand and drove it into his face. I made contact with his cheekbone and enjoyed the way his head jerked back on contact.
