Page 25 of Anton

Elizabeth’s jaw tightened. “What he was doing is irrelevant. He was my lover. And because of you, he’s dead.”

“We should have known when you remanded Luca, while your precious MP got bail, that there was more to it than merely corruption,” I said, my voice low.

Her eyes flicked to me as I spoke, a cruel glint in them. “Unfortunately, things didn’t quite go to plan with Luca. He’s out of reach for now, but like the Rominov’s, his time will come. In the meantime, I will just have to settle with starting my revenge from the bottom, with you two, and then working my way up to the pakhan himself.”

Her smile widened, and I could see her relishing the idea. In that second, I realised just how unhinged she was.

“You’re mad!” Marcie gasped. “I don’t know how we didn’t see it before,” she muttered, shaking her head.

“I believe the correct term for me is psychopath. Something I’ve been aware of since childhood. Timothy understood me perfectly. All of this,” she gestured to the men and terrain around her, “was my dream. My Timmy set it all up for me so I could indulge my darkest desires. Hence the name,” she smiled happily, as if she found that romantic.

“You wanted these hunts? You wanted innocent people tortured and killed? But why?” Marcie asked, her voice betraying her disgust.

“They were the dregs of society; hardly innocent,” Elizabeth scoffed. “This was just a fun way of taking out the trash,” she laughed and the men around her chuckled. “These people werethe lowest of the low and I was simply doing society a favour by getting rid of them and providing entertainment, and in some cases, revenge, to my clients in the process.”

“You’re sick,” Marcie cried.

“I prefer to think, enlightened,” she replied with a smirk that could only be described as pure evil.

I clenched my jaw, anger surging inside me. I wanted to fight, to break free and tear the smug satisfaction off her face, and take a bit of revenge for myself, and for all of the victims of this sick operation, but I couldn’t. Not yet. Not with Marcie’s life hanging in the balance. I’d have to get her safe first and then…

“Revenge,” Elizabeth said, her voice cutting into my thoughts, “is a dish best served slowly. And painfully. Which is why I’ve come up with something special for you both.”

She turned slightly, gesturing to another group of men who’d followed her out of the house. “These are my clients. Very powerful, very rich. And they’re here for a little… entertainment.”

My blood ran cold as her words sank in.

“They’ve paid for the privilege of hunting you,” she continued, her tone almost conversational. “No rules, no mercy. Just you two, and them. Oh, and my own men of course.”

Marcie’s breath hitched, her body trembling.

“You can run,” Elizabeth said, her smile returning. “I’ll even give you a head start.” She checked her watch and whispered something to the guy standing next to her, who nodded. “A two-hour head start to make it more exciting,” she aimed the last words toward her ‘clients,’ who responded with nods and eager, twisted grins.

Marcie’s eyes met mine, wide with a flicker of terror before she masked it with a familiar, fierce glare. My Little Miss Sassy. Even now, when most would be begging or broken, she held onto that defiant spark that made me proud.

“But once the hunt begins…” Elizabeth shrugged, as if the ending were a foregone conclusion. “Well, let’s just say it won’t end well for you.”

One of the men leered, his gaze dragging over Marcie in a way that made my blood boil. He reached down, adjusting his belt in a crude, suggestive motion. “Hope she’s a good runner,” he sneered, voice thick with anticipation. “Makes it more fun when they have some fight in ’em.”

Another of the ‘clients’ snickered, leaning toward her with an ugly grin. “I like when they scream,” he said, loud enough for all of us to hear. His gaze didn’t stray from Marcie, and his tongue darted over his teeth as if tasting the fear in the air.

Elizabeth raised a hand, laughing softly. “Gentlemen! Keep a rein on your excitement. You’ll have your fun soon enough.” She cast a smug, knowing look over her shoulder before turning back to me with a smirk that promised nothing but pain.

“Considering your background, Anton, I’m expecting this to be one of our longer hunts. And as such, I’ve decided to be kind and let you stay together, as I believe it will be far more entertaining that way. Of course, it means that one of you will get to see the other killed before you die,” she smiled another sickening smile.

“But just to show I’m not totally unsympathetic to your plight. Here’s a bottle of water to help keep you moving a little longer.”

She nodded to the guy beside her and he threw a bottle of water at me. It landed near my knees and the psychopath grinned gleefully before checking her watch again.

Her grin widened. “Time to run!”

Cheers rang out from the men and my hands were untied. Marcie was pushed towards me. “Run,” the guy behind me shouted, gesturing with his head for us to move.

“Good luck!” Elizabeth’s mocking words grated on my last nerve.

My heart thundered in my chest as the reality of her intentions hit me. We were being thrown into a game—one she believed we had no chance of surviving. But I’d do everything in my power to thwart her plans.

“Come on, honey,” I said, grabbing the bottle and Marcie’s hand, and turned, tugging her behind me as we did what we were told, and ran.

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