Page 65 of Owned By the Russian

Irish.

Recognition slammed into her. She knew these men. Not well, but enough. They weren’t enemies of her father?at least, they hadn’t been before.

So why the fuck were they here now?

And where was Irina?

She swallowed the fear pressing against her ribs and forced her breathing to slow. She needed to be smart. Play this right.

She let them see the fear in her eyes, let her body tremble just enough. Helpless. Scared. Ignorant.

If they believed she was nothing more than a frightened woman in over her head, they’d probably let their guard down.

And when they did, she’d make them regret it.

The man crouched in front of her, tilting his head as he studied her like a specimen under a microscope, a puzzle he was trying to piece together. He was lean but broad-shouldered, with sharp blue eyes and a face that might have been handsome if not for the sick amusement twisting his features.

“I guess all the Nikolai women are as beautiful as they say,” he mused, his voice laced with a thick Irish accent. There was a knife in his hand, the silver blade catching the light, glinting at the tip. He traced the blade across her throat, and she stiffened. “You’re the newest addition, aren’t you?”

Valentina said nothing, only swallowed hard, letting her eyes dart around in frantic confusion. She wasn’t faking all of it?her pulse was still erratic, her hands clammy against the tight ropes?but she made sure to look more terrified than she felt.

Another man, older, with a jagged scar running from his hairline to his upper lip, forming a little bifurcation on the flesh, leaned against a rusted metal table nearby. “Pity we can’t keep her. The Bratva would burn the city to the ground if we did.”

The first man grinned. “Aye, but we’re not keeping her. We’re just delivering a message.” The way his eyes slid to her stomach made her heart clench, and by the look on his face, he seemed to know she was pregnant.

The scarred man shot him a warning look. “Aleksander’s not a man to gamble with. If we want to earn his favor, we need to do this right.”

Aleksander.

Dread curled dip in the pits of her stomach.

So that was their angle. They weren’t here for her?they wanted to curry favor with Aleksander, the Nikolais’ enemy. The very man who almost took her life some weeks before.

And they were using her to do it.

She felt sick but kept her expression carefully blank, letting the terror linger in her wide eyes as she looked between them. “Please,” she rasped, her voice shaking. “I don’t?I don’t understand.”

The first man smirked, reaching out to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Her skin crawled. “No need to, Love.”

She flinched back just enough, like a cornered rabbit, and his smirk widened.

Fucking bastard.

Scarface sighed. “Enough. We’re wasting time.” He nodded toward the back of the warehouse. “Put them in the storage room until we figure out the handoff.”

Them.

Valentina barely held back her reaction as Irina was dragged into the light. She looked unharmed but shaken, her eyes locking onto Valentina’s instantly. Relief flooded through her, but she kept up the act, whimpering as Irina was shoved beside her.

They were untied from the chairs only to be dragged into a small, windowless room. The moment the heavy metal door slammed shut behind them, Valentina started counting the seconds. Listening. Waiting.

They left.

Or at least, they thought she was harmless enough to leave unguarded.

Amateurs.

She exhaled slowly. “Irina,” she whispered.

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