Page 129 of Sinful Promise

I don’t need to see to know whose voice that is. I’d recognize that voice anywhere.

“Igor,” I croak, as I look up to see him standing by the door.

His arms are folded across his chest, and he’s looking down at me with a feral smile on his lips.

“Nice of you to finally join me, Danil. I will say what a pleasure it is to be in the presence of a Koslov.”

I’m fighting to stay conscious. Any minute now, my body is going to lose the fight, and it will be game over, not just for me but for Emily too.

I need to stay awake.

“And having Emily with us was a little unexpected addition, but welcome nonetheless.”

“Go to hell,” I spit.

“Now, now. Where are your manners, Danil? If your father were here, he would be very disappointed in you.”

“Fucking bastard.” I pull against my restraints.

The rope burns my skin, and I grunt as the skin tears.

Igor chuckles. “I’d try to conserve your energy if I were you, Danil. You’re going to need it.”

“You touch Emily, and you’re dead,” I growl.

“Oh, and you’re going to stop me, are you?” He takes a step toward me.

There are no weapons in his hands, but that brings me little comfort. It would take nothing for him to wrap his hands around my neck and squeeze until all the air left my lungs.

I need to play this carefully, and I need to play this right if I have any chance of saving Emily.

I try to ignore the painful pounding in my head. “What do you want?”

“There’re many things I want, Danil.” Igor drags a nearby chair over to me and sits down.

He’s so close that his knees are almost touching mine and even with my limited vision, I can make out every scar on his face that serves as a permanent reminder of just how dangerous this man is.

“My, my. That looks like a nasty bruise.” He reaches out to touch the delicate skin beneath my eye with his calloused finger.

I can’t help but notice the blood caked beneath his fingernails.

“I doubt Emily will want to go anywhere near you when you look like you’ve been in a bar fight.”

“And whose fault is that?”

“My men were under strict instructions to bring you to me alive. Though from the looks of the wound on the back of your head, I’d say you’re barely hanging on. Maybe Emily won’t be the only one dying today.”

“What do I need to do to make sure you spare her life?”

My shoulders are starting to ache from having my hands tied behind my back, and the slightest of movements is making the raw skin on my wrists start to bleed.

I used to think that using cable ties would be the worst as you could bind someone's hands so tightly that you could cut off the blood circulation until the hands eventually die.

Mikhail has been known to use such a technique, but I’m willing to bet that rope is worse.

It’s negative conditioning. The more you attempt to pull your hands free, the more the rope burns and the skin rips open.

But it’s not enough to stop me from trying.

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