Page 112 of Fierce Pursuit

“She became too much of a liability,” he said, as if it was the simplest answer in the entire world. “Her silly games were no longer amusing, but I doubt I am going to have that problem with you, am I? No, you are not like your sister, you are a good girl.”

His eyes traveled up and down my body, my skin crawling in the wake of his unnerving gaze.

I let his question hang in the air, not sure how to answer.

If I agreed, it was the same as telling him I welcomed his lecherous advances. Not that he was the type of man who cared about consent.

If I rebuked him, he would just shoot me.

Instead, I looked out of the window as the car moved from the stop-and-go traffic of the city to the smoother speed of the highway. The car sped up as it merged into traffic, to take me even further from the city and Kostya and into New Jersey, with whatever horrid fate awaited me there.

“You will find I am not so bad once you learn to behave,” Oleg said, reaching over and running the tip of the gun barrel from my shoulder down my arm.

My spine stiffened with my attempt to suppress the shudder that ran through me at his next words. “You will learn to love the things I can do to you.”

Bile filled my mouth as I refused to give him the satisfaction of a reaction, instead watching the cars as we sped past them, praying Kostya was in one of them, coming to save me from this monster.

Did he know where I was? Was he able to follow us?

Oleg wasn’t subtle. He left two bodies lying on the garage floor.

It was practically the mafia’s version of a breadcrumb trail.

Would it be enough?

I had to pray it was. I had to pray that Kostya came after me, or at least the money. The duffel bag was sitting on the floor next to my feet, the stacks of bills still bound and haphazardly piled in it. Oleg had taken only a moment to glance inside the bag to make sure it was all there.

Then he just tossed the bag on the floor as if it were nothing more than an inconvenience.

Maybe it wasn’t as important to Oleg, but Kostya had chased me across the world for that bag.

Surely he would come after it again?

My heart ached.

It told me that Kostya wanted me, that he felt something for me…but my head was less convinced.

He made it clear he and Veronika weren’t a love match. He showed me over and over that he wanted me…but was it for me or because I was there, and he had…

No.

I refused to think of Kostya like that.

He pursued me. It may have started because my sister asked him to keep me safe, but I was sure it was more than that. It had to be…right?

Doubt and fear had my mind reeling while Oleg’s attention to me had my stomach twisting in disgust. I laidmy head against the cold glass of the window, hoping the chill would help my body settle.

I closed my eyes for a few moments, focused on my breathing.

Oleg was still talking about my learning to behave.

I blocked it out.

If it was all the same to him, I would rather he just shot me. It seemed like a far more pleasant way to die than to be his pet.

The car jolted to the side, yanking me away from the window.

I grabbed the seat in front of me to stop myself from sliding into Oleg.

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