Page 87 of Savage Claim

I found Artem trying to flee through the window in the office. It wasn’t a large window, especially not for a man of Artem’s stature, and it took me aback for a moment, seeing such a proud man trying to weasel out of yet another death that I owed him. “Are you even a man?”

He dropped from the window, going for his gun, but I shoved the desk into him, knocking the air out of his lungs. I tackled him to the ground, punching him hard enough that I knew I cracked his jaw as I split the skin on my knuckles open on his teeth.

I put my foot on his thigh and grabbed his ankle, yanking his leg upward until I heard his knee pop. Artem tried to scream, but he still couldn’t catch his breath, so he wheezed and writhed instead. “Kill…me…”

That made me laugh. “I have something for you,” I said, ignoring his breathless plea and pulling out my phone. “I have been saving this for months.”

I opened a video that I had in a private gallery and pressed play, holding the phone over his face so that he would be able to see. I didn’t need to see it to know what was happening: Efram Volkov, begging for his life, pleading to see his brother, as I shoved a gun barrel nearly down his throat. Artem’s eyes flared with pain and rage, but when he tried to move, to grab for the phone, I stepped on his leg again. The pain was so bad that he gagged.

I heard the sound of choking from the video: I had jammed the barrel of the gun nearly into his throat, breaking teeth and stretching his jaw. Then, there was the gunshot when I pulled the trigger.

Artem’s eyes were wet. I could practically see him plotting his revenge.Well, we can’t have that now. “You’re going to live, Volkov,” I told him. “Every day, I’m going to bring in one of your loved ones and give you the live show of me ending their life. When I’ve run out of people, then I’ll let you die.”

As if on cue, Damian came through the door. He took one look at Artem and whistled. “Fuck, boss.”

“How’s it going out there?”

Damian couldn’t stop staring at Artem. “We found Alfie. He was supposed to plant explosives after Artem got the baby. He’ll have a nasty concussion later, but we didn’t kill him.”

Good, I thought. I would need to hand him over to the FBI somehow. “Take them both back to the estate for me?”

Damian nodded. “Of course.”

Isabella

I was shivering, despite it not being anywhere near cold in here. “It’s shock,piccolina,” Elio told me, rubbing my arms. “You’ll be okay.”

“What about—?” I glanced over the side of the table at Dr. Coleman. He’d gone awfully still. “I should check on him.”

Elio shook his head. “He’s dead.”

I wanted to argue that he couldn’t know that without checking properly…but identifying a dead body was probably one of those skills that Elio had developed keenly over the years. “Where’s Lorenzo?”

“Dealing with Artem. He’ll be back soon.”

I needed to see him now. Even if he was furious with me, I wanted my eyes on him. I wanted to be in his arms. “Can you go check for him?” Before Elio could refuse, I continued, “No one else is in here but a dead man, right? You’ll be right back.”

Elio let out a sigh. “Fine.” He held up a finger. “Don’t you move from this spot.”

I gave him a weak smile. “I won’t.”

As soon as Elio stepped out, however, I climbed off the table and bent down, snatching the 10-blade from where Dr. Coleman had dropped it.

“You’re a terrible liar, Izzie.”

I knew Santino was here. He stepped out from behind one of the machines that had been draped in green hospital tarps. “I inherited it from the best.”

“You could have just pointed me out to that behemoth friend of yours. He’d break my neck in a second. Instead, you’re letting me walk out of here.” He cocked his head to the side. “Why?”

“Artem’s dead,” I said. “Or, he’ll wish he were very soon. I know what Lorenzo wants to do to you, and as much as I cannot stand you, I don’t want that for you either.”

Santino’s smile was arrogant, nauseating to look at. “So, why did you pick up that scalpel?”

I held it up. “I’m giving you one chance, but if you come anywhere near me, I’ll slice you up.”

Santino stared at me and then at the door. “I won’t contact you again,” he promised.

“Fall off the face of the planet,” I told him.

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