Page 164 of Pistols and Plush Toys

Then a black car was pulling up to the curb.

“Move,” one of the men said when the door was opened, jamming the gun into Nikolai’s spine. “Unless you want to be responsible for pretty boy getting a bullet.”

Nikolai doubted Vitale would let any of his men kill Elliot, but he also wouldn’t gamble on it. Plenty of abusers took theif I can’t have you, no one canroute, and they’d been actively working to piss Vitale off.

Nikolai wouldn’t risk Elliot.

They both got in the car.

Chapter 27: Elliot

The men who had surrounded them forced them forward, toward a plain black car, and Elliot’s throat closed up as he watched them shove Nikolai into the vehicle.

Visceral, acrid terror suffused his whole body. Because Elliot had no doubt these were Mattia’s men.

Mattia was going to kill Nikolai. And it was all Elliot’s fault.

Elliot was manhandled into the car after Nikolai, and a man with bushy mustache grabbed his hands and zip-tied his wrists tightly together. Another man grabbed the phone out of Elliot’s pocket.

He turned his eyes to Nikolai, only to find him sitting across from him, face set like stone, while a man with a goatee pressed a gun to his temple. Mustache turned to Nikolai next, pulling out a pair of metal cuffs and cuffed Nikolai’s hands behind his back.

All the while, Nikolai’s expression didn’t change.

Elliot bit his lip hard, trying to keep the sobs in. This was all Elliot’s fault. They wouldn’t have even been out to breakfast today if Nikolai hadn’t been feeling guilty about pulling Elliot into his life. If Elliot had just said something sooner, had been brave and told Nikolai how he felt…

Maybe they wouldn’t be here in this car surrounded by men with guns.

Maybe they wouldn’t be on their way to Mattia.

Elliot didn’t think that Mattia would kill him. He’d… he’d make things hurt, but he didn’t think Mattia wanted him dead. But Nikolai—

Mattia would take pleasure in hurting Nikolai before killing him. Elliot knew that down to his bones.

Two men slid into the front seats of the car and then the car slid away from the curb.

As they drove through the city, car silent, Elliot tried to pull his panicked thoughts together in a bid to keep from breaking down. He didn’t want to give these men the satisfaction of seeing him cry. He knew this type, purposefully cruel, because Mattia was cut from the same cloth. He didn’t want to give them reason to hurt Nikolai before…

Before…

No. Think!

Usually they had security with them when they went out, but today Nikolai had driven himself. Was anyone aware they’d been kidnapped? Was anyone… coming to save them? Today’s outing had been unplanned, but had Nikolai told someone where they were going?

He remembered the phone call. Nikolai had told Gerard he would be coming to him. Gerard would have to get suspicious when Nikolai didn’t show up, right?

But would that be too late?

No.No—if Gerard would be coming for them, then… then Elliot would just need to buy some time. He’d need to keep the focus away from Nikolai long enough for a rescue.

Elliot swallowed. He could do that. He could throw himself at Mattia’s feet and beg, as long as it saved Nikolai in the end. Elliot knew what Mattia liked. There were… there were lots of ways he could distract Mattia, please him, and keep his attention away from Nikolai and wanting to hurt him.

If he hurt Elliot instead, then… that—that would be okay.

By the time the car pulled to a stop, Elliot’s hands were shaking. Through the dark glaze of the window he could see theywere in the parking lot of some abandoned business. It was still early morning, the sun bright and shining.

He dared another glance at Nikolai, but Nikolai’s face was cold and blank. Emotionless. His gaze didn’t so much as flicker in Elliot’s direction.

Elliot went back to staring at his hands, eyes hot. He knew that Nikolai had to be sinking into himself, bracing for pain. Elliot had done the same thing himself dozens of times with Mattia. But Elliot hated seeing Nikolai like this. Hated that Mattia would be hurting someoneelse,someone who Elliot cared so much about.

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