Page 86 of Deceptive Vows
“Your sister, Gianna. She was special too,” he continued, his tone conversational. “Spirited. Defiant to the end, but otherwise a lovely granddaughter.” His gaze found mine, a sneer on his lips.
Disgust burned in my throat. "Granddaughter" was the term he used for the girls he exploited. I had to dig my nails into my palms to keep from lunging across the desk. “Don’t you dare speak her name.”
Marco stood, slowly circling the desk until he stood directly in front of me. “Tomorrow night, I’ll watch as the highest bidder claims you. And after the auction, I’ll finish what I started with your family. Your brothers will join you and Gianna soon enough.”
I met his gaze unflinchingly. “My brothers will burn your empire to the ground.”
He laughed. “They've tried for years. And every time, I've taken another piece from your family and left just enough behind to keep the game going.” He leaned in slightly. As he moved, I noticed a key card on his belt, similar to the one Roman had used to access the corridors. "History tells me your optimism is misplaced. I'm always three moves ahead.”
He straightened. "But I'm not unreasonable." He paused a beat. "I have a proposition for you. Cooperate with the auction proceedings, behave, look pretty for the buyers, and I’ll ensure your new owner treats you with relative kindness." His smile faded. "Resist, and I’ll personally see that you’re sold to someone who specializes in slowly breaking defiant women.”
I forced my lips into a smile. “I appreciate the offer, but I have a counterproposal. When I get out of here, and I will get out, I’m going to cut your heart out with a dull knife. My face will be the last thing you see before the light drains from your eyes.”
For a brief moment, uncertainty flickered across Marco’s face. Then his expression hardened, and he raised his handas if to strike me.
The door opened before he could complete the gesture. “Sir, the call you were expecting.”
Marco lowered his hand slowly. “We’ll continue this conversation later, Mrs. Volkov. Take her back to the others.”
As he turned, I pretended to sway slightly, letting my shoulder brush against him, and quickly snagged the key card from his belt clip. By the time his gaze returned to me, the card was already tucked against the small of my back.
As Roman led me away, Marco added, “Watch her closely. She’s more dangerous than she appears.”
When I was shoved back into my cage, I didn’t resist. I had what I needed, confirmation of our timetable and a better understanding of the facility’s layout.
“What happened?” Elena whispered once Roman had left.
“Just threats,” I replied. “Did you speak to the others?”
She nodded. “Sophia and Mira are ready. But Alexa is still affected by whatever they’ve been giving her. The others are frightened but willing to try.”
“We’ll need to help them. When the time comes, you take Alexa. I’ll handle the rest.”
Throughout the evening, I worked on my lock whenever the cameras weren’t directly on me. As darkness settled over the room, tension built among those aware of the plan.
Finally, I felt the last pin click into place. The padlock sprung open in my hand. Freedom, at least from this immediate confinement, was within reach.
Moving silently, I slipped out and made my way to Elena’s cage. Within minutes, I had her identical lock open, and she joined me in the narrow aisle.
“The cameras,” she whispered, her gaze darting to the red lights in the corners.
“They’ll know we’re out the moment we start freeing the others,” I acknowledged. “We have maybe two minutes before the guards notice something's wrong on the monitors. We need to move fast and be ready to fight when they come.”
As Elena moved to release the women across from us, I pulled the metal shard from my waistband. "When the guards get here, stay behind me." I crept toward the heavydoor, studying its locking mechanism, a deadbolt combined with an electronic card reader.
A distant sound caught my attention, a sharp crack, like a gunshot but muffled by distance and walls. Then another and another in rapid succession.
Elena froze. “What is that?”
I pressed my ear to the door. More cracks followed, accompanied by shouting and what sounded like a dull explosion from somewhere above us.
“Someone’s attacking the facility,” I whispered, hope and wariness battling within me. "Which means the guards might be distracted." I pulled the key card out and looked at Elana. "We need to be ready to move the second this door opens.”
It could be a rescue. My brothers would be looking for me. Or it could be something else entirely. Perhaps the Gray Wolves were already making a move against Marco.
If Nazar was gone, I’d survive. I’d lead these women out, raze the Wolves to ash, and carve my vengeance into every man responsible. But if he was alive?—
If he was alive, I wasn’t doing this alone.
