Page 13 of Captive Union
“Because I wanted to see how stupid you were. Now, I know. And I don’t have time for stupid.” I whip my gun out and shoot him in the head.
Kira gasps so loudly that it almost startles me. The other men look on, finally understanding their place. They just learned the lesson that you don’t fucking mess with Erik Novikoff.
I calmly put my gun away. “Now, Kira and I will be leaving. You can stay and hang out here for a while if you want. I suggest someone clean up this mess before it smells.” Some of Sam’s brain is scattered on the ground. It’s an ugly sight, for sure. “And remember to do your fucking jobs. Don’t mess with Kira again.”
Kira flinches away from me as I grab her by the arm and hoist her from the couch. I walk through Sam’s blood and brain matter. Kira scrunches up her nose, trying to walk around it as best as she can. My little lamb is grossed out by blood. We’re so different. Blood is my way of life. You don’t get to where I’ve gotten, the way I fought and scraped back up the ladder, without bloodshed.
All my men are quiet as I take Kira back to the car. Once inside, I sigh as I settle into my seat next to Kira.
“I can feel you looking at me,” I say before facing her.
She quickly looks away again.
“You can look at me, you know.”
She keeps her eyes firmly planted on the floor.
I gently grab her chin and turn her face up to me. “You don’t need to be afraid.”
“I just saw you kill a man,” she whispers as usual.
“He was a dirtbag anyway. It’s no loss to me. Why? Are you upset?”
“You just scare me,” she admits.
“You don’t need to fear me. It’s not you that I’m going to hurt.” I lean down and brush my lips over hers, so faint and barely there but enough to send a jolt through me. Kira’s breath hitches. I sit back, letting go of her chin. “It’s time to take you home.”
She frowns before turning her eyes away. I’m going to need to teach her how to make eye contact. I’m going to teach her how to be bold. All the while, I’m going to get my revenge. It’s so sweet that I’m almost happy.
As Dave gets back into the driver’s seat and starts the car, I put the hood back over her head, sad to see her pretty blue eyes fade from view.
CHAPTER5
Kira
Ican’t stop the shivers wracking my body as the car takes me to an unknown destination. The fear coursing through me is both hot and cold, a strange mixture that makes me feel very aware of my surroundings while wanting to pass out and hoping this is all a dream.
The world around me is one brown blur. There’s enough air at the neck of the bag for me to breathe, but it’s not exactly comfortable. That’s Erik’s plan. Give me enough to not completely fear him but not enough to make me feel safe.
I still don’t fully understand why he chose me. To hurt Maxim? But then why not just hurt him? Why use me as a pawn?
As I shiver in the car’s backseat, the overwhelming desire to draw on my sketch pad hits me. It’s the one place I feel safe putting down all my thoughts and feelings. Now, I don’t have that. I don’t have my family. I’m alone.
Erik’s quiet next to me, the occasional shift in his seat is the only sound coming from his direction. I’m grateful he’s not trying to make small talk. I’m terrible at it. When he tried to get me to talk about being shy, I wanted to shake him for asking such a stupid question. Who asks a shy person why they’re shy?
I wish I were bolder—that I could stand up to him and tell him off. That’s what Elena would do if she were in my position. She’d probably make Erik feel so bad about himself that he’d let her go just to get her to stop talking. I’m the opposite. A scared young woman who can’t even make eye contact with her scary yet handsome captor.
And why does Erik have to be so handsome? He’s absolutely terrifying, and his good looks aren’t helping. They just make me feel even more disoriented.
As the car starts to slow, it goes over a bump before driving a few more feet and stopping completely. I whip my head around, my heart beating faster, sweat beading all over me. Why have we stopped?
I want to drive forever because driving forever means Erik can’t take me to his home and make me “his.” When he stated to his men that I was his and his alone, I wasn’t flattered. I never asked to be claimed by a man like him, and yet, I have no choice. I have no power here.
A car door opens, letting the cool breeze of the night air wash over me, which makes me shiver harder. I can feel Erik get out, leaving me alone in the car. At this moment, I never want to be surrounded by anyone else again if it means having to spend time with Erik. I jump when my car door opens, and Erik’s hand grips my arms, helping me out. I stumble when my feet land on the ground, and Erik rightens me, helping me stay steady with his strong hands.
He holds onto me a beat longer before letting go. “Come on,” he murmurs, grabbing my hand and leading me toward his house. The bag is still over my head. Clearly, he doesn’t want me to know where we are, so I can’t somehow get word to Maxim.
The immediate warmth of his home envelopes me once we step inside, and finally, he removes the bag from my head.
