Page 51 of Rurik
Charlotte turned to Meg, her only ally. “Meg,please…”
Meg shifted, biting her lip. Her gaze darted between Charlotte and Damien. “Charlotte, hon, you’re really worked up right now. Once we’ve got things under control, then maybe we can all talk aboutthis…”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Damien said. “Nicholas, Jason, take him to the room next door. Inject him again if you have to. I’ll join youshortly.”
As Rurik was dragged to his feet, his eyes opened and he blinked slowly. Her name escaped his lips in a plea that broke her heart. “Charlotte…”
“Damien, please. Don’t do this.” Charlotte tried to reach for Rurik, but Damien grabbed her wrist, jerking heraway.
“Listen. You’re clearly under his power. We will break whatever hold he has over you.” Damien’s hazel eyes, so like her own, were cold and hard now. This was the sort of man Grigori and Mikhail had feared when they learned of her identity. A man who scaredhernow.
“He doesn’t have a hold over me. Wejust—”
Damien called out to one of his hunters. “Tamara.”
Tamara stared at him, lips parted in shock. “She’s notreally—”
“Just do it,” Damiensnapped.
Something pinched her left arm. She looked down. Tamara was injecting something intoher.
“You’retranquilizingme?”
“It’s a mild sedative mixed with a bit ofverum seri. We need to be certain you haven’t beencompromised.”
As he spoke, the sedative kicked in and her knees buckled.Mild my ass.Tamara caught her and helped her sit in the desk chair by thebed.
“I’m sorry, Charlotte.” Tamara pulled out some zip ties and secured Charlotte’s wrists to the chairarms.
Charlotte’s brain seemed to slow down. Everything was a bit fuzzy, like she’d had too much to drink. She pulled at her wrists, but the zip ties cut into herskin.
“Please… Don’t hurt him.” Her eyes watered, and she blinked, feeling tears trail down her cheeks. She couldn’t help it; she just started crying. It had to be the sedative. It could have an emotionally polarizing effect on somepeople.
Damien sat on the edge of the bed, a grim look in hiseyes.
“I know this is tough, but just answer my questions, and then you can sleep off the drugs. You’re safe now, littlesis.”
But she wasn’t. This was her family, and they were treating her like she couldn’t betrusted.
“What happened when you got to Moscow? What did youdo?”
She tried to bite her lip, but she was unable to control her thoughts as they spun in a kaleidoscope of hermind.
“I went to Rurik’s nightclub,” she finallysaid.
“What was your plan?” Damienasked.
“Recon. See the target, watch his habits, get the lay of the land. I thought I stood a chance of getting his attention where your agents hadfailed.”
Damien shared a glance with Tamara. “What happened at theclub?”
No. Don’t tell him. But her lips moved of their own accord. “I didn’t even have to order the wine. He justknew.”
“Rurik?”
“The bartender.” Charlotte almost laughed. None of this mattered, but she’d tell himanyway.
“Thebartender?”
