Page 116 of With This Kiss
Shouldn’t the man be driving off now that I had paid him?
I turned around to see him getting out of the car. His dark eyes glinted with something malicious. I took a step back, but I was caught by surprise and fear, and he quickly ate up the distance between us.
He smiled.
“You make this too easy, girl,” he said, leaning down until his lips touched my ear.
I shivered with disgust. “He’s not even here.”
I didn’t think Reign was hurt in the first place, but that photo…
It looked real. And despite the blood and bruises on the face, Reign’s features were unmistakable.
He chuckled softly against me, wrapping his arms around me. Fear kept me immobile. “Why don’t you come in and see for yourself?”
He picked me up from the ground, and I struggled in his arms then, trying to get away. He only tightened them around me and started to walk toward the cabin.
I swung my legs, trying to throw him off-balance.
He squeezed me to him painfully. “Stay still, little bitch. Or it’s going to get really unpleasant for you once we get inside.”
It was already going to be unpleasant, no matter what. I didn’t listen to him. It didn’t matter. He still managed to bring me inside the cramped, damp space.
It didn’t look like the cabin had much of anything. No running water, no furniture, except for a chair in the middle that I was sure had been set out for me, and four other men.
In the corner was a small lamp. It was that and a small open window as the only source of light coming into the space.
I tried to fight my way out. One of the men stepped forward and grabbed my legs to keep me from struggling. He said something to his partner in…Russian?
Was this a Bratva man?
But the cab driver… he didn’t look like he belonged to the Bratva, but rather to the Italians.
Was the Bratva working with the traitors of the Caparelli Famiglia now?
They pushed me toward the chair and tied me to it. They weren’t gentle. I grunted when I felt the rope dig into my skin, and one of the men caught my eye and smiled at that, as if he was getting satisfaction from seeing me in pain.
I bit my lip to keep from making any more sounds. Once they had me tied up, all five men stood in front of me, staring at me like a pack of hyenas eyeing their prey.
I swallowed, but my throat caught.
“Wh-what do you want?” I asked, hating the way my voice shook from fear. The men looked at each other and then laughed.
I had never been more terrified of a laugh before in my life.
Then they all turned and walked away from me. I frowned in confusion. Not that I wasn’t grateful they were leaving me alone for now, but… why were they leaving me alone?
Were they waiting for someone else? Someone even worse than these men?
I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath, trying to stop myself from shaking. I didn’t want to give them the satisfaction of seeing me scared.
It wasn’t long before I heard wheels on gravel outside. My ears strained as I tried to listen, trying to figure out what was happening. One of the men looked out the window and saidsomething in his native tongue. How I wished I had listened to Caine when he suggested I learn Russian.
I could hear the door slam shut and then footsteps. The door opened again, letting in some of the natural light inside and blinding me momentarily. I blinked, letting my eyes adjust until I could see the person standing in front of me.
“Tito?”
He sneered at me. “Did you really think I would let you go that easily?”
