Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 76022 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 380(@200wpm)___ 304(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76022 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 380(@200wpm)___ 304(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
“What?” Konstantin barked. “The money is in the vent?”
“Well, not anymore.”
“You did steal it,” Konstantin, trying to keep up, said.
“Nope. Not me.”
“Who then?”
“Why should I tell you? I mean, you have to kill me now, right? You just kidnapped me. I can’t live to tell that story, can I?”
Mikhail took a step forward, everything about him menacing. And I remembered that there were worse things than death. Namely, the kind of pain that made you wish you were dead. That was what they could do to me. To make me talk. To punish me for not just readily giving them the information they wanted.
I didn’t want to die.
I didn’t want to be tortured to death a little bit more.
“Okay. If you won’t torture me and you promise to make sure my dog doesn’t die, I will tell you.”
All I got from Konstantin was a flick of his wrist.
Taking that as agreement—since I didn’t really have much choice in the matter anyway—I sucked in a deep breath.
“It’s Irina.” There. It was out. Though neither brother showed any sign of what they thought of that. “Well, I guess, it’s partly Irina. I mean, I don’t think she actually stole it herself. Just enabled it. Or planned it. I guess it was the guy who did the actual stealing and hiding. And, tonight, retrieving.”
“What guy?” Mikhail asked.
“I don’t know his name. The guy who had the job before me. At least that was what Irina said.”
“How do you know this?” Konstantin asked.
“Because I heard it. While hiding in the walk-in.”
“When?”
“Tonight. I was about to leave and I heard someone coming in. I thought it was maybe you two again,” I added, sighing. “But, nope. It was the two of them, talking about hiding the money and getting it out. Once they were in the front trying to open the vent, I ran out the back. I thought you guys were them.”
There was complete silence following my words. I wasn’t sure if that was because of disbelief or if they were processing, adjusting.
“Don’t you have cameras?”
Mikhail looked at me for a long second. “They can be turned off remotely.”
Right.
Because of all the kidnapping, maiming, and murdering. Couldn’t let a pesky security camera get in the way of all that fun.
“And Irina has access.”
“She must. There have been… gaps.”
“Yeah, well, that certainly wasn’t me. I don’t even have a key.”
The brothers shared a look.
“So, my dog,” I said again. “Really just prop open the back door. She can go in and out as she pleases, get food and water. Eventually, Saul will figure out that she is all alone.”
“Saul.” Konstantin’s posture—already freakishly proper—went ramrod straight.
“Yeah, Saul. Garza. Oh, well, I guess everyone around here knows him by his road name: Coach. Coach will realize she is alone and take her for me. He promised.”
“Saul,” Konstantin repeated.
“He’s the only man she really likes.”
Tears flooded my eyes thinking of Trix, of Saul, of all the moments I would never get to have with them.
I kicked myself for waiting so long to go to the clubhouse, to give in to the desire that had been simmering between us since he saved me from falling off the ladder.
“You have to promise,” I said, my voice thick as the first tear slid down my cheek. “Please.”
“You’re dating Saul Garza,” Mikhail said.
“I…” wasn’t. Not really. But I was about to take a bullet to the head. Who cared about technicalities? For just a second, I was going to date Saul. Be wildly in love with him. “Yeah. I mean… not for long, but yeah.”
Konstantin barked out something in Russian that cracked the air like a whip.
Then the two of them were speaking in rapid-fire Russian, their body language agitated. Then Konstantin waved at me, and Mikhail moved behind me.
This was it.
And he still hadn’t promised.
“Please promise about my dog,” I demanded.
Mikhail moved right in close, making me tense.
But then there was a click.
And my wrists were suddenly free.
I yanked my arms forward without thinking, cradling them to my chest as I looked up at Konstantin.
“How much?” he asked.
“How much what?”
“How much will it cost?”
“I don’t know what you’re asking me.”
“Your silence. How much will it cost?”
“My… silence?”
Wait.
Were they… going to let me go?
Going to let me go and… pay me?
“Wait… what? You want to pay me to not talk about kidnapping me?”
“Name your price,” Konstantin said.
“So you want me to just… go back to my life and pretend this didn’t happen? Keep coming to work?”
“That part is entirely up to you. But it would be less suspicious if you at least pretend to continue working there.”
I looked between the brothers, trying to figure out what the hell this shift was all about.
But it had to come back to the club.
To being… afraid of him?
“Are you afraid of Saul?”
To that, they shared a look.