Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 145729 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145729 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
She wanted to be all badass and go through the swamp, but she was still dizzy and a little nauseated. “I’m sorry, Gray, but I think I’ll need the car.”
He nodded. “I’m going to bring it around to the side yard. I’m stashing you close to the road, and you’re not to move. You understand me? Once you’re there, you wait only for me. No one else. Joshua is trusting me with your life and I’m not losing you.”
“I can’t go anywhere on my own,” she assured. All she wanted to do was lie down and cover her eyes. The flames from the fire seemed to dance behind her eyes, burning her from the inside out. Her throat ached from the smoke. Every step she took around the house to the path leading to the road from the cabins in the back jarred her head. Even the old cabins looked good to her. Surely one of them had a bed she could lie in. After a few minutes of walking, the ground looked good enough to sleep on.
“All right. This is far enough. You sit down in this brush and wait for me. I’ll be three minutes, five max. You understand me? Three minutes.”
“That’s all I’ve got,” she admitted. “Much more than that and I’m on the ground asleep. My head hurts so bad and I want to vomit.”
“That sounds like a concussion. Damn it. You need medical now.” For the first time, he looked indecisive.
“I’ll be fine,” she lied, knowing Gray knew it was a lie.
He turned and jogged off. Sonia held her head with both hands and rocked, closing her eyes and praying she wouldn’t throw up. Fire trucks and volunteers surrounded the mansion. She hoped they’d save it. She loved Joshua’s house.
A hand gripped her hair and yanked her roughly backward, so that she fell hard. She stared into Nikita’s face. His eyes burned into hers. “Get up. Men are so predictable. Always the heroes. Of course when you are injured he would gallantly go back for the car, leaving you alone. The little whore. Hopefully we’ll have time to find out why my son is willing to betray me for you. Why a man like Joshua Tregre would give up valuable favors for you.”
With every word, he gave a vicious yank on her hair until she got her feet under her. Tears blurred her vision from the assault on her scalp. He thrust her between two of his men. They grabbed her arms and dragged her toward the vehicle hidden just a few feet away and across the road. Nikita brought up the rear, flanked by two more guards. She was shoved in the SUV and then they were flying down the road, putting distance between them and the burning house.
“Are you going to tell me why my son would trade his life for yours?” Nikita was to one side of her on the seat, and he pulled her head back and licked up her throat. “We might have time for a little entertainment, boys,” he added.
His men snickered. The one on the other side of her grabbed his crotch and lewdly laughed at her.
Nikita leaned close. “I know you think they’ll find you fast. A little process of elimination. Find the houses in the area, somewhere remote for rent, and cross them off one by one. Simple, right? But we’re not going to one of the several houses I rented. We’re going to the last place they will think of looking. We’re going to your house.”
Sonia concentrated on her breathing. She had once thought of this man as family. He’d been the head of the household, and she’d always believed he cared about her. Now she knew he didn’t even care about Sasha. Sasha hadn’t told her what it had been like, controlling his leopard when his father had hurt him – and she knew he had. She knew Sasha’s life had to have been a nightmare.
Nikita didn’t like that she refused to talk and he caught her jaw hard and squeezed. “Pay attention, slut.”
Gatita clawed at her. For a moment, her skin itched uncomfortably. Don’t. He can’t know. We can’t escape. There’s no way to get them all. Someone will shoot us. We have to wait, and if he knows about you, he’ll cage us.
Sonia didn’t respond to Nikita. He squeezed her jaw so hard she feared her bones would break. When she still refused to talk, he licked up her face, from her chin to her mouth. His men laughed. The Russian mobster caught the front of her T-shirt and ripped it down the front. She hadn’t worn a bra, thinking she might have to shift, and her breasts jutted out, exposed to him and his horrible men.
One of them whistled. “Look at the marks all over her. Someone roughed her up.”