He issues a command, and the other man unfastens the chain. He yanks hard, and it rips my foot from under me. Shrieking, the back of my head smacks against the tub, and then I’m dragged out of the bathroom and down a dank looking hallway. The walls have water stains all over them, and the air is stuffy.
My breaths explode over my dry lips, and panic rushes through me as I try to grab hold of something.
A rough tug makes the shackle bite into my skin, and it sends a cramping ache up my leg, ripping a cry from me.
Wildly, my eyes dart around, taking in the men, the kitchen, the table, chairs, guns, knife on the tabletop. I scramble to my feet, but a harsh slap sends me staggering to the side before I fall to the cold concrete again. My ear stings as I try to look everywhere at once.
“So this is his woman,” a man says as he gets up from where he was sitting by the table. He has an air of power around him, giving me the impression he’s the one in charge. Mid-thirties? Black hair, dark skin, lifeless eyes.
Crouching by me, he grabs hold of my jaw. His fingers dig into my skin as his eyes drift over me with a look of disdain. I’m instantly filled with revulsion, and I try to yank free of his hold.
His lips curl back, and he shakes his head. “Patetik.” His accent is thick and abrupt, reminding me of Russian.
“Tristan and Alexei will come for me,” I spit the words out. It’s the only hope I have with the dire situation I’m in.
I bring up the memory of Tristan’s face when the darkness takes over. How merciless he looks. His powerful body. His love for me.
Tristan will come, and he’ll kill them.
Every single one of these bastards is going to die.
My captor smirks and lets go of me with a hard shove before rising to his feet. “Let them.”
I watch as the man removes his watch, and then he lifts his chin at the two men who dragged me here. They come right at me, and grabbing hold of my arms, they yank me to my feet. I struggle against their grip on me, but it’s only a waste of energy.
A helplessness I haven’t felt before shudders through me.
Tristan.
The one who’s in charge sneers as he pulls his arm back, and I try to brace myself for the blow. His fist connects with my jaw, sending a sharp ache through the side of my face and skull. It feels as if my brain rattles, and my vision goes spotty. Sweat beads on my skin, and even though it was sweltering a second ago, an icy chill creeps over my skin.
Before I’ve recovered from the blow, his fist connects with the exact same spot. My mouth fills with blood, the copper taste exploding over my tongue. My vision goes black, and even my teeth ache.
My sight blurs as it comes back, and then he grabs hold of my aching jaw, his fingers digging painfully into my skin. He forces my face up until our eyes meet, and then he chuckles, “Beg for mercy.”
I don’t know where the bravery comes from, but I spit in his face, dotting his skin with droplets of blood.
I expect him to finish what he started, but instead, he begins to laugh while he pulls a handkerchief out of his pocket. He wipes my spit and blood from his face.
When his eyes lock with mine again, he actually looks impressed. “Now I understand why you’re his woman.”
He reaches for the back of a chair and drags it closer to me. “Sit.”
I’m shoved down on the wooden chair, but their hands keep a tight hold of my shoulders.
My eyes stay on the leader as he takes a seat at the table. Taking his time, he straps his watch onto his left wrist. His dark eyes drift over the ankle boots, jeans, and coral-colored sweater I’m wearing. “Remove the shackle.”
One of the men comes to crouch by me, and disgust ripples through me when his fingers brush over my ankle. I want to take the chance and kick him, but knowing I need to get free of the shackle, I keep still.
“Hana Cutler,” the one in charge mutters, drawing my attention back to him. It doesn’t surprise me that he knows my name.
“Your man interfered in my business.”
I figured as much.
“He cost me millions of dollars.”
I give him a I-don’t-give-a-fuck look, but it only makes him chuckle.
“Brave but stupid,” he mutters. He leans forward, resting his forearms on his thighs as his expression darkens. “I can make some of my money back by selling you. Someone will pay a lot to break your spirit.”
Fear claws down my spine, settling hard in the pit of my stomach.
Tristan, hurry.
“But.” The word is sharp, and the man has my full attention as I wait to hear my fate. “Killing you will send a message that I’m not to be fucked with.”
The threat tightens every muscle in my body as my fight or flight instinct flares through me.
‘Fight, my light,’ I hear Tristan’s voice as if he’s right here. ‘Your darkness is coming.’ My body darts forward before it even receives the message from my brain.
I just have to stay alive long enough for Tristan to get here.
With the single purpose, my fist connects with the man’s cheek. Hands grab hold of me, and I let out a feral cry as I’m yanked back. I kick. I scratch. I slap and punch. I do everything I can, but the last thing I see before fists pummel me is the sneer pulling at the man’s busted bottom lip.
Chapter 26
TRISTAN
Alexei stops the SUV in the middle of fucking nowhere.
Glancing around us and seeing nothing but grass and trees, I ask, “Where the fuck are we?”
Alexei points to our right. “There’s a house a couple of miles that way. It’s where Prifti will have Hana. He wants us to come.”
“No element of surprise,” Demitri adds. “Be ready.”
Pulling one of the Glocks out, I take the safety off before climbing out of the car. Keeping the gun pointed at the ground, I join the others in front of the vehicles.
Alexei takes a moment to look at his men, then his eyes lock on Demitri’s. “Don’t die.”
Demitri nods, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly.
When Alexei’s eyes meet mine, he says, “Stay close to me.”
Just wanting to get to Hana, I nod.
When we begin to walk, Alexei takes the lead with Demitri and me flanking him. I notice how Demitri shadows every movement Alexei makes as if they’re one. I heard Demitri was trained his whole life to protect Alexei, but seeing them work together is something else.
My eyes continuously scan the area for any threat, and my heart beats violently.
Demitri signals for Nikhil and Sacha to spread out. I watch as Nikhil takes our far left and Sacha our far right.
When we come through a clearing of trees, movement to our right has me swinging in that direction. I let out a breath as I watch Sacha bury a blade in the back of one of Prifti’s men before dragging him between the trees.
The sight of the killing makes the corner of my mouth lift, and adrenaline begins to trickle into my veins.
When a fucked up house comes into view, Demitri and I move a couple of steps away from Alexei. Bringing the Glock up, I tighten my grip on the handle.
The windows are all boarded up. It looks like someone had spare wood and just hammered it all together to make the piece of shit house.
Movement from the left of the house catches my eye, but before I can even react, Demitri takes the shot, dropping whoever it was dead on the spot.