Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 84968 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 425(@200wpm)___ 340(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84968 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 425(@200wpm)___ 340(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
"Seventy thousand," I growled.
Remembering what she told me last night about her father's gambling and abandonment.
Like the vicious bastard that I was, I'd only been interested in the information to manipulate her into doing what I wanted. Goddammit. I should have asked more questions. At the time I just assumed she was paying back a fucking casino or maybe a credit card company.
And here my sweet little kitten was being threatened by some low-life thugs. Fuck.
The fact that I was also threatening her was different.
These bastards were sadistic animals who got off on terrorizing innocent women.
At least when I used leverage, it served a purpose beyond cruelty.
Kostya shook his head. "I know what we paid her, and the strip club pay was decent considering she wasn't on the pole, and since her grandmother qualifies for assistance the nursing home cost is practically covered. But the place she lived in was a shithole. Her bills are past due, and she has no savings I can find. Unless it's going up her nose or in her veins, which I doubt… the math doesn't add up. Someone's bleeding her dry."
My vision narrowed as the full picture crystallized.
Their words barely registered.
My mind was already working, already planning the kind of pain that was both creative and absolute.
I would find every person involved in terrorizing her. And I would make them understand that touching what belonged to Pavel Ivanov came with consequences that lasted lifetimes.
I would find the bastard responsible for this, and I would carve him apart, piece by agonizing piece, until he understood what it meant to truly suffer.
Alina had secrets.
But so did I.
And mine were about to become someone's worst nightmare.
I was going to uncover every single one of hers, and someone was about to learn just how dark my secrets could be.
CHAPTER 17
ALINA
The cold metal of the cuffs bit into my wrists as Pavel unlocked them, leaving behind raw, irritated skin.
I resisted the urge to rub at the lingering sting, blinking against the sudden brightness as he yanked the hood from my head.
My eyes stung as I tried to think through the disorientation while everything around me seemed to shift and blur.
After hours—days?—spent in darkness, my senses struggled to adjust.
I thought I slept some, but I couldn't be sure.
All I knew was that my head pounded, my throat was painfully dry, my stomach empty, and my arms ached from hanging above my head for so long.
Every muscle in my body protested from being held in the same position for too long. A fog seemed to cloud my thoughts, making it hard to focus on anything beyond the physical discomfort.
Before I could orient myself, Pavel reached for me.
I shrank back, away from his touch, curling my knees to my chest, trying to make myself smaller.
Harder to grab.
His eyes darkened, his lips curling into a scowl. "Come here. Now."
He ordered me like a dog.
My stomach twisted at the command, but I stayed frozen in place.
My muscles were too heavy with fear and indecision.
Did I follow his orders and come to him, ever the obedient pet, or did I run?
What else was he planning on doing to me? Would running make it worse? Could it get worse?
"Where are you taking me?" I asked hesitantly.
"Don't ask questions," he bit out, reaching for me again.
I jerked away from him, acutely aware of how naked I was. "Can I at least have something to wear?"
"No."
"Please, I'm cold." I asked again, and he gave me a flat look. "Can I take out the…the…thing?"
My cheeks burned with humiliation, as my core ached from his brutal cock and my ass was still stretched around the…I couldn't even say the words—butt plug.
"No." His word was final. "Come here and do as you are told, or I will get a bigger plug for your pretty little ass."
Before I could react, his fingers closed around my ankle, and he yanked me across the smooth sheets.
I tried to claw at the bed, to grasp onto something to stop him, but the silk gave me nothing to grip.
A startled gasp escaped me as I landed in his lap, my body colliding with his chest.
My legs spread over his thighs, giving him access to whatever he wanted.
He grabbed a fistful of my hair and held me in place.
For a moment I thought he was going to kiss me, then for another, longer moment I thought he was going to take out his cock and make me ride him, taking me again like the brute he was.
The room was eerily silent.
No movement. Just the two of us.
Like we were the only two people left in the world.
My skin prickled as I waited to see what he was going to do. What did I want him to do?
The tension broke when he let go of my hair and pushed me off of him just to sweep me off my feet, literally.