Ash is close enough to hear the reply. He beams a smile at me. “Perfect.”
Chapter 31
Quinn
Iplay with the stud in my upper ear and ignore Ilya’s scowl. He’s dragged me into a different bedroom with pretty bedcovers and a dressing table that has an actual mirror, but this isn’t an upgrade. I’m in the room they use as a studio for their home videos.
The shutters are open, but there’s no view because the sun has set on another day. I sit in a chair with a large halogen lamp directed towards me. Mikhail is operating the camera set on a tripod, and Ilya is leaning against the wall, out of shot.
“Do as I say, Quinn, or you’ll find out exactly what this room is used for,” Ilya warns.
His threat feels hollow. His uncle isn’t going to be too pleased if I come to any harm, which is why Ilya has been taking my well-being so seriously. The t-shirt and jog pants I’ve been provided with might be practical, but they were bought especially for me, and the grey slop they were feeding me has been replaced with microwave meals and cereal. The balance of power may not have shiftedcompletely in my favor, but it has shifted. Shit. I must actually be pregnant.
I don’t know how to process the news. I don’t think I will until I see a positive pregnancy test with my own two eyes, and with Reid looking over my shoulder. He’s going to come for me soon, and his brothers too, if only to take Ilya down. Now that I’ve activated the tracker, I need to be prepared. If I’m getting out of here, I’m not leaving without the one person I came here for.
“I refuse to read from your script until you let me see Blake,” I say, scrunching up the piece of paper Ilya had thrust in my hand.
“You should be more worried about your baby’s life right now,” Ilya says. He looks down to the balled-up script I’ve thrown on the floor. “Your only value to us is if the Griffins believe Reid’s the father of your child. Implore them to cooperate with us. Use your own words if you have to, but convince them you’re not just a whore who should be left to her own fate. Reid on his own is useless to us.”
My heart does a little stutter. Surely Reid’s brothers wouldn’t leave him to rescue me on his own. He’d be walking into certain death. No. Ilya’s planting seeds of doubt to manipulate me. I hold my nerve. “You said Blake was here.”
I pray I’m not overplaying my hand. I pray Ilya hasn’t already punished Blake and sent her away. I keep listening out for the sound of her voice, or the yap of a little Chihuahua.
Mikhail steps away from the tripod and stretches his neck. “We could get her on the phone.”
“I’m sick of that game,” Ilya hisses.
“I don’t want to speak to Blake on the phone,” I say, poking the bear. “I want her with me.”
“Your sister was never this much trouble,” Ilya says, his gaze traveling up and down my body. “She was far easier to mold.”
“Because you fucking drugged her,” I hiss. “Is she still taking them?”
I don’t like the way Ilya chuckles. “No.”
Mikhail picks up the paper I’d thrown. “How about I shove this down her throat,” he suggests, offering me a grin. “If the bitch can’t say the words, she can eat them.”
Ilya runs a finger over his chin. He taps it twice. “I have a better idea,” he says. “Start rolling the camera.”
I grip the armrests of my chair and lean back as Ilya approaches. Is he twisted enough to assault me on camera and send the video to Reid? I don’t know if our relationship could withstand something like that, with or without a baby on the way.
The baby. I have to protect myself for the baby’s sake.
I’m about to give in and read from his damn script when Ilya takes out his cell phone. He’s standing so close that his leg touches my knee.
“Say hello to your sister,” he says, holding his phone between us. He tilts it so I can’t see the screen.
I’m too scared to test Ilya’s patience again, so I do as instructed. “Blake? Are you there?”
“Hey, Jade. I was just thinking about you.”
“Where are you?”
“Hmm, I’m not sure. I don’t really have that information.”
My brow furrows. “But you know I’m with Ilya, right?”
“You are?” She sounds excited. “That’s great. He’s such a good man. He’s going to look after us. You, me and Gizmo. We’re going to have such good times. And I’m glad we’refriends again. I didn’t like it when you said those horrible things to me.”
