Scowl throws up his hands. “It will do the reverse. You know nothing. You are not trained to think.”
I really want to jump in and agree with Scowl.Black eye or no black eye, if you really want to blackmail my father, you should’ve taken Connor.
Suit gives me a full view of his back to further belittle his underlings while they continue to hypothesize about what Grigori Rostov will do when he sees me.
They already have this Doyle accountant guy. Can’t they just release me?
Given my father’s role as the head of a criminal enterprise, logic dictates that I will not talk to the police about this.
My father probably wouldn’t hand over even his least favorite possessions in exchange for my life.
I’ve spent so much time denying my true identity that I don’t even know my father at all. I can admit I’m guilty of that much.
But if I were a gambler, I’d place bets that he’d save Doyle over me. His empire is all he’s ever actually cared about.
Terrifying to admit, but true.
Twelve hours ago, the man referred to me as a whore.
Rostov will be disappointed when this deal goes south.
You boys kidnapped the wrong kid.
They’re idiots. But they’re also mobsters. And when they realize I’m useless, there’s no reason for them to keep me around.
For the first time since the Russian abducted me, I truly believe I might die.
Thick, cold, clarifying fear slices through me.
I need to get the fuck out of here.
I inch back a little. I’m now one foot farther away from my captors, and they didn’t even notice a thing.
The golden wall glitters behind me. A perfect backdrop for a firing squad.
Presumably, they all have guns, and I’ll be an open target unless I can get around those weapons and somehow find my way to freedom.
After two more tiny steps back, I remind myself to breathe.
Beyond that wall, maybe twenty feet or so, I spy a semitruck, dead to the world and catching cobwebs. My best chance is to sneak behind the wall, then duck under that semi.
Alternatively, I could go past the truck and through the building and pray there’s an exit or a small dark space to wait these men out. Or maybe I can just hide in the semi’s undercarriage.
If I trip the Russians up with my speed and smaller size—and they lose track of me—I can reach the streets at some point and scream with all I’ve got. I’ll have to rely on the good citizens of Los Angeles County to come to my rescue after that. But I have faith.
I slink another four steps back and exhale.
It’s like I’m not even here…
I wonder if I can risk ditching my shoes. Even though I’ve cracked a million jokes about being able to run a marathon in these pumps, I’d rather not put that theory to the test.
Between the three of them, Suit is definitely the one in charge. I pray he’s the long-winded type.
I retreat a little more and then pivot about thirty degrees so I can peek around the wall to plan my path.
I wait a heartbeat.
And then I run.
