“You really think you’re cut out for torture?” I eye her, making it obvious that I don’t think she has what it takes.
“So you’re a big, tough guy who tortures women?”
“If those women happen to be hard-hearted bitches who sell my wife’s virginity to the highest fucking bidder and then force her to be raped every night by random men, then, yes, I am a big, tough guy who tortures women.”
I lean closer so there’s no mistaking how deadly serious I am right now.
“You hurt my wife, and no one fucking hurts my wife and lives. Let me make this very clear to you. You are not walking out of this room tonight, Ruby. You’re in charge of how you die, though. It can be slow or it can be as quick and painless as possible. Your choice.”
She goes deathly pale at the news of her impending death. I’d feel sorry for her if I didn’t know what a monster she is.
“They’ll kill me if I tell you,” she says, making me seriously doubt her intelligence.
“Did you not here what I just said? You will be dying tonight, very soon in fact, by my hand. You don’t need to worry about anyone else coming to do the job that I’m about to do.” I point the gun at her face. “Give me the fucking name, or I’m getting my knife out and I’m going to carve those smug lips right off your motherfucking face.”
She can hear in my voice that I’m not joking. I’m done wasting time with her. I want to end this and go home to Nina. I’m sick of worrying about it. I’m sick of having that jackass on my list. I want it done and over with. I’m so caught up in how much I’m over this shit that I almost miss the name she whispers.
“What the fuck did you just say?”
She jumps at my tone, but I don’t back down. I can’t.
“Colin Fitzgerald,” she whispers.
Volodya takes a quick step back, and before Ruby even has the chance to register what’s happening, I raise my gun and shoot her between the eyes, killing her instantly. Turning my gaze to Volodya, I shake my head, my brain refusing to process the information. Colin, the head of the Irish mafia, the man who I fucking sat down and ate lunch with, the motherfucker who talked to me on the phone about Nina is the man who raped her?
“I’m going to fucking kill him!” I yell in Russian, turning my back on Ruby’s bloody office and racing back down the hall. I’m already calling Nina by the time Volodya catches up to me. Her phone rings until finally it goes to voicemail. The sound of her sweet voice has adrenaline racing through me.
“She’s not answering,” I tell Volodya.
“There’s no reason for him to go there,” he says, trying to calm me down.
“What if he has men watching Ruby’s and he saw us come in? He’s already pissed at me for attacking one of his men. This is the perfect opportunity to take revenge. You and I both know it.”
Volodya doesn’t deny it. He knows better than to try and feed me a line of bullshit. Instead, he hollers up the stairs for Valeri to get his ass down, and then starts shouting for the men to get the women out safely before torching this motherfucker to the ground. I keep trying to call and text Nina while we run to one of the SUVs. Rage runs through me unlike anything I’ve ever known, but underneath it is a fear that threatens to consume me. The thought of him putting his hands on her again has me seeing pure red.
Ilya and Andrei climb in the back with Valeri while Volodya takes the passenger seat. Not a single one of them dares to complain when I peel out of the parking lot and immediately gun the damn thing, pushing it as fast as it will go.
Chapter 15
Nina
The house seems empty with everyone gone. Katya is back at her apartment above the garage, and Svetlana went out earlier to do some shopping. She’s getting excited about the new house that’s being built and wanted to get some things for Andrei. The quiet is starting to drive me crazy. I’ve been pacing and worrying, and when I realize my agitation is starting to rub off on Ruslan, I force myself to stop.
“You’re a good boy,” I tell him, rubbing his big head and laughing when he quickly rolls over, begging me to scratch his belly. I give him what he wants, making sure to spend extra time on the spot by his ribs that he loves so much. When he’s satisfied, he jumps up and shakes his fur out, leaving a puddle of loose hair on the carpet. Tibetan Mastiffs are not the easiest dogs to clean up after, but Ruslan’s more than worth it. I open the door to let him out back, laughing when he gives a happy bark and bolts outside to relieve himself and inspect the perimeter. While he’s out, I grab the vacuum, not wanting Svetlana to have to clean up the mess I made.
When I’m finished and Ruslan isn’t pawing at the door to be let in, I decide I’d much rather fidget and worry in my cozy library. The sunroom is a totally different room at night. It’s so cheery when the sun’s out, even on overcast days, but at night it takes on a very different tone. I still love it, though. It feels cozy in a very different way. With all the windows, I don’t want to turn on the overhead light and put myself on full display, so I stick to the soft light from a table lamp. Grabbing the book I’m almost done with, I settle in and start reading, or at least try to. My mind keeps wandering to Vasily, though, and I keep having to reread passages.
I’m just about to admit defeat and put the book down when a slight movement behind me catches my attention. Before I can turn to look, I feel a hand on my neck and a voice in my ear that I’d convinced myself I’d never have to hear again.
“Miss me, sweetheart?”
My whole body starts shaking at the sound of that voice. It immediately catapults me back to that damn bedroom. The memory so vivid I can feel the ropes around my wrist and the searing pain between my legs as he takes everything from me yet again, stripping me down to nothing.
“No,” I whisper, refusing to believe this is happening.
He tightens his hand around my neck in a rough grip that’s in such sharp contrast to the way Vasily holds me. Even when he’s rough with me, he’s careful and always in control. This man is just cruel, feeding off the pain of others. I let out a frightened whimper before I can stop it when he brings his face closer to mine and I feel the scratchy ski mask against my skin.
“Did you really think I’d just let you run off and get married? Where’s your big, scary husband? He’s not here keeping you safe, is he? I’ll admit it wasn’t easy to sneak in here, but it wasn’t impossible, and poor Vasily is going to be so angry about that,” he says with a harsh laugh.
