Mike clamps something cold and damp over my mouth, cutting off my attempts to call anyone for help. The almost clinical whiff of chemicals hits me hard, and my breath catches.
I know what this is…what it means.
The garage spins around me before long, then it fades to nothing.
***
My pounding head is the first thing that registers.
Slowly, sensations creep in little by little until my limbs feel like cement. For a second, all I see is darkness, and everything feels distant, almost like I’m underwater.
Then a voice cuts through the haze, reaching me with a familiar sharpness.
"I thought you were smarter than this, Kitty.”
Like a wave, everything comes rushing in, and I blink against the bright light that assaults my senses. My vision swims until it settles on the last face I want to see right now. The one I thought I had escaped.
Yuri.
He paces in front of me, wearing all black pants and a cut-off shirt, and his expression twists in a scowl. The room is surprisingly open, but dark aside from the light above us. The concrete seems to hold the cold air in.
I feel the frigid metal of a chair beneath me, and at a glance, I find myself bound to it. Not tightly, but enough to make a point. Enough to keep me where Yuri wants me.
I swallow against my dry throat. “You haven’t called me that since we were kids.”
Yuri pauses the moment I speak, glancing at me without betraying anything. “Good…I’m glad you’re awake," he utters, folding his arms. "We need to talk."
"Jesus, Yuri," I croak, hating how sore my throat feels and how much effort it takes for me to form each word. "You had Roland knocked out and drugged me just to ‘talk’?"
He doesn’t flinch at the accusation. “I did what I had to. You certainly didn’t leave me much choice."
I glare at him. "There’s always a choice, and you chose the worst possible one.”
"You married him,” he says plainly, standing over me with a complete lack of warmth. He may be my brother, but he sure doesn’t act like it. At least, not until it conveniences him. The words hang heavily between us. “You chose a Lukov over your own brother.”
"Don’t make it sound like it was a romantic choice," I snap. "It was a strategy on his end, and he forced me into it. You know that."
“I do,” he says pointedly, dark eyes narrowing slightly. “And yet, you had every chance to get away and come to me that night at the casino. You could’ve given in, both joining me and handing Sergey over, but instead, you ran off. You could’ve helped secure our family’s legacy here, but instead, you stayed with him. He and his brothers are nothing but tyrants.”
“Like you’re any different,” I return, feeling as my emotions begin to heighten. “I made it clear that I wanted nothing to do with this.”
“No, because you’ve been stubborn and blind to everything you could’ve had by joining me. You’re supposed to be mine to protect," he spits, not afraid to make his disdain clear. "Not his to use."
My heart clenches at his accusations, finding myself resisting any negative connotation when it comes to Sergey now.Especially while knowing Yuri would’ve had a worse fate lined up for me. “He hasn’t used me, but you would have. The choice was obvious.”
Anger sparks in his eyes, but Yuri seemingly pushes it down and sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I didn’t want this. You were supposed to come with me and help me secure our place here. You wouldn’t have had to do anything but follow my lead. I would’ve let you stay away from the gritty details.”
“You make it sound like a partnership, but that’s not how it would be. Besides, even brushing against this life is the last thing I want. I told you as much a hundred times, but you never listened. You and Dad pushed and pushed, then you let him die."
His eyes flare with anger at the mention of it. "That wasn’t on me. Dad was a fool for allying with the Nikolaevs. He did all of that on his own.”
“Maybe that’s true, but you escalated things after the fact. Your actions drove the Lukovs to act, and you made it impossible for me to stay out of it,” I return, letting my voice rise to match his. “I never would’ve been on their radar otherwise.”
He stares at me with something unreadable in his eyes, then he shakes his head. "It doesn’t matter anymore. I’ve got you back as I planned, and now we can do things differently.”
My brows pinch together as I stare at him in disbelief. “And you think kidnapping me is going to fix this? That ignoring my wishes again will mend things?”
"I think removing Sergey and his bastard brothers from the equation will."
