Mikhail growled.
Niko was getting under his captor’s skin.
And what happens when people get flustered? People make mistakes.
As if sensing what Niko was trying to do, Mikhail released his hair, then straightened up. He smirked, then began walking back toward Reid.
“I almost didn’t believe my eyes when one of my men showed me the picture he took of you two stalking around my farm. It took a bit of searching, but we eventually tracked you down to that piece-of-shit town you call home. I’m guessing that since Benson never reported back, that means he’s dead?” Mikhail asked, shooting him an angry glare.
Nikolai shrugged his shoulders. He didn’t want to give away any information. When dealing with criminals, it was always best to provide as little information as possible. Always keep them guessing and wondering. That way, the ball was always in your court.
“No matter. When I didn’t hear back from him, I figured the idiot probably got himself captured, so I had my men prepare. I knew it was only a matter of time before you came.”
“Bet your men loved our little surprise,” Niko taunted as he pulled as hard as he could against his restraints.
Nothing happened.
“Yes, those clowns were especially…unnerving, Mikhail said in his thick Russian accent. “It appears that I have to hire men with bigger balls.”
Niko couldn’t help but smirk.
Eyes narrowing, Mikhail reached into his back pocket and pulled out a switchblade. He popped out the blade and gave Niko a wicked grin.
Niko swallowed hard. He wasn’t sure what Mikhail had planned, but he needed to distract him until he could figure out a way to free himself.
He struggled hard, using all his strength to pull against the ropes. He felt the rope loosen… just a tad. He needed more time.
Around the clearing, Mikhail’s men stood, holding their rifles toward the ground. All of them grinned when they saw their boss pull out his knife.
Mikhail had a reputation for being brutal to those who betrayed him. Over the years, Niko had seen the results on several of his…workers.
Reid and Nikolai had been the moneymakers. Their punishment was less… physical and more psychological. Mikhail would withhold their weekly allowance for weeks on end, or turn off their power, forcing them to live without heat and go without warm meals. He didn’t want to damage his prized stallions. People paid good money for their flawless skin and perfectly straight teeth. But there were other ways that Mikhail could punish them.
“You know, I’m really tired of you two always getting in the way of my businesses.” Mikhail crouched in front of Reid and brought the blade to his cheek. “Let’s see how cleanly I can remove his eye.”
“Don’t you fucking touch him!” Nikolai snarled, using all his strength to pull at his binds.
The rope finally snapped, and Niko fell forward into the dirt.
Two of Mikhail’s men jumped on Niko, wrestling with him as they attempted to subdue him. Both men failed.
Niko sprang to his feet, then clocked the first guy in his face. The man flew back, gripping his busted nose as he squirmed on the ground.
The second man lunged at him, using the opportunity to knock Niko off-balance. The two rolled around on the ground, punching and growling, and kneeing each other in the gut.
Niko grabbed a rock that lay next to him and brought it hard against the side of the man’s head. There was a disturbingcrunching sound as the man’s eyes rolled back and his body went limp.
With adrenaline pumping through every muscle in his body, Niko leaped to his feet. He didn’t feel any pain. All he felt was anger and rage.
“Turn around and face me!” Niko shouted at his old captor.
A sly smirk spread across Mikhail’s face as he slowly turned toward Nikolai.
“This ends here. You and me. Alpha against alpha.” Niko stood strong, fists clenched at his side.
Mikhail’s men took a step forward, pointing their rifles, ready to shoot. Mikhail lifted a hand, signaling for his men to lower their guns.
“You think you have a chance against me?” Mikhail asked, grinding his teeth as he stared down Niko.
