“Too afraid to tell me what you really think in English, princess?”
“I said… I hope your dick shrivels up and dies and you burn in hell for eternity.”
He stops laughing for a moment before I feel his hand fist in my hair, and a pained whimper escapes me.
“That wasn’t very nice. I would think you’d be grateful for my attention. I know you’ve been watching me all these years.”
“I’ve been watching you to make sure you stay away from me. You’re disgusting,” I tell him honestly. Despite the terrible situation, I feel a little relief at finally telling him how I really feel after all this time.
“You know your brother never cared about you, right?” The change of subject is a little abrupt, and I think he’s just trying to hurt me now. But the joke's on him; I already knew my brother didn’t care.
“What gave it away, Einstein? The fact that he tried to sell me? Or the fact that he handed me over to you?” I spit out sarcastically. His hand tightens, and I suck in a pained breath through my teeth.
He leans over me more, his crushing weight making it hard to breathe. He whispers in my ear as he tells me, “The truth is, he doesn’t care about you at all. Especially not now that he’s found his real prize.” I frown, unsure what he means, and he must see the look on my face cause he chuckles. “Ahh… So you haven’t figured it out yet.”
“Figured what out?”
“That the real bargaining chip here is Elias.” My eyes widen in surprise.
“But he threatened to kill him,” I say in denial.
“That was just to make you compliant.”
“If that’s true, why are you telling me now?”
His free hand runs down my side until it lands on my hip, and he gives it a bruising squeeze. “Because after I’m done with you, it won’t matter. You’ll have no fight left in you.”
“I’ll never stop fighting,” I tell him angrily as I try to buck him off me to no avail.
“Regardless. Even if you do escape…” His hand trails up my side and onto my shoulder blade. He presses a spot with his thumb, and pain shoots through me.
“Svoloch!” I scream in Russian.Holy mother of muffins, what was that?!
“That right there is how we’ll always be able to find you.”
My mind reels with that information. Is there a tracker in my back? How had I never noticed it before? I think about every time Robert has found me. The first time, we thought it was the vehicle or phone. And I assumed they had followed us back from our stakeout the other night.
But if Robert had been tracking me this whole time, he knew I was following him across state lines. That’s why he never tried to take me again after that first time; it was easier to wait until I came to him. Maybe he decided it was better to attack than to wait for us to go after him, as we did.
Or else they were watching our safe house and waiting for the right moment. And Elias and I stepping outside on our own was the perfect opportunity for him.
And of course, he wants Elias; not only is he a highly skilled hacker, but he has insider knowledge. He’d be a huge asset for Robert, or for him to trade to Ivan.
His hands move to my wrists, and he yanks them over my head, holding them both in one of his large hands. I twist and pull, and try with everything I have to get him off me, but he’s a big guy, and he doesn’t budge. If anything, he seems amused by my attempts, which just makes me panic more.
Tears stream down my face as his free hand pulls the back of my dress up, exposing my ass to him as he runs his palm over it.
“No!” I scream in fear. His hand slides up until his fingertips can dip under the edge of my panties, his hand moves back down, right down the center of my ass, toward the last place I’d ever want him to touch.
I scream at the top of my lungs, and a loud bang has me jolting in surprise—cutting my voice off. Suddenly, Carlos' weight is pulled from me, and I try to use my hands to push to my knees, but they tremble beneath me. I press my face into the bed as tears roll down my cheeks.
Get a grip and get up!
I try to push up again, and suddenly someone's rolling me over. I open my mouth to scream, but a hand clamps over my mouth. My eyes shoot open, and I’m met with a pair of concerned, beautiful brown eyes.
Relief fills me as he lifts his hand. “Elias!” I whisper, throwing my arms around his neck as he pulls me into his lap, my legs straddling him as I cry into his neck.
“It’s okay, sweetheart. I’m here now, I’ve got you.” It takes me a minute of his soothing words and soft stroking of my head and back before I’m able to stop trembling and crying.
