Anger at his imperious attitude and superior strength warred with the idea that I could still keep my dignity. I thought he was rescuing me at the time, after all, and did not want him picking me up again. I jumped up and scampered after him, ducking the firm hand he put on my arm. He looked me over with a scowl and sighed, tugging me in the opposite directionand into another bedroom. It was even bigger and more lavishly furnished than mine, but with more masculine decor.
Oh God. His bedroom. So much for dignity. I started to sink. Keeping a grip on my arm, he pulled me into the massive closet and propelled me toward the back, where several women’s outfits hung behind all the custom suits.
To my utter shock, he turned around, waiting for me to put something on. Confused as hell but grateful to have something more than a blanket to cover me, I grabbed the first thing and pulled the simple cashmere dress on over my head. It would have looked a whole lot better with proper undergarments, but I wasn’t about to ask.
His eyes swept me again, pupils dilating when they rested on my chest. I was petite, but well-endowed, as my mother liked to say. Without a bra, I was pretty much on full display under the soft, clingy fabric. The way his eyes roamed me made me shiver, but I only stared straight ahead and didn’t cover myself with my arms.
Still silent as a tomb, he tugged me back out of the room, down the stairs, and outside. I kept my eyes peeled, but of course, there was no means of escape. Discreet guards were posted at regular intervals as we moved farther onto the property, past the manicured garden and pool. My nerves weren’t exactly settled since he came to fetch me, but they kicked into overdrive the further we got from the house. I knew what my cousin kept at the outskirts of his property, as well as exactly what the shed was used for.
Sure enough, we eventually arrive at a small, squat building, similar enough to Aleks’s torture shed that my heart started beating double time. Weak with fear, Gavril had totighten his grip on my arm as he opened the door and nudged me through.
Simon was there, the guard who betrayed my family. He looked quite a bit worse than he did after the few punches he voluntarily took to throw Aleks off after handing me over. His swollen, bruised eyes caught mine, and he made an unintelligible noise before looking away.
If he felt bad, I hoped so. If he was scared witless just then, I really hoped so.
Gavril let go of my arm. “Explain to me how you came to be in the hands of the auctioneers.”
I took a breath, pointed to Simon. “He was supposed to be my guard. I don’t know how he tricked my family into trusting him, but he brought me to those men.”
The words were barely out when Gavril raised his arm and shot Simon through the head. His body slumped over as far as his bindings would allow. I didn’t have time to blink, and the sound of the gunshot reverberating against the metal walls of the shed still rang in my ears as Gavril led me back toward the house.
I was stunned into silence until we were more than halfway there, then wondered if this was a rescue effort, after all. “Are you going to return me to my family?” I asked.
No answer, only more stony silence as he picked up the pace. Perhaps I should have been sent reeling at the sight of the sudden execution, but sadly, it wasn’t the first I had seen. I didn’t enjoy them, wished the world was the sort of place where they didn’t have to happen, but was I sorry that Simon was dead?
Hell, no. And honestly, Aleks would have drawn the guard’s suffering out a lot more.
Gavril remained silent until we reached the double doors leading from the garden into the house. He paused and looked down at me, finally answering my question.
“I’m going to keep you safe my own way.”
I had nothing to say to that, fresh confusion and more questions swirling in my mind. Inside the house, waiting in the grand entry hall was a priest, tall and gaunt, clutching a prayer book. Beside him stood a woman wearing a stiff cardigan over a staid sweater and trousers that looked like they’d snap into pieces instead of fold. A guard stood off to the side, messing around on his phone until he spotted Gavril.
“Everything’s ready, sir,” he said.
The woman handed Gavril some papers to sign, then he handed the clipboard to me. My eyes skated over the blur of words, my dad’s warnings coming back to ring in my ears. Never sign anything without reading it first. Gavril pushed the pen into my hand and guided it to the line next to his, giving me a meaningful look.
Sign it.I did.
With his arm locked around my shoulder, he moved me to stand beside him, facing the priest, with the woman on one side of us and his guard on the other. I was so dazed I didn’t snap to what was going on until the priest uttered that Gavril could now kiss his bride.
What? I jerked my head down as he leaned over, feeling his lips brush against my hairline. I staggered back, ready to bolt, but he caught me by the wrist. The priest and his assistant, as well as the guard, all took off as fast as they could.
They knew I wasn’t a willing participant, and it didn’t matter. Some church must have gotten a hefty donation, ormaybe an entire new building, for this insanity to be possible. I knew it happened, but to me?
When Gavril didn’t force the kiss after I dodged him, I looked up to find him waiting for me to respond in some manner. Okay, I would do that.
“What the hell?” I asked. I was actually married to Gavril Bocharov? “What is this even for?”
“I was only able to take you out of that auction without causing severe backlash by telling those men you were my fiancé,” he said, eyes boring into mine.
“You’ve never heard of a long engagement?” I yelped, beyond fear at that point.
“If they don’t truly believe it, there will be retaliation,” he said, expressionless, like a shark. “There still might be. Like I said, I’m keeping you safe.”
“All you have to do to keep me safe is return me to my family,” I told him, all but pleading. His eyes wouldn’t leave mine, and I couldn’t look away.
A flicker of a smile crossed his face as he leaned closer. “This way is more fun for me, though.”
