“Stop!” The image shifts again, and the man from the press conference—Pavel—yanks Marina against him and presses a knife to her side. She whimpers, and a small red spot stains her dusky pink dress.
Dimitri makes atsk tsksound over the line. “If you take another step, Pavel will start cutting. We can make her bleed in many ways.” His heavy footsteps echo over the call, and the camera angle changes. Is that…is she in a boat? “What happens to her now depends on you, Sophiana. Do exactly as I say, and your friend will remainmostlyintact. Disobey me, and not only will Pavel hurt her, but we will set the boat adrift. Lake Zurich is so big, she will bleed out before anyone finds her.”
“P-please. Don’t hurt her,” I manage. “She doesn’t know anything about you! I kept quiet, just like you told me to. I didn’t tell anyone! I swear on my life!”
“On your life?” He laughs. “Or on hers? Listen very carefully,shlyukha. You will keep your video on, but I will not. Can’t have anyone seeing Ms. Marsh in this state, after all. You will not return to the party. Go out the door and to your left. At the end of the hall, there is an exit that leads outside. Tell that cocky American you are sleeping with that you need some air. Say only that. Nothing more. I have no doubt he will insist on coming with you. But that is okay. My men are waiting, and they will stop him from interfering.
“Promise me you won’t kill him!” My voice breaks, and my chest feels like someone is squeezing it with a giant pair of pliers. “I’ll do what you want. But let Griff and Marina live.”
My mind is reeling. If I can’t talk to Griff, if Dimitri is watching everything, how can I tell him what’s about to happen?
The panic button.
Carefully, trying not to let Dimitri see my movements, I reach for the button taped just under my arm. But no matter how hard I push, I don’t feel the center of the device move. The boning in the dress runs right over the quarter-sized circle of metal. Shit.
“I am a reasonable man, Sophiana. And I have no reason to kill this…Griff. He did not take you from me. He did not lead the police to my door. No. That was you.”
“Do you promise he’ll live?” Each word is harder to force out than the last, and all I can focus on is the terror written all over Marina’s face. Until Dimitri turns the phone again so I’m staring right at him.
“You have my word. Provided you do not try to warn him or deviate from my instructions in any way. Remember to keep the phone held high so I can see your face. Oh, and keep talking to Ms. Marsh as if she is up in her room with a bad hangover. That way I know you have not put the call on mute. Go. Now. Before Pavel decides he wants to have some fun.”
Marina screams, the sound muffled, but full of pain, until the audio falls silent and the video turns black. All I can see on the screen now is my own face and Marina’s name.
Once Dimitri has me…he’ll kill me. And I didn’t even tell Griff I love him.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Griff
What is taking her so long?
The dress, you idiot. She told you it was taped in at least six different places.
Checking my watch and my phone, I’m about to text her when the door to the ladies’ powder room opens and Sloane emerges, holding her phone up in front of her.
“You should have stopped with one glass of champagne,” she says. “We’ll be back to the room in an hour or so.” As she reaches my side, the phone almost slips out of her hand, but she rights it quickly. “Drink lots of water. And hang on a second, Griff’s here.” Her gaze flicks to mine for a brief moment, worry in her eyes behind the contacts. “I need some fresh air. Can we go outside? There’s a door at the end of the hall. Dealing with this dress was…difficult.”
“Outside?” Her fingers curl around my prosthetic, and she holds on so tightly as she tugs me with her, I know something’s wrong. “Sloane, wait.”
“Please? I didn’t take a Xanax before the party and knowing Marina’s sick…I’ll be fine once we get outside.” A tear shimmers in her eyes. I’d do anything for this woman, but my instincts are screaming at me to stop her.
“Marina?” I ask. “Are you okay?”
We’re at the door now, and Sloane stops, staring up at me. Her fingers tremble as she touches my cheek, then the left temple of my glasses, activating the camera—and the recording ability.
Fuck. She’s warning me.
“I’m sorry,” she whispers, then opens the door and bursts out into the night.
“Sloane!” I call as I race after her, but the second the door closes, my head explodes in pain, and a beefy arm wraps around my neck, cutting off my air. I drive my right elbow back into my attacker’s gut, but he’s huge—and fat—and it does little to dislodge his iron grip.
A second man, no more than a shadow, grabs my arms and wrenches them painfully behind my back.
“Don’t fight them,” she sobs as a third asshole wraps massive fingers around her bare arm and jerks her against him. “Don’t fight and you’ll live. He promised.”
My vision dims. “Sloane…” I croak, but she’s already fifty feet away, sobbing until the big, dark-haired thug slaps her across the face.
Letting my body go limp, I only have time for a single thought before the world goes dark.Volkov. She’s talking about Volkov.
