Her kidnapper, who’d introduced himself as Yurgio, came around the desk and stood just in front of her legs.Allietensed, not knowing what he was going to do.He reached toward her face; Allie held perfectly still as he grabbed the corner of the tape and pulled it, ripping it off in one tug.
Allie turned her face away from him and clamped her mouth shut to keep from crying out at the burning pain spreading across her lips.As the sting eased, she tossed her hair over her shoulder and looked back up at him.
“You have a good tolerance of pain.That’s good.”Yurgio smiled coldly at her.“I can’t wait to test it out.”He stepped back and leaned against the desk.“You didn’t answer my question.”
“It’s a very nice home.Am I allowed a drink of water?”she asked nicely, when she really wanted to be snarky.
Sandy would have been, but this looked like a man who took great pleasure in causing pain, and she didn’t want to give him an excuse to hit her.
“Of course.”Yurgio snapped his fingers, and a bottle of water was handed to her.The lid was already off.She looked up at Yurgio in question.
“It’s safe.If I wanted you dead,kleine maus,you would already be dead and your carcass along the side of the road.”
Allie didn’t speak Russian, so she didn’t know what he had said, but she didn’t think it was a compliment.“How comforting,” she mumbled before bringing the bottle to her lips and drinking slowly.The cold liquid instantly revived her parched throat.She used the back of her hand to wipe the water off her lips.The person who’d handed her the water instantly took it away.
Wow, these guys were paranoid.Like she was going to cause any damage with a water bottle.
“I’m pretty sure you didn’t kidnap me to ask about your recent house takeover.So why am I here?”
Yurgio folded his hands over his chest.“You are a lesson to your boyfriend.”
“I don’t understand.”What did Carson have to do with this?She’d just assumed this was a random attack or hoped they’d taken the wrong person.
“Carson Payton Townsend killed my little brother,” Yurgio said without any emotion.
“I’m sorry for your loss.Things happen in war—”
“This was no war accident,” Yurgio snapped, voice cracking like a whip.“This was cold-blooded murder.He stabbed him in the heart with this.”Yurgio pulled a knife out of the breast pocket of his blue suit and held it up for her inspection.
“How do you know it was Carson?”That knife could belong to anyone.
“Because he and his friends were chasing my brother down.My brother gripped his hair as he died.I had the hair analyzed, and it came back as his.”
Allie had felt the baldspot on Carson’s head.This wasn’t a vendetta from years ago when he was in the SEALs.This was more recent.“Killing me won’t bring your brother back.”
Yurgio pushed off the desk and walked around behind it to take a seat.“No, but he’ll know what it’s like losing someone close to him.”So, he did still intend to kill her, but slowly and painfully.She could see the murderous intent in his eyes.He enjoyed killing people and inflicting as much pain as he could before he finally ended them.
Allie couldn’t wait any longer hoping for rescue.She had to get out of here now.She’d rather die starving in the woods or desert than at the hands of this man.
“There’s only one problem with your plan.”
“And what’s that?”he asked, still appearing casual.Why wouldn’t he be?He had the upper hand.Her hands were tied, and she was outnumbered.
“I have no intention of dying today,” she said, braver than she felt.Allie had no false hope that a rescue was coming; she’d have to think of a way out of this herself.
Yurgio laughed and pushed up from his seat to stand before her again.One hand rested on the armrest of her chair and the other still held the knife.His face was right before hers.His legs braced hip-width apart in front of her.“I do admire your spirit.”The hand holding the knife lifted and stroked along her cheekbone.She could feel how sharp the blade was as it glided along the length of her cheek.She turned away as it reached toward her ear, slowly so she didn’t cut herself.“I’m really going to enjoy breaking you,kleine maus.”
Yurgio could laugh all he wanted and threaten her.She’d be the one laughing when she got out of here.She’d beencompliant before because she knew she’d been outnumbered, and they had the vantage.
But now they’d underestimated her.Only two people were in the room; Yurgio and the guard.Yurgio pushed away from her before she could act, looked at the guard, and nodded.“Take her to the cellar,” he ordered before looking back at her.“I’d hate to get your blood on the floor.”
The guard non-too gently pulled her to her feet.She could feel his pistol against her side.It was in a holster in his inside jacket pocket.It was now or never.Her brothers had taught her what to do in hostage situations.
She hadn’t paid as much attention as she should have since she’d thought it was a moot point.She owed her brothers an apology when she got out of this.
But one lesson she remembered was never to let them take you to a secondary location.Allie took a step and then kneed him between the legs.She pulled his pistol out of its holster before head-butting him in the nose.The guard fell back on the ground like a sack of grain.Allie spun back to face Yurgio.
He smiled broadly, not at all intimidated that she’d just incapacitated his guard and now had a gun aimed at him.She knew it was loaded by the weight of it.Her thumb slid up to the safety to make sure it was off.
