A gasp leaves me just thinking of Henry’s body battered and motionless. The sickening image of Leonid standing over him coats my veins like ice.
I throw my hand over my mouth so I don’t make a sound, but it’s too late.
A sudden scrape sounds from inside the office, and heavy footsteps approach the door.
Shit!
I consider running away, but the hallway’s awfully long and I wouldn’t make it to a corner before I’m caught. And even if I wanted to flee, I’m frozen with fear.
My heart slams against my ribcage as the footsteps draw nearer. I make a sign of the cross, praying whoever’s approaching the door suddenly has a change of heart and turns around.
God doesn’t answer my prayer.
The door swings open so suddenly I stumble back.
Leonid fills the doorway. He’s tall and imposing in a black dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms. His dark gaze lands on me. It’s unreadable, yet frightening enough to drain the air from my lungs.
God.
The other three men swing their heads in our direction. I recognize Artem, the one who was with him the day he kidnapped me.
Silence crashes over the room, and for one horrible second, nobody moves. Then Leonid speaks in Russian again, his tone as cold as ice.
“Ubiraysya!”
I don’t understand what he says, but the authority in his voice is enough to make me flinch.
His men stand up immediately. One after the other, they file past me without a word, until it’s just Leonid and me standing outside his office.
“Why were you eavesdropping on me, ptichka?” he asks, his voice quiet in a way that sends trickles of ice down my bloodstream.
Anger surges through my fear. It’s fast enough to steady me and replace the terror I feel with rage that ripples all the way to my bones.
I return his question with one of my own. “I heard you say Henry’s name.” My voice comes out sharper than I expected. “What did you do to him?”
Leonid scoffs at me, but says nothing. And somehow, that infuriates me more.
“I don’t know what games you’re playing,” I snap. “But don’t even think about hurting him or I’ll…”
The over-six-foot giant I’m insanely attracted to steps closer, and the rest of the words die in my throat. His biceps strain as he moves deliberately closer, until his chest is nearly brushing mine. Heat radiates from him, and it’s overwhelming in the confined space.
“Or you’ll do what?” he asks, the fire in his eyes seeping into my skin and burning me until my resolve is ash. I hate the way my pulse reacts to his voice.
I open my mouth to speak, but only an embarrassing gasp leaves my throat.
“You need to understand something, ptichka,” he says in a deep, husky voice. “There are rules in this house, and you must follow those rules.”
My pulse races, and it only gets faster when his gaze slides down my body.
“What rules?”
He places his hand on the wall above me, caging me in and leaving no path for escape. I wonder how he’d react if I tried to make a run for it anyway.
“You do not leave the basement without my permission.”
I force myself to glare at him despite how painfully aware I am of his closeness. The basement door was left open, so it’s not my fault that I snuck out the first chance I got. But I don’t try to explain or defend myself.
Instead, I do my best to push his limits. To see how much I can get away with. I know I’m playing with fire, but the danger makes this even more tempting.
