Page 105 of The Pakhan’s Accidental Bride

"Don't you dare touch me," she snaps, backing away from him. But Luca is patient and methodical. He approaches her carefully, his movements gentle but purposeful.

"Miss Walker," he says quietly. "Please don't make this difficult."

"Difficult?" Her voice rises. "You're kidnapping me!"

"I'm escorting you to your room," Luca corrects. He reaches for her arm, his grip firm but not painful. "Come on."

"Emil!" She looks at me, her blue eyes blazing with fury and betrayal. "You can't do this!"

I don't respond. I just watch as Luca guides her toward the door.

She digs her heels in, trying to resist. "Let go of me!"

"I'm sorry," Luca says, and he sounds like he means it. But he doesn't release her.

Kiera twists in his grip, trying to break free. When that doesn't work, she switches tactics. "Luca, please. You don't have to do this. You're better than this."

He doesn't answer, just keeps moving her steadily toward the exit.

"Fine!" Her voice turns sharp, dangerous. "When I get out of this room, I'm going to make you regret this. I'll put laxatives in your coffee. I'll short-sheet your bed. I'll tell everyone about that time you⁠—"

"There's nothing you can tell anyone that will make a difference," Luca says calmly. "And you're not getting out until the Pakhan says so."

"I'll find a way. And when I do, you're going to wish you'd listened to me." She's still threatening him as they disappear through the doorway, her voice echoing down the hallway. "I'll put itching powder in your underwear! I'll replace your shampoo with hair removal cream!"

The door closes behind them, muffling her continued threats.

Silence settles over the interrogation room.

I turn my attention back to Arnie. He's stopped squirming now, his one good eye fixed on me with pure terror. The gag is still in his mouth, but I can hear the muffled sounds he's making. Whimpering. Begging.

"Let's try this again," I say, walking toward him. My footsteps echo on the concrete floor. "Did you hire someone to shoot at Kiera?"

He shakes his head frantically, the movement making him wince from his injuries.

I study him for a long moment, the swollen eye, split lip, and the bruises covering his ribs. He's a mess, and part of me takes satisfaction in that.

But another part of me, the part that's been trained to read people for decades, believes him. He's too terrified to lie. Too broken to scheme.

This pathetic piece of shit didn't hire a professional assassin. He doesn't have the connections or the intelligence for that.

Still, the thought of what he did to Kiera makes my blood boil. My hands curl into fists at my sides. I want to kill him. The urge is so strong, it's almost overwhelming. I want to make him suffer the way he made her suffer. I want to hear him scream and beg and cry. I want to break every bone in his body, one by one, until there's nothing left but a whimpering mess on the floor.

It would be easy. So fucking easy.

But I can't. Because if I do, Kiera will never forgive me. She'll look at me the way she looked at me just now, with horror and disgust and fear. And I can't stand that look.

So I force myself to step back. To breathe. To think.

"What do we do with him?" Luca asks from the doorway. He's returned from escorting Kiera to her room.

"We can't let him go," I say. "He'll run straight to the police."

"We could make him disappear."

I consider it. It would solve the problem cleanly. No witnesses. No complications.

But Kiera would know. She'd figure it out. And that look would be back in her eyes.