Page 7

She fought back, teeth bared. Kicking out, she hit one guard in the knee, twisted under the second man’s arm, and nearly gained her freedom before the first guard caught the back of her cardigan. The fabric tore further down her shoulder, and instead of trying to cover herself, she spun and swung both cuffed hands like a club. The chain caught the guard in the mouth. Blood spurted, and a surge of victory for her rose in my stomach, almost letting me smile.

I might be pissed as hell at what she’d taken from us, but damn if I wasn’t proud of her for not giving up. It wouldn’t save her from us, but for the second time tonight, I reconsidered the memory of her five years ago and the woman in front of me.

“You bought her.” The auctioneer flattened his body against the edge of the stage. “Get her out of here. She’s ruining the auction.”

“Fuck off.” He was right, but I wasn’t giving him the satisfaction of admitting it. Instead, I crossed the distance while two of our men secured the nearest exit. Behind me, Kirill was explaining something to one of Baranov’s men with his fist…gleefully.

The woman saw me coming and backed away. No recognition crossed her face. Nothing but pure fear, then anger. “Get away from me.”

I stopped outside her kicking range. Judging by the way she balanced her weight, she was still considering it. “You can walk out, or my men can carry you out. Your choice.”

“You think those are my only options?” Her gaze slid past me, shooting toward the exit.

My men stood there with their weapons drawn, and I waited for the moment she realized all of her exits were out of the question.

“I didn’t steal your money.” Her chin lifted. “You have the wrong woman.”

“We’ll discuss this somewhere quieter.” Somewhere I could think without Baranov’s banshee wail and the thud of fists on flesh that had me wishing to join the fray. Then again, if I was out there, I wouldn’t be standing in front of her, waiting for the moment she realized who we were. We should’ve been out already, but Maksim had everything under control.

A fresh burst of shouting erupted behind us. The auctioneer swore and ducked again as Kirill shoved Baranov facedown across a table.

I shook my head at him. “Kirill.”

“Maksim said alive. He didn’t say in one piece.” Kirill flashed his smile at Baranov and withdrew a knife. “Now, will you go quietly or shall I remove a few fingers?”

“Who the hell are you people?” The shrillness of her shock raced through me.

That was new. Most people knew us on sight, or by name. She seemed oblivious. A remarkable actress. I stalked forward one slow step at a time. “You know who we are.”

Her head moved side to side in slow motion but she never moved it far enough to break eye contact. Good. She knew better than to lose track of me.

The auctioneer scrambled to his feet and reached for her arm. She lunged at him before he touched her, and I caught the chain between her cuffs. Furious, she whipped around and drove her elbow toward my ribs. I blocked and tightened my grip on the chain. “Do that again and I’ll assume you want me to stop being polite.”

Her eyes widened, then she kicked me. I swung my leg back so her heel glanced off my shin.

Kirill laughed behind me. “Play time’s over, Roman.”

Maksim joined us, stepping through the mess without looking left or right. Baranov had been restrained, his soldiers disarmed or dead, and everyone else scrambled to get the fuck out of our way. Maksim pinched her chin between his thumb and forefinger. “We’re leaving, and you are coming with us. Unconscious if necessary. I leave that decision up to you.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you.” She twisted in my arms as I pulled her close, turning feral in her thrashing.

I lifted her off her feet, tossed her over my shoulder, and moved along the service corridor to where our vehicles waited beneath the building. Engines idled, and additional men were positioned at either end of the underground garage. Kirill remained behind long enough to ensure Baranov remained alive for questioning, then joined us.

My man opened the SUV door, and I threw the woman inside. She scrambled to the other side and yanked on the door handle, hissing when she realized we were not stupid enough to leave it unlocked.

Maksim climbed in beside her while I took the seat opposite, Kirill joining me.

Nothing about the woman suggested five years of living on thirty million dollars, plus whatever she’d taken from Baranov. That proved little. Competent thieves didn’t display stolen wealth.

Our men took us to our Manhattan complex, going straight to the underground parking and standing back while we hauled the woman into the elevator and up to our interrogation room.

“Tell us what we want to know, and this all ends.” I locked chains in place while Kirill watched my back, making sure she didn’t club me the way she had the guards.

Her mouth twisted in a sneer. “I’ve already told you. I didn’t take anything from you.”

Kirill pulled his knife and sliced her clothes off so fast she didn’t even have time to gasp. With one savage tug of his hand, she was left naked and exposed in front of us. He leaned over her, the knife blade flashing in the light as he turned the blade toward her. “Five years ago, you went to bed with us. When we woke the next morning, you were gone, and so was our money.” He trailed the tip of the knife along her jaw, then down between her breasts before he stepped back.

A shudder tore through her entire body, her nipples peaking in the cold air pumping in from overhead vents. “I…you…no.” She barely breathed the last word. The recognition should have made this easier, the betrayal more resolved. She stared at the three of us with her mouth hanging open, chest rising and falling as her hands clenched.