The King - S.R. Jones Page 0,97

men, looking right at me, is Popov.

Where is Konstantin? Oh my God, I’m going to die. How did they get in here? Shit, where is he?

I turn to run for his room, but two of the men are already halfway up the stairs.

Where is he?

Then I hear it, loud rock music blasting out from his room. Shit, he must be in the shower. He always plays that damn music when he’s in the shower, and when he’s in the gym too.

Searing pain burns my scalp as one of the men grabs me by the hair. I start to scream for Konstantin because I don’t want him murdered in his shower, but the man covers my mouth. Two more have appeared at the top of the stairs, and one points two fingers twice down the corridor, gesturing toward Konstantin’s room.

Oh God, they’re going to shoot him dead, the same way they did Vasily.

As the guy who has ahold of me drags me down the corridor, I pull away as much as I can, trying to fight back. Then out of the corner of my eye, I see it. It’s a fire alarm, the kind where you break the glass to activate it. Konstantin has normal smoke alarms fitted, but he also has two of these on each floor.

I jab my elbow at the glass viciously, and it cracks. A piercing wail fills the air, and sprinklers above us activate.

Thundering footsteps pound up the stairs, and Popov appears, yelling at his men to leave it.

“Fucking leave it, men are coming from the other side of the property, and this bitch has let Kon know we’re here. We are leaving, now. Bring her, and let’s get out of here,” he screams.

The men do as he says, beating a retreat away from Konstantin’s door and down the stairs, running so fast I can’t keep up. The guy holding me is basically half carrying me. We hit the hallway, and I slip and slide on the now wet tiles. Groaning at my feet has me looking down to see Vasily, and as we pass one of the men next to me puts another bullet in him.

Oh, God, no, no, no.

I’m dragged outside where there are three massive cars with blacked-out windows, their engines idling. Where are the dogs? Then I realize it’s around the time they eat, in the utility room. Thank God, because these bastards would shoot them dead. I’m roughly shoved inside a car just as two men tear around the corner, firing weapons at us. The engine revs, and we peel away from the house, tires screeching as the driver goes hell for leather.

Popov is in the car with me, and he grins at me maniacally as we speed toward the gates. They’re open, but as we near they start to close.

“Fuck,” he screams at the driver. “Get us through, damn it.”

The driver puts his foot down, and we slide through the gates just before they slam shut. One of the cars behind us doesn’t make it and hits the huge iron gates head-on.

As we drive away, I keep watching the scene behind, and see a figure running down the drive, wearing nothing but a towel around his waist and firing the biggest gun I’ve ever seen. He’s got two men flanking him.

Konstantin.

I think I might have just saved his life.

“So, Cassie, we meet finally.” Popov leans forward and rests a fat hand on my knee. I shudder and look away.

Then a thought hits me, and despite it being the last thing I should focus on it, it intrigues, and things that intrigue me help quell the overwhelming panic. “How did you get in the gates and the door to the house?” I ask.

“You hacked me, Cassie, didn’t you? Do you think I don’t have hackers of my own?” He smirks, and unlike Konstantin’s smirk, it’s not sexy, but repulsive.

“Konstantin changed the codes when Denis left with Liza, but even the best system can be hacked when you have the right people to do it. I’ve also transferred twenty million out of his personal account as a fuck you to him for daring to investigate me. But here’s the thing, Cassie. I wouldn’t have known it was you personally who did the deed, if Liza hadn’t told me.”

“Liza?” I thought she was in South America now. I can’t keep up.

“Yes, how do you think she went off radar so quickly and effectively. No way would she and Denis have survived, but I