I insist. “You said it yourself. Matvei has so many people in his pocket. If he and I wind up dead, they’ll see that you were on the security tapes and they’ll arrest you. Nikolas will grow up without anybody in his life. Do you really want that for your son?”
His confidence is wavering the more I talk. “Do you believe in love, Victoria? Do you believe in doing anything for love?”
His question catches me off guard, and for a moment, I look out the window, unsure how to respond. “I … I think I do? I’m not sure.”
“How are you not sure?” he asks, glaring at me. “You of all people associated with that family must be the one to believe in it. I was there when Morozov’s man broke into your home and tried to assault you. You stayed with Morozov to protect your father. You sacrificed yourself for that man. What is that, if not love?”
“I suppose you’re right.” Had I not cared about Dad’s well-being I would’ve let him figure out his own problems. “Why do you ask?”
“I ask because I believe that love is the most valuable thing we as people have. Love controls all of us, even if we’re driven by a lack of it. People like you and Dmitry took love from me. You stole the woman of my dreams. And now you all have to pay for it. So, if you say another word, I promise to you that I will put this gun in your mouth and pull the trigger.”
I sit back in my chair and close my eyes, squeezing my knees hard. No more talking. There’s no talking my way out of this.
All I can do is think.
Think of how to outsmart this man.
Think of a way to escape.
The rest of the ride is silent, and after thirty minutes, we pull into the driveway of an abandoned house. My stomach sinks when I look around at the other houses scattered around. This whole place is a ghost town. There doesn’t seem to be anyone else around for miles. The weight of isolation settles down on my shoulders, and I realize that right now, there’s only me and this killer.
No one is coming to save me.
I have to do this myself.
Rogers parks and turns off the engine. He reaches into his jacket, and with the gun in his hand, he gestures for me to get out and head inside.
I swallow the lump in my throat and step out of the car, walking to the front door. When I twist the knob, it opens without resistance.
It’s clear that this place has been abandoned for years. The living room is filled with dusty furniture, each step I take creaks loudly, and it all smells severely of mothballs. I have no idea what happened to this neighborhood, but it’s clear that it was nothing good.
“How will Matvei react when he finds out he lost you?” Rogers asks suddenly.
“W-what?”
“How will he react to the news that I’ve taken away the woman he loves?”
“Matvei doesn’t love me,” I say, looking up at him. “I’m his nanny. He’s my boss.”
Rogers clicks his tongue. “Now, now, don’t lie to me, girl. I know how he feels about you. I’ve seen the way you look at each other. Matvei’s cameras aren’t the only ones in that mansion, you know.”
The idea of Matvei loving me is absolutely ridiculous, but I can’t help but wonder if he’s right. Does Matvei feel something for me other than lust when we sleep together?
“I don’t know,” I say, turning away from him. “You don’t know anything about me.”
“No,” he says, stepping closer to me. I take a step back, but I don’t have far to go. “This isn’t just about you, Victoria. This is about everyone who has gotten in the way of my life. Of my perfect life. Everything that was supposed to be mine.”
“If this was about your perfect life, then why haven’t you gone to get Nikolas from his friend’s house?” I’m playing a dangerous game, but I have to ask. If this was always about his perfect life, then why hasn’t he just taken Nikolas and run?
“Because this comes first!” he shouts, pointing his gun at me. “I have to make every last person pay for what they did to me.”
There it is. There’s his motive. This isn’t about just getting his family back. This has always been about what people have taken from him. He’s convinced someone took Brianne