to the house opens, Andrius turns to Konstantin and stares at him. He says something angrily in Russian as two armed men rush them and drag Andrius inside. Konstantin shrugs, cold and indifferent.
He’s sold his friend out. He doesn’t even care.
That’s the kind of man he is.
They enter the house with raised voices and shouting. I hear Tigran speak clearly to Konstantin.
“You brought him. I didn’t think you would.”
“Hello, Tigran,” those are the smooth, almost bored tones of Andrius.
“Where is Liza, oh and Cassie?” Jesus, Konstantin adds me like an afterthought.
“Go fetch the women,” Tigran orders. Moments later heavy footsteps thunder up the stairs, and three big men burst into the room.
“Ladies,” the man with the heavy Yorkshire accent says. “Time to go.”
He’s handsome, in the same brutal way that Konstantin is; although, he doesn’t look like Konstantin. They simply have a similar presence. This man has dark hair, deep brown eyes, and is tan. He’s got a heavy scruff, and on his left arm he has ink up his inner wrist right to his elbow. It’s lettering, but I can’t read it.
He catches me looking and throws me a shit-eating grin. “Come on, gorgeous,” he says, and pulls me by my wrist as if I’m a child.
“She’s not gorgeous; she’s really rather plain,” Liza says.
She’s so insane that even now, when we might die, all she cares about is being the hotter one. I turn to her and shake my head as I look at her with real pity. “I think it’s well established that you’re the hotter one, Liza, so yay you, for winning the genetic lottery. However, you’re not actually beautiful. You could have been, but your inner ugly shines out and ruins you. You’re already turning as hard as stone.”
With those words, I allow myself to be dragged out of the room by the big man and down the stairs. He throws me into the large living room, which suddenly seems small with so many massive men gathered within its four walls.
I go down on one knee and scramble to my feet as I try to right myself, which I do with an angry glare the big man’s way.
The other two men give Liza similar treatment and roughly shove her into the room.
“Watch it with the merchandise,” Konstantin snaps.
“I didn’t know you cared,” Liza simpers.
“You might be carrying my kid. Not convinced it was Denis’, as I’m not sure he’s up to it, truth be told, so yeah, I care. And you know … you and me, we have history, right?”
“What about her?” She spits the word her out as if I’m poison on her tongue.
“She’s got a life to get back to. There are people wondering where she is, so it wouldn’t do for anything to happen to her. It might be unwanted attention on all of us, but beyond that, I don’t really care.”
“You betrayed me for her?” Andrius jerks his chin at Liza. “You’re a fucking pussy-whipped idiot.”
“I told you,” he says tetchily, “she might be carrying my kid.”
“No, she is not. She’s a fucking whore, and what about my kid?” Andrius thumps his chest as he speaks. Then he releases a volley of incensed, rapid-fire Russian before finishing in English. “You never thought about that, did you? Or Violet? You were like my brother,” he shouts and then roars as he rushes Konstantin, taking him into the wall not four feet away from me.
I scream, not even thinking, just acting on instinct as I jump out of the way.
“Boss?” One of the men looks at Tigran who is watching in amusement.
Konstantin pulls back his fist and punches Andrius in the face. Blood flies from Andrius’ nose, and he rears back and shouts, motherfucker, at Konstantin before punching him in the stomach.
“Leave them,” Tigran says with an evil smirk. “This is deeply entertaining.”
The men are grappling now, almost like wrestlers as they try to get another punch or kick in. Konstantin swings Andrius around, and he misses one of Tigran’s men by mere inches.
“I’ll fucking kill you,” Andrius grunts as he throws Konstantin off him.
Popov makes a whooping sound and does what looks like a little jig. My God, they’re all insane. I glance at Liza and am disgusted to see something akin to raw lust etched on her face.
Popov follows my gaze and looks her way too, and his laughter fades as something ugly and vicious crosses his features. In that moment, he looks truly evil. I shudder and look away, praying