Wild Men of Alaska Collection - By Helmer, Tiffinie Page 0,119

he warned.

He was stronger, but she was faster.

And one of them would regret tonight.

CHAPTER NINE

Kate had to take her opening.

Twice now she could have taken him out, sliced through his neck, cut open his belly, and yet she hadn’t.

What the hell was wrong with her?

His mind games had not worked.

Perry was innocent of all Sergei claimed. Sergei was the dirty one. The double agent. The killer. Not Perry. Never Perry.

Sergei reached for her, and she slid away, and then bounced back in easily. She could have sliced through the upper muscles of his thigh, but she didn’t. She growled in frustration as tears blinded her. Then he took her down. It was almost a relief to have him slam her hand to the hardwood, forcing free her grip on the blade.

He growled as he picked it up and looked at it. Then her. “Ivan made you this?” One arm was across her throat, his other hand locked around her wrist, while his body pressed her into the floor. “How the fuck did you get one of Ivan’s kerambits?”

She flattened her lips. He growled again, deeper within his chest, sounding so much like the bear he’d been nicknamed by his enemies that fear scuttled up her spine. Still, she refused to answer.

She’d survived water-boarding. What could he possibly do to her?

The dare must have shone in her eyes, because he lost his last thread of control. No longer the cool predator, he was the untamed animal, and she was about to meet his wrath.

He stood and jerked her to her feet. Twirling her around and wrapping his arms around her middle, he hefted her onto his side. From this angle, with both his arms anchoring hers around the middle, and her feet to the side, she couldn’t get enough leverage to kick out at him. She squirmed as he mounted the stairs, hoping to throw him off-balance. He squeezed those bands of muscled-steel tight enough around her ribs, preventing air into her lungs. Stars twinkled in her vision as she fought to breathe. Next thing she knew, he swung her onto the bed and followed her down.

Cursing in Russian, and keeping a tight hold of her, he opened the night table and pulled out a length of rope.

Did this guy have rope planted in every room?

“No,” she gasped as he looped an end over her wrist and tied it to the log bedpost.

“No is too late,” he gritted out, grappling for her other hand as she fought and bucked under him to no avail. He quickly had her other hand tied to the opposite bedpost. He tested the knots, seeming satisfied with her spread before him.

“I vant to see you escape these,” he taunted. His dark eyes were mere slits in his chiseled face. His jaw was a rigid line of verdict, and his nostrils flared with exertion. A final growl and he crawled off her.

He didn’t speak as he stalked into the bathroom. She heard water running, realizing when a drawer opened and closed with a slap, that he was bandaging the wound she’d inflicted on his arm. A seed of regret bloomed to life, and she did her best to stomp it out of existence. Pretty easy to do with her strung between bedposts like she was. While Sergei was cleaning himself up, she took stock of her situation.

The nylon rope was tight and strong, not giving her any leverage to even move off her back, the knots out of reach of her fingertips.

Sergei reentered the room, not looking any calmer, though no longer bleeding. His brows were a line of condemnation. A few short, determined strides and he was back at the side of the bed.

“Vhen you blame me for this, just know I vould never have treated you so given the choice.” He reached for her leg, and she kicked at him. “Don’t make me tie your ankles, too, Katja.”

Her heart pounded hard in her chest. She had to have her feet free or there was no chance of her ever getting away. Sergei fished his switchblade out of his pocket, and her muscles tightened up like wire. How had she forgotten that he still had that on his person? Why were her emotions flying so wild that she made costly mistakes like this?

Hello, she was currently tied to a bed with The Bear standing over her.

He flicked the knife open, climbed onto the bed, and straddled her hips. “Mel is going to kill me for ruining