Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 91402 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91402 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
It took a moment to adjust to the light, but it wasn’t terribly bright in the large room. Only a single lantern hanging on a post. I sat on a grimy, bare mattress, in what looked like a barn that hadn’t been in use in years.
A man stood before me in a dark suit with no tie, the black hood in one hand and a gun in his other.
Juric.
There wasn’t a shred of doubt in my mind, even though he looked different from Jason’s picture. Older now, likely in his mid-thirties. He wore his tailored suit with confidence, an expensive watch decorating a wrist, and his now blond hair was swept neatly to one side. He looked polished, professional.
He was as attractive as he was terrifying.
I shivered when his piercing gaze swept over me, evaluating the woman his men had brought him.
He turned to them, his expression giving nothing away. He leveled the gun at the leader, the one who had bound my wrists, and two sharp cracks ripped from his gun. The man beside the leader opened his mouth to protest, but he wasn’t quick enough.
Two more shots rang out, and both men left splatters of red on the wall behind them as they fell.
The strangled cry died in my throat.
Be strong. Don’t show fear.
Satisfied they were dead, Juric lowered his gun and turned his focus back to me.
His voice was soft and seductive, which was extra disorienting given his actions. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Kara.”
Blank. No thought was possible. I swallowed a sticky lump in my throat as my shock began to subside. He sounded American, and for some reason, that filled me with more unease. His piercing gaze didn’t seem disappointed or angry.
Oh, shit. He seemed almost excited.
“She couldn’t make it.” My voice sounded much stronger than I felt. “You’ll have to settle for me.”
“Settle for you?” The blue of his irises was a violent sea. “No, I’m not doing that.”
I drew a deep breath in through my nose and blew it out through my mouth, trying to keep myself calm. I was desperate not to choke on my panic. There was something in his face that was haunting and horrifying.
“Stand up, please.”
I reluctantly obeyed, slowly rising from the mattress. With the heels on, I was the same height as him, and he didn’t like that. His eyes narrowed. I wasn’t allowed to be equal; he was the one with the power.
“Take off your shoes,” he demanded.
I stepped out of them because it no longer mattered if he found my ID card. He already knew who I was.
His gaze worked its way over my body, lingering at my cleavage, and it left me feeling vulnerable and exposed. Like I was nearly naked.
His voice was low and appreciative. “I like this dress.”
My stomach turned. How could I respond to that, other than to shudder?
I stared at the gun at Juric’s side, and it did not go unnoticed. He grasped the cuff of his sleeve with his free hand and tugged it down, adjusting the way the suit coat sat on his broad shoulders. Comfortable, relaxed. But he moved with an elegance that was off-putting, as if everything was calculated. The gun was slipped into a holster hidden beneath his arm, disappearing beneath his suit coat.
“Does that make you feel safer?” he asked.
“No. It doesn’t.”
He gave a pleased smile. “Why do you think that is?”
Maybe I could stall him. Maybe Jason or the police weren’t far behind, and at any moment they’d burst through the barn door.
“I’m not naïve,” I said, for my benefit more than his. “I know what kind of man you are.”
“Really?” He looked, for lack of a better word, delighted. “What kind of man am I?”
“You’ll do anything to get what you want.”
“How do you know that?”
“I used to be married to a man like you.”
A glimmer lit his piercing eyes, one that said he highly doubted Paul was anything like him. That he was so, so much worse than my ex-husband.
“We’re going to have fun together, you and me.” A chill ran down my spine. “Are you all right? Did my men hurt you?”
I clenched my teeth so hard it hurt. “They weren’t exactly gentle.”
His gaze dipped down to the gash on my arm that had stopped bleeding, but blood was smeared and crusted there.
“I’m sorry about that, but I took care of it.” He gestured to the bodies, but I jerked my gaze away. “They were warned not to harm you.”
My lungs refused to work when he came close enough I could hear his steady breathing, as if mocking me with his ease. Casual. Calm. I recoiled when he reached out and tried to grasp my arm, perhaps wanting to better examine the cut.
“Don’t touch me.”
He tilted his head, evaluating and considering. “Lie down on the mattress.”