Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 67534 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 338(@200wpm)___ 270(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67534 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 338(@200wpm)___ 270(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
2
ANYA
Ialmost make it away from Mikhail’s useless thugs.
My heel connects cleanly with one man’s shin and he folds just enough for me to twist free. For half a second, I’m clear of their grip. I pivot toward the mouth of the alley and take two hard steps before another body slams into me from the side.
The impact drives me into the brick wall. My shoulder takes most of it. I swing blindly and catch someone across the jaw, but there are too many of them and they’re prepared for resistance. One hooks an arm around my waist and lifts. The other grabs my wrists before I can rake his eyes.
“Enough,” one of them says. “We don’t have time for this.”
The back door of a black sedan is already open and the engine is running. They’re done with the fight. They’re taking me, come hell or highwater. They shove me toward the car with coordinated force that surprises me. I genuinely didn’t think they were smart enough. I brace my foot against the frame and refuse to bend. One of them punches me in the ribs to break my stance. Air leaves my lungs in a sharp burst, but I don’t cry out.
It wouldn’t matter if I did anyway. They’re not worried about hurting me. Their instructions are probably just to take me back to Mikhail alive. He very likely doesn’t care what state I’m in when I arrive.
The realization settles coldly in my stomach as they lift me and force me into the back seat. My shoulder hits the opposite door hard enough to rattle my teeth. The door slams shut before I can crawl my way back out.
The car pulls into traffic immediately.
I lunge forward toward the driver’s collar, but the man beside me drives his forearm across my chest and slams me back into the seat. Another fist lands against my side. I absorb it without sound and try to pivot again.
Rope appears from under the seat.
They work quickly. My wrists are yanked behind me and tied high enough that any leverage will strain the joints. Then they tie my ankles so I can’t run when the car eventually stops.
Mikhail probably warned them I’d put up a fight. He may have even told them to let me get in a few licks. He’s sadistic enough to want me to think I have a chance, then take it away completely. As my freedom starts slipping away, my hatred for him only grows stronger.
The sedan merges onto Neptune easily, blending into the traffic like any other local. No one out there would care that I’m being dragged back to a man I hate and being forced to marry him. No one would bat an eye if I begged for help.
That’s why I didn’t scream. It’s why I didn’t plead for mercy. I’m in this alone now, and my only savior is myself.
I sit upright as soon as the pain in my lungs recedes. I don’t slump or close my eyes. They won’t get any humility from me. Instead, I stare one of the attackers right in his face until he looks almost uncomfortable. Good. If I’m really going to have to marry Mikhail, I’m going to make sure these assholes never get a moment of peace because of me.
The one with the crooked jaw wipes blood from his mouth and glares at me. I recognize him from Volna. He’s a low-level security guard who probably took this job to increase his chances of a promotion. He’s a peon who thinks he’ll ever have the chance to be something more.
“You should have come quietly,” he says.
“You should have gone to college and made something of yourself,” I shoot back. “You really think Mikhail will reward you for this? You’ll be back doing the graveyard shift at Volna tomorrow and it will all have been for nothing.”
The man rolls his eyes at me and turns away, though I can see him curling his fist in anger. It wouldn’t do any good to get hit now. That isn’t my goal. I just need to see that I can get under their skin.
The rope cuts into my skin as I test it carefully. They tied it tight, but they’re no Boy Scouts. Whoever taught them how to tie a knot did a sloppy job at best. I can probably get out of it if I maneuver carefully enough. Not that it’ll matter. Mikhail is always going to find a way to come after me.
The city slides past the window in streaks of neon and shadows. Music from the various clubs fades behind us, and I feel my future slip away with every block.
“He didn’t say the bitch could hit so hard,” the man in the passenger seat says quietly to the driver.
“She’s no threat to us,” the driver replies. “She’ll break easily.”