Grievous (Scarlet Scars #2)(72)

“Shoes,” he says, pointing at the heels, ordering me to put them on in not-so-many words. Ugh. I glare at the shoes as I slide my feet into them, sitting still, not acknowledging him any further.

He inspects me before grabbing my arm, pulling me up out of the chair and shoving me toward his men. I wobble, my muscles sore, already out of practice with walking in heels, but I manage to stay upright.

“Take her to the car,” he orders. “If you let her escape, I will kill every single one of you.”

I scowl as hands grab me, clutching me tightly.

Yeah, they’re not letting me out of their sight tonight, that’s for sure.

Men filter out. I’m marched up the stairs, my gaze flickering back down, watching. Alexis tries to follow, but Kassian cuts in front of her, blocking her exit. “Where do you think you are going?”

“To the party,” she says. “You told me I was going this week.”

“Yes, well, I have changed my mind,” Kassian says. “I have somewhere else for you to be.”

Her brow furrows as two of Kassian’s men come up behind her. “Where?”

“Right here.”

The men grab her, and she struggles, but there’s not much she can do. One pins her down, holding her there, as the other grabs the chain and winds it around her neck. My footsteps stall, alarmed, as she screams, but I can’t help her. Nobody can help her. The men drag me out of the basement when I try to resist, pulling me through the club as they usher me outside to an awaiting vehicle. I’m shoved in the back of an SUV, one of the men shutting the door and standing guard beside it on the curb.

My gaze settles on the door on the opposite side, wondering how far I can get if I jump out and make a run for it through the street.

Fuck it.

I slide across the seat, shoving the door open to try, when Kassian appears in the doorway, blocking it. I immediately retreat as he climbs into the backseat beside me. “I am going to pretend you were opening the door for me.”

“Of course,” I whisper. “Just returning your generosity.”

He settles into the seat, barking something in Russian to the others. A man gets in the front seat to drive as Kassian puts his arm around me.

“You will want to be careful, suka,” he says, his voice low, a warning to the words. “I will be killing people you care about tonight. Do not make me kill you on top of it.”

I pull away when he says that, swallowing thickly. “What?”

He cuts his eyes at me. “Do not look so surprised. You must have known this was coming.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You let him come inside of you. Did you think I would let him live after that?”

“But—”

Before I can get anything else out, he reaches up, covering my mouth.

“Be a good girl, remember? After the fun is over, I will tell you what you want to know about your daughter, but not before we’re done.”

I blink rapidly when it strikes me what he’s really saying.

He wants me to sit idly by while he kills Lorenzo.

He wants me to see it, to watch, as he gets his revenge. He’s going to force me to obey him, to do nothing to stop him from killing everyone who tried to help me, and he’s using my daughter as bait to make me be compliant.

He’s making me choose.

Because he knows there’s no choice.

There will never be a choice.

It will always be her.

I’ll always choose her.

Before him… before Lorenzo… before myself.

Sasha’s all that matters.

Tears sting my eyes as I look away. I can’t stomach the sight of him. Not ever, but especially not right now.

“You don’t have to do this,” I whisper when he pulls his hand away.

“I know,” he says. “But I am going to, anyway.”

“Why?”

“Because none of my other lessons ever stuck with you,” he says, putting his arm around me once more. “Maybe this is the one you will remember.”





Chapter Eighteen





“So let’s go over the plan one more time.”

I don’t think I’ve ever heard Three sound quite as serious before as he does right now, saying those words. So let’s go over the plan one more time. Never mind the fact that we’ve been through the plan a dozen times already, that we’ve analyzed and assessed every possible fucking scenario short of a hoard of goddamn Storm Troopers bursting in. Even the words nuclear weapons have been brought up. But yet, Three wants to go through the plan again, one more time, just to be on the safe side.

This girl of his from the club must have some real good pussy for him to be so concerned about all of us making it out of this… including her.

“I’ll head to Brighton Beach and keep an eye on the house. Lexie should be on her way to the party with Aristov right about now. She’s going to signal me when she finds the kid—flash a light or something. If she doesn’t signal, I’m going to assume the kid’s not in the house.”

The others mumble in agreement.

“I’ll ring you all when she signals,” Three continues. “You’ll hit the club, full-on ambush, at eight o’clock, whether she signals or not. Lexie said she’d make sure the keys to the basement were left on the bar in Aristov’s office, but the key to the chain, well, he keeps that on his person…”