Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 145729 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145729 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
“Go. Hurry, before they realize we switched places.”
“Boss says not to draw attention. I’ll hit it when we get to the street. Give me your cell phone.”
Sonia recognized the man as Dmitri, one of Sasha’s best friends. They were together quite often. He worked for Nikita as well. Her heart thudded when she righted herself in the seat and realized the driver wasn’t alone. Two more men occupied the backseat. Even if she managed to grab the driver’s gun, she wouldn’t get away. She thought about lying and saying she didn’t have it, but she knew Joshua would come after her no matter what. Breathing a silent apology to Molly, she handed the cell phone to him and he tossed it to the others in the backseat. They opened the window once they were on the main road and sent it flying.
“Do you really have Bastien Foret, Dmitri?” She kept her voice low, unconcerned, as if she didn’t expect them to take her to the nearest swamp and feed her to the alligators. Surely, they wouldn’t do that without Nikita gloating at her first.
“Yes. He’s safe.” He glanced at her. “Put on your seat belt.” The vehicle picked up speed.
She complied with the order. So far, he was treating her gently. No roughing her up, no slapping her. No dragging her into the backseat so the others could have their fun while Dmitri drove. She glanced in the back. “I’m sorry, I don’t remember your names.” They didn’t look all that familiar, although she could have sworn they looked a little like Sasha around the eyes.
“Koldan,” the one on the right said gruffly.
“Vasili,” the other told her.
Both looked directly at her. Yep. They were definitely going to kill her or they wouldn’t have been so free with their names, nor would they have wanted her to see them. She took a deep breath and let it out. Dmitri was driving very fast, but controlled. She remembered that about him. More than once he’d picked up both Sasha and Sonia and taken them to a small, intimate café. They’d been among the few times she’d ever been out in public with Sasha. She supposed that gave Sasha plausible deniability that he was with her if her dead body turned up.
“Where are you taking me?”
“We’ll switch vehicles. Leopards can track a car.”
She stiffened. She’d all but forgotten Joshua had told her the Bogomolovs were leopard. Of course they would know leopards tracked vehicles. They’d prepared for that. She hadn’t thought out her plan very well. She had to hope she could leave her scent, or Joshua would just track the new vehicle.
“Please make the call to have Bastien let go. He isn’t part of this. He doesn’t know anything.” She knew it was stupid to even ask. Nikita’s answer for everything in his way seemed to be to kill someone.
“He’ll get loose on his own. He saw no one. By the time he makes his way to a phone, we’ll be long gone.”
She nodded, trying to hear the truth in his voice. Honesty had a tone to it, a note easily recognized. She was too tense, her heart beating too hard and fast to be able to discern if Dmitri was being honest.
Gatita? Do you think he means it?
He sounded truthful, but then Sasha always sounded truthful. Joshua and Shadow sounded truthful. I am confused.
Sonia stared out the window at the scenery passing by. Mostly it was a blur. Dmitri turned down a road just off the main highway near the town. There was a theater there. Several vehicles were parked together in the lot. He drove right into the center of them.
“Stay put. Don’t remove your seat belt.”
She nodded and stayed put. She didn’t want a bullet in her brain. Joshua would lose his mind and go on a rampage. If he was really going to sell her out to Nikita, they wouldn’t have found it necessary to kidnap her. She’d been right in believing in him. She held on to that. He would come.
The men got out of the SUV, each using a different door. Dmitri came around to her side, opened the door and stepped back. First, Vasili came to the door and leaned in to remove her seat belt. He turned and hurried to enter one of the other cars. Koldan was second, and he leaned in and acted as if he might pull her out of the darkened vehicle, but then he turned and went to another car. Dmitri actually lifted her.
“I can walk,” she protested.
He kept her in tight to his chest. “No, you can’t. Your scent would be on the ground. This way, they have to track multiple vehicles.”
The door to the dark SUV opened in the back and Dmitri thrust her inside. The instant the door closed, she drew in his scent. Sasha. The man she loved. The one who had betrayed her. He reached for her, drew her into his arms and all but crushed her.