Page 14 of Lord of Vice
“Then I assure you that you won’t like the consequences.”
CHAPTER 5
Penny
Oh, God.
I’d walked into a bad crime movie, the stupid girl who ran into danger instead of hightailing in the opposite direction. Consequences? The word was sending bells into the darkest crevices of my mind.
There was nothing like being a do-gooder then finding yourself captive to some unknown powerhouse of a man.
Did the Russian bastard really believe I would buy for a second that I’d be safe anywhere around him? All I had to do was plant the image of the brainless man inside my mind and I knew better. What kind of name was Kraven?
Every thought suddenly turned lurid, the sultry images leaving me wet and hot. Which was silly. Stupid.
However, I’d had no choice but to come with him. I was outnumbered. In truth, I was his captive. Since I’d witnessed aman being killed in front of me, he would never allow me to escape even if I wasn’t in danger. Why would he? If I went to the police, he’d be in a jam. Not that I wouldn’t. I mean, I’d had a hand in getting the guy killed. Right? Oh, I was in deep shit, more so than I’d even found myself involved in.
I was so nervous, I was ready to issue insults but managed to keep my mouth shut, trying to take the blond’s advice not to piss him off.
At least one of his men had grabbed the few items I needed from my shitty car, promising to bring the vehicle to me at some point, wherever the hell we were going. Then he’d carefully placed the items in the back of one of two giant black SUVs before Kraven had opened the door of a stunning crimson Maserati, waiting until I was secured in the passenger seat, Remington right behind me shoved onto the tiny backseat before closing the door. After that he’d placed the remainder of the chimkin he’d reordered into my lap. My baby had been hungry, eating a huge portion of it while still in the restaurant, slurping up water as if he was completely comfortable.
And it was obvious my pup adored the sexy Russian.
Traitor.
The entire night had been insane but sitting in a two-hundred-thousand-dollar vehicle make me feel a bit like a queen.
Even if I was still covered in blood.
My skin crawling.
My heart had never raced to this point.
And I couldn’t catch my breath.
One of my hands was tightly clenched around the edge of the dashboard as he drove, the other never leaving my fur baby. The man’s heated stare was enough to keep me on edge.
The roar of the engine had as strange an effect on me as the powerful man did. My pussy was throbbing, my core overheated. There was so much electricity passing through us I was shocked my heart wasn’t in defibrillation at this point. However handsome the man was, that didn’t give him the right to treat me as if by saving his life I’d become his possession.
As he drove through the city streets, the darkness seemed more oppressive than normal, even with all the neon-infused lights glaring in my face. The fact I couldn’t stop shaking was as if my instinct was jabbing me every few seconds, telling me that I’d slid into a homerun of danger. He picked up speed, constantly glancing into his rearview mirror, which prompted me to glance into the side mirror, realizing the two utility vehicles were following closely behind. With the steel armor I’d seen the men carrying before, I wouldn’t put it past Kraven that all three vehicles were bulletproof. Who the hell were these people?
“Relax, Penny. I meant what I said before,” Kraven said as he glanced over. “I owe you first and foremost.”
“You don’t owe me anything. I just need to find a place to stay with my car that’s safe. I won’t tell anyone what I saw.”
“No, you won’t, because I won’t allow you to. In case you haven’t figured it out, there are some very bad people in this town, thugs who go out of their way to canvass parking lots looking for victims. We’re almost at a safe location, just breathe. If you know the Morelli brothers, then you’ve met at least two of them.”
He must be kidding.
When he made a turn, heading toward the most incredible resorts and casinos on the strip, I was even more uneasy. However, the moment he pulled onto the aggregate and massive driveway leading to the most opulent hotel in the entire city, a location where a single room with a queen-size bed cost over two thousand dollars a night, my uneasiness switched immediately to rage.
“Oh, fuck, no. I’m not a whore. No matter what you think. I’ll wash dishes. I’ll serve food. Hell, I’ll clean rooms, but I will not sleep with you to pay for the food I ate. I will not do it.”
The stunning lights from the two-story fountain and those illuminating the already shimmering hotel façade highlighted his look of sheer amusement. “I wouldn’t dream of asking you to perform sexual favors for a pizza, some lousy chimkin and breadsticks. I do have certain morals of my own whether you choose to believe that or not.” He pulled up to the valet stand and within a split second, one of the three young men in tuxedos standing behind the counter raced to the driver’s door, opening it with his eyes diverted to the pavement.
“Good evening, Mr. Sokolov. Welcome home. I see you have a guest for the evening.” The guy’s voice was not nearly as steady as it should be, as if Kraven might eat him alive. Well, who knew? Maybe the Russian had plans on it as a form of punishment.
Woof. Woof.