Page 63 of Lord of Vice

More voices.

Horror.

Fear.

Dread.

Footsteps.

I was shaking all over but there had to be a way of protecting myself. There had to be. There had to be something I could use. “Stay here, baby. Right here. It’s going to be okay.”

Although I wasn’t certain anything was going to be okay. I struggled to stay, my body swaying. As I looked around, I couldn’t stop shaking. But I managed to calm my nerves long enough to grab the only thing that I could use in self-defense.

The lid of the toilet tank. Yes. Yes. Yes. It was heavy enough to knock someone unconscious. I held it in my hands, prepared to knock the fuck out of anyone who tried to hurt either one of us. As I moved from foot to foot, I heard additional sounds, more voices.

Then someone tried the handle of the door.

I gripped the lid, praying to God I could get us out of here.

And that Kraven wasn’t dead.

He couldn’t be dead. He was… He meant… the world to me. I held my breath, the hard thudding of my heart shifting into my throat.

But a strange tingling washed over me, a jolt of the most powerful electric current I’d felt to date.

“Penny. Unlock the door.”

The deep voice resonated in my mind but I couldn’t process what I was hearing. He tried the lock again before kicking open the door.

Without realizing what I was doing, I lifted the lid, ready to smash his head in.

“Penny!” Kraven snapped one hand around the ceramic piece, his eyes on fire. “My God. You’re alive. Are you hurt? Are either one of you hurt?”

I was still in some kind of shock, tears forming in my eyes so I couldn’t focus. As he took the lid from me, easing it to the counter, I almost crumpled to the floor.

He caught me, pulling me against his warm body. “Oh, baby. It’s okay. I’ve got you.”

Woof. Woof.

“You’re alive,” I managed. “I was so afraid. I knew you were dead. I was worried and I was…” I choked back sobs, trying to pull myself together.

“I’m alive, baby. I’m a hell of a lot tougher than I look. It’s going to be okay.” He kissed the top of my head, both of us breathing hard.

“How can it be?” I pushed away from him. “Remington!”

The pup jumped up on both our legs, his tail wagging. Relief flooded me until I glanced at my savior.

He was covered in blood.

“What happened? Who did this?”

“It doesn’t matter at this moment,” he said. “It’s over. We’re getting out of here. Okay? But you’re going to need to trust me. Please, can you do that for me?”

I found myself nodding although I couldn’t process anything that had happened.

“What about Remington’s food? His things? My things? I just…”

“Don’t worry. My men will bring everything we need later. Okay?” He grumbled something in Russian that I didn’t have the energy to ask him to translate.