Chapter 2 – EMMA #2
“My car?” I ask, already knowing that’s not what he means. I try to sound calm, but everyone in the room can hear the fear underneath.
Kozlov shakes his head, inching closer, looking almost sad that I’m pretending to be so completely clueless.
“I don’t understand.” I try again, praying I’m wrong.
I clutch my trembling fingers together and look at Jake, who has utter devastation in his eyes as Kozlov tips his head back and laughs, a big, booming laugh, at my expense.
“Nice try.” Wiping fake tears from his eyes, he looks around at his men, who are all grinning and shaking their heads, clearly also in on the joke.
Me.
“Then let me explain.” Kozlov’s eyes meet mine again before they trail up and down my body in a lecherous pass that leaves me feeling sick and violated. “You have certain valuable assets that I’ll get good money for, but they’re definitely not your home or your car.”
Jake surges forward, hand outstretched to grab Kozlov’s lapel. “If you touch her, I’ll kill you.”
The man by the window moves so fast that I barely see it.
One moment Jake is threatening Kozlov and the next he’s being pistol-whipped before laying face-down on the floor, arm twisted behind his back.
The man’s knee presses into Jake’s spine, who grunts in pain as another one of Kozlov’s guards leans over and presses a gun to my brother’s temple.
“Say that again?” he dares.
“Please.” The word tears out of me. Please, don’t hurt him.”
“As I was saying.” With a sigh, Kozlov continues like nothing happened, like I’m not pleading for my brother’s life. “I need collateral. And it occurs to me that you, Emma, would serve nicely. An incentive for your brother not to fuck things up this time.”
The world tilts before me, and my vision wavers.
“What?” The word comes out strangled. He can’t mean what I think he means.
Jake stares up at me, the utter devastation written all over his face, telling me that yes, he does.
“Simple. You come with me until Jake gets his affairs in order.” His tone is sharp, leaving no room for argument. This isn’t a suggestion. He’s made up his mind. “Hopefully, it’s merely a temporary arrangement.”
“She’s not going anywhere with you.” Jake bucks, attempting to twist out of the other man’s grip and get back up on his feet again, but when one produces a gun, he’s quickly forced back to the ground with an agonized shout.
“Stop, please.” I beg as the crunch of a boot connecting with ribs makes my stomach lurch.
“You can’t take her…” Jake protests, refusing to listen, to give up and stay down. Only at the click of the safety being released does Jake freeze, blood trickling from a split lip.
“Enough.” Kozlov sounds bored. “This is all very simple. Emma will be our guest until you pay what you owe in exactly one week. She’ll be safe until then.”
My heart pounds, chest tightening, at the idea of going anywhere alone with these men. As my panic builds, a loud buzzing noise fills my ears, and their voices drift away, sounding as if I’m hearing them from underwater. I reach out a hand to steady myself, suddenly light-headed.
This can’t be happening.
“How do I know you won’t hurt her?” Jake is panting hard, and each word he speaks seems to pain him, probably because of some broken ribs.
“Because she’s worth more to me unharmed.
” The casual way he says it makes bile rise in my throat.
With an attempt at a reassuring smile, he comes so close that my skin crawls.
“My establishments cater to a certain clientele. Wealthy. High class. They appreciate beauty and poise. Your sister has both.”
This must be what an out-of-body experience feels like. I feel like I’m floating above, watching this shit show unfold, with a growing sense of dread that’s now escalated into full-blown shock.
“You said I’d be safe for a week. Then what?” My question seems to please Kozlov, because he smiles like the cat who got the cream as he rests his index finger under my chin and turns my face this way and that.
I fight the urge to flinch. I refuse to give him that.
“If your brother doesn’t pay up, my clients will pay handsomely for the pleasure of your company until his debt is cleared.”
I don’t even realise my legs have given way until one of the guards catches me and eases me into a chair.
Panic scrambles my thoughts, making my growing hysteria worse. I hear Jake’s protests, the sickening thud of fists hitting flesh as he fights to get to me, but I don’t react, focusing on my breathing and staring at my hands so I don’t pass out.
“It’s that or I kill him right now, Emma.
” Kozlov’s expression doesn’t change as he watches me.
“You have tounderstand, this is a generous offer. I could shoot him where he stands, and you too, now that you’ve seen my face, to send a message to others who might think stiffing me out of my money is an option. Your choice.”
The threat hangs between us. There’s no other way out of this alive, for either of us.
“Okay.”
“That’s settled then.” Kozlov rubs his hands together before buttoning up his suit jacket, ready to leave. He tips his head, and two of his men close in on me, forcing me to retreat, hands raised in surrender.
“Don’t touch me,” I say. “I’m coming without a fight.” My hands are shaking, but my voice is steady.
Jake tries to grab me as I pass, eyes wild. “Emma, no…”
Kozlov is completely unbothered by Jake’s desperate pleas. “If you go to the police, she dies. Then you die. Understood?”
Jake isn’t listening as he frantically struggles to get free. “You can’t do this.”
“She wouldn’t know…” Jake chokes. “She’s never… please…” The word tears out of him, broken. “She’s never had sex.” Jake’s face crumples, because now it’s out there that I may not even be worth keeping to them.
Kozlov’s eyes sharpen with interest.
Goddamn it, Jake.
“Oh.” He moves closer to me, studying my face as if he’s seeing me for the first time. “You’re telling me she’s never…”
The man with the gun presses it harder against Jake’s temple. My brother’s eyes close, and he shakes his head.
“Never had sex,” Jake whispers, the words torn out of him, each one like another knife in my back. I told him that once. One time, after too much wine, when he wouldn’t stop asking about Mike.
Heat floods my face, not shame, but fury. Of all the things for Jake to reveal, this intimate detail about my life feels like the ultimate betrayal.
I can’t speak and can’t move, the horror of this moment is too much to absorb, while Kozlov’s laugh fills my apartment, rich with genuine delight.
“A virgin?” He smiles. “Interesting.”
If I survive this, I’m going to strangle my brother with my bare hands.
“Well.” He looks at me with new, appreciative eyes, as his men herd me out the door, with Jake’s desperate pleas falling away behind us. “This changes everything.”