Page 83 of Tamed Enemy
Or the FBI will get this
The first attachment he sends isn’t a surprise. It’s my criminal record, a curated list of all the raids I did with Pyotr. I was proud of those conquests. I earned money on them, supporting the Crew. Nikolai has had the details since he took over his son’s computer.
And the rest of the world will get this
Help me write the headlines
Wolf’s Wife Howls
It’s the video Pyotr made when I convinced him to download Viktor. I don’t bother watching myself writhe on the bed. I already know what I did to win.
And this
The video is jumpy. Master Jonathan’s hands were understandably shaky. It’s edited, only starting as Cole puts me on all fours. The lighting is poor—too dark around the edges, overexposed in the center. But the sound is crystal clear.
Everyone who watches will hear Cole grunt.
Everyone who watches will hear me scream.
Everyone who watches will see the torture go on and on and on—Cole and me, center stage at Kynk.
Wolf will never work again
He won’t show his face in public
I need to write back. I need to tell him I don’t care, that he can’t control me, that his filthy spank-bank video will never change a single, solitary thing.
But I can’t take my eyes from the screen. I can’t believe that is what I looked like, submitting, controlled. I can’t believe that is what Cole endured, doing it all to me.
The recording finally ends.
I finally remember how to type.
A hundred grand doesn’t buy what it used to
Divorce papers
Signed
Sealed
Delivered by noon tomorrow
Or all three go live
And your Wolf will be skinned forever
32
COLE
“Absolutely not,” I say.
“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!” she explodes. “You haven’t heard a word I’ve said. Tarasov has already proven he has the means to release those files—that’s why he made your indictment public. At 12:01 tomorrow afternoon, there’s no going back. Ever. Everything I just showed you will live on the internet forever.”
This isn’t a time for anger. I need every shred of my control. I make my strongest argument first: “That scene you survived in Kynk was just a preview of what Tarasov will do once you’re his. If you and I are divorced, I can’t do anything to protect you.”
“Hello! This is the twenty-first century. Tarasov can threaten all he wants, but he can’t make me marry him.”
