Page 78 of Victor's Lethal Desire
"Liar."
I glare at him, my vision swimming. My training kicks in. Assess, react, escape. I jump out of the chair, my fist swinging toward his jaw.
But large hands grab my shoulders from behind, slamming me back down into the seat. A guard steps forward, pressing the barrel of a gun directly to the side of my head.
"Move again, and they'll kill you," Dimitri says, his voice calm now.
I freeze, breathing heavily.
Dimitri leans down, his face inches from mine. "What did you take from my tablet? Who did you give it to?"
I don't answer.
He slaps me again, harder this time. My head rocks back, and I taste blood.
"And you did this with Victor Ionescu," he says, grabbing my chin so hard his fingers dig into my jaw. "After everything my family did for you, you betray the Bratva for who? Those fucking Romanians?"
I turn my head away, spit blood onto the floor, and meet his gaze. "I didn't take anything, and I am not working for them."
"Stop playing games, Danika," he yells. "I know you were sent to get my tablet."
I look up at him. Even through my rage and anger, my face must have given something away.
Dimitri laughs. "Don't be so surprised. My brother's a fucking idiot, not worthy of leading this family. I'm the one doing all the work. You know your little Romanian's father worked with me. Did he tell you that?"
I don't answer.
"I suppose not. Though, I must admit, I did not expect you to be working for them, too."
"I told you. I'm not working for the Ionescus," I say, my voice steady despite the fear clawing at my chest.
Dimitri straightens up, brushing imaginary dust from his jacket. "It doesn't matter. If you're not going to tell me what you did to my tablet and what you found, then I will take you someplace you can't be heard and find out before I slowly kill you."
I open my mouth to speak. "You can..."
A gag is violently shoved into my mouth, cutting off my words. I gag, the coarse fabric choking me as a thick black hood is yanked over my head.
Darkness swallows me.
I thrash, trying to twist away, but hands pin me down. My wrists are yanked behind my back, and the sharp bite of a zip tie cuts into my skin.
I'm shoved to the ground, my knees hitting the carpet hard. The heavy canvas of the hood blocks out the light and the air. Panic floods my chest, my breath coming in hot, desperate gasps through my nose.
I feel myself being lifted, strong arms hauling me up.
Shit, what am I going to do?
Ivan can't save me from this, and I just abandoned the only person who could.
Fuck. I never should have left Victor's room.
23
VICTOR
Istare out the window at the glittering water, but I barely register it.
The entire foundation of my intelligence just collapsed. Every assumption I made, every strategic calculation, wrong. Dimitri isn't the head of the Volkov Bratva. He's a parasite. A shadow king building a coup under his brother's nose, using Ivan's name to fund trafficking networks, distribute Siberian Ice, and ignite a war with my family.
