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Nikita whirled on him "Don't put a hand on her, David" To her, he snapped a co it between his teeth "Get up Get up now" He pulled her hair, but not with the sae intensity he had before

Sonia ed to make it unsteadily to her feet She swayed, afraid her knees would give out Her head exploded with pain each time she moved too fast, and the way Nikita pulled her hair added to the teeth-gritting agony

"Give her your jacket, David!" the Russian shouted "Now!"

David didn't hesitate He peeled off his leather jacket and put it in his boss's outstretched hand Nikita put it on her "Cover up," he ordered, as if she hadn't been the one to rip her top off

She pulled the edges of the jacket together, feeling for the zipper It was huge on her, but she didn't care She hated the way theat the e way, those marks made theht he ht be an ally, a man ould use her and then turn her over to Nikita

"Your key?"

There was no sense in having them break down her door or shatter aShe took the spare key out fro to the left of the door

Nikita smirked at her "Very inventive, my dear"

She handed the key to him and let him unlock the door She'd seen her s Her iven him deference, rarely opposed him and then only when it ca or care He took the key as if it was his due and opened the door She went into the house without any urging, wondering what had changed him

He was different She didn't know exactly how, but he was She went quickly to theaway froht think she had hidden a weapon She faced hi

"Sit down, Sonia You're going to fall on your face" He sounded irritated

She corateful she hadn't fallen in front of hioing to do?" She whispered it, letting fear make her voice tremble Let him think she was completely cowed She had Gatita, her ace in the hole

The dark, deep pits Nikita had for eyes stared at her until she shivered He looked evil She'd never noticed that before

"I was going to torture you in front of my son My plan was to keep you alive for several days and let hiony Now I am not certain Who made these marks on your body?"

She pressed her lips together tightly and then, as if she couldn't hold his gaze, she looked away frore"

"Did that man put those marks on your shoulder?"

She stiffened She hadn't thought about those otten there She touched her tongue to her suddenly dry lips She nodded slowly, her eyes ju to his Did he know? Was he aware those marks meant she was leopard? That she'd been claimed by another male? Did he think Sasha had put them there?

He exploded into anger, sla it up and throwing it When one of his , Nikita slapped hi hi the man to pull his weapon When the un and pistol-whipped hier

She screasters shot their own men and brains, blood and bone scattered all over her floor She made certain her shock and horror were extra loud She'd left her bedroom s open, covered only by the insect screens Surely the sould carry her voice to Gray He would be looking for her by now

Nikita stormed over to her and slapped her hard "Shut the fuck up and let me think"

He hit her so hard her neck snapped back She had to press her hand to her throbbing temple The blow from the Russian made the one on her temple hurt more She watched him pace across the room He suddenly turned back to her

"Did my son know?"

"Knohat?" She frowned at hi to puzzle out what he meant

He spat on the floor in disgust "You don't want to fuck with me Your sweet little pussy may have been able to lead my son around by his dick, but I can assure you, I'm not that man If I keep you, you'll do whatever I say, when I say it"

"What are you talking about? You ith enuinely horrified She'd expected to be tortured She'd expected to be killed She hadn't ever once entertained the idea that he ht want to keep her Rape her, yes Give her to his men, even that But never permanently keep her

"I' coward He always has been I'll need another son and I' that your life was spared for a reason"

"What would that be?" she asked

"To give me sons As many as I want I'll keep you alive for that reason, you little slut I don't kno you escaped that bore wouldn't have put those marks on your shoulder if you weren't leopard"

Her breath caught in her throat She closed her eyes and shook her head in silent denial If she opened her mouth, he would hear her lie

Nikita paced across the room "Maybe a better plan is to send the others to kill Sasha, take you back to Miare If he had planned to turn you over to ed "Killing him shouldn't be too difficult"

Her heart accelerated at the thought that he ht take her to Miae there

19

JOSHUA stared out the , his back to the others Gray had brought the news to hi to do on the highway, but they would find her "Have Drake's people find out every vacation holanced over his shoulder at Kai He waited for the man to nod and hurry away, cell to his ear, before he turned back to stare into the night

Ato her Everything he had learned about Nikita boded ill for any woman he took, let alone Sonia He felt sick The hole inside hi back at him in theHe put his head down to breathe away the e, the need to pound his fists into human flesh, let his leopard loose to claw apart his enemies

Hold on, baby

I won't stop until I find you He wouldn't That was his greatest flaw and his greatest strength He didn't kno to stop, and for Sonia, he never would He would find her and do whatever it took, for however long, to make certain she was safe and happy

"That's too obvious," Sasha said "He'd know you have resources, and he wants time with her"

There was a break in the Russian's voice The first crack Joshua had heard, and he spun around to face hi the side of his face shohiter against his skin He was scared for Sonia too No, it was more like terror He knehat his father was capable of, htmare, just as it was Joshua's

"Where would he take her?"

Sasha frowned "I don't know the area, but it would be somewhere you wouldn't expect The last place you'd think to look I had that old hunting cabin on the island,like that"

There were a million old cahout the swamp Joshua paced across the roo He was the most familiar with the swaes of Sonia raped, beaten Tortured His stomach lurched He had to stop He had to force his mind under control so he could think Where could a man who didn't know the swamp take a woman to be alone with her? A place no one could hear her screams?

He needed to punch so hiet the adrenaline out, to force his brain to think A house in the swamp, then Not a vacation home He'd need a local to direct him to the camps Other locals would talk, especially if so, and it would be like Nikita to kill whoever aided hi his silence permanently

"He'd want her alive as long as possible He'd want me to see her suffer," Sasha said

"So, he's co after you," Fyodor said "You're certain?"

Sasha nodded "I had guards spread out They didn't ood in a firefight We're a little out of our eleood news is, Nikita's men will be as well"