Gilded Tears: A Russian Mafia Romance (Kovalyov Bratva Book 2) by Nicole Fox (novels to read for beginners txt) 📗

at me, though. His fury is directed at the blonde man standing between us.

“I… I was teaching the bitch a lesson,” the guard tries to explain, but his tone falters.

“She’s not your bitch to teach,” Eagle Tattoo rumbles. “Now get out. The lot of you.”

The men hesitate and Eagle Tattoo glowers furiously at them.

“Get the fuck out of here before I blow your brains out!” he bellows. “My orders have come from Budimir himself.”

There’s only a moment’s hesitation before all four men exit the room. When the door snaps closed, Eagle Tattoo walks over to me, his eyes roving from my face to my breasts.

“Did he touch you?” he asks. He almost sounds concerned.

“He slapped me.”

“Did he try to rape you?” he asks.

I still, feeling a sense of dread overtake me. This is not an innocent line of questioning. Not by any means.

“Answer me.”

“He tried to convince me to have sex with him,” I say softly.

“Well, who can blame him?” Eagle Tattoo smiles, and for a moment it actually feels like he’s trying to flirt with me. “Artem’s a lucky motherfucker. No wonder he got you pregnant so fast.”

I look down at Phoenix, who’s whimpering a little in my arms, but he’s stopped crying. It’s almost as though he realizes that crying won’t help us now.

“Please,” I say. “Please, just let me and my son go.”

He laughs. “I thought you were smarter than that.”

“He’s only a baby.”

“Exactly,” he agrees. “He’s only been in your life a short time.”

Those words send my mind into new echelons of panic. I grip Phoenix a little tighter.

“My husband—”

“Your husband is dead,” he snaps. “There’s no one left to rescue you. It’s just you and the boss. But before that… it’s just you and me.”

I can sense where he’s leading me. My body seems to resign itself to the inevitability to what’s about to happen.

I can feel it giving way—giving up hope, giving up the fight.

I have escaped this horror countless times now. Artem saved me once.

Will he be here to save me again?

I can’t believe he’s dead. But even so, it feels like there’s no way out.

And a part of me no longer cares. Because I know now that I will endure anything—if it means my son will be safe.

“I’ll do whatever you want,” I say suddenly. “And I’ll do it willingly. Just please… don’t hurt my son.”

Do I believe my own words? In the moment, they feel sincere, but I’m not sure anymore.

I don’t feel like myself. I feel like a trapped and desperate woman who will try anything to save her son.

That is exactly what I am.

That is all I am.

“Oh?” Eagle Tattoo asks. “Is that right?”

“Yes.”

“You’ll do whatever I want?” he asks again.

“Yes.”

“You’ll get naked and suck my cock?”

“If that’s what you want,” I whisper, my voice as deadpan as my face.

“You’ll spread your legs for me?”

“If that’s what you want.”

“You’ll take it in the ass?”

“If that’s what you want.”

He stares at my expressionless face. I can tell he’s annoyed, but I cannot give him any more concessions. If he’s expecting me make a show of enjoying my own rape, then that’s one line too far.

“But you can’t hurt my son.”

“Put him down over there,” Eagle Tattoo tells me. “I’m not fucking you with that brat in your arms.”

I stand up immediately and walk over to the largest sofa in the room. It’s soft and cushy and I settle Phoenix into the ample cushion. Then I put a cushion on the open side of the sofa just to secure him.

I know I don’t have to worry—he’s still too young to roll—but I do it anyway.

I feel numb. That feeling scares me more than anything else. Am I really going to lie down and let him rape me?

Yes.

Yes you are, if it means you can protect Phoenix.

There’s pride in this. There’s dignity in this, even if it seems like both are long gone.

Save your son. Save your little bird.

I draw in a deep, shuddering breath and steel myself against the horrors that await me.

And I make a promise to myself, to Artem, to Phoenix: no matter what happens, I won’t cry. I refuse to shed a single tear here.

“Hurry the fuck up,” Eagle Tattoo orders me.

The sound of his voice has my skin crawling with disgust and new rage.

And the reality of my situation settles over me like a cold shower.

“You’re strong Esme,” Cesar says, his voice clear as a bell in my head. “You were always so much stronger than me. Don’t take this sitting down.”

“I’m alone, Cesar.”

“No, you’re not. You have me.”

“You left me a long time ago.”

“Then who are you talking to right now?”

“Myself. Just myself.”

“Yeah? Then maybe you should listen to yourself. You are a fucking warrior, and it’s about time you owned it. If you want to be a don’s wife, you have to act like a don’s wife.”

“Come here.”

The monster grabs my arm and pulls me to him. My body slams against his chest and I realize just how big he is, just how strong he is.

I can also feel his erection against my thigh and I have to bite down on my tongue to keep from gagging right in his fucking face.

No matter how determined I am to fight back, there’s no getting around the fact that he’s bigger than me. Stronger than me. More trained, more capable than me.

The one thing he’s not is more desperate.

I glance around as he slides his tongue along the curve of my neck.

There are several objects I can use as weapons, but I need to get my hands on them first.

“The table,” I say.

“What?” he asks distractedly.

“Let’s go to the table over there. I don’t want Phoenix seeing this.”

He rolls his eyes but he wrenches me towards the table so hard it feels as though he’s trying to pull my hand right out of the socket.

My eyes stay fixed on the giant candlestand in the center of the table.

Eagle Tattoo pushes me back against the table in the