Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 145729 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145729 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
Gatita, is there any talking to his leopard?
It is evil. It wants to kill you and me. It is like Sasha’s leopard when he touched you.
She pressed her hand to her mouth to cover the gasp of shock. Sasha had to fight his leopard every time he made love to her? She hadn’t been his mate. Did that mean leopards couldn’t be with anyone else? No, Joshua had. So that meant the continual exposure to violence changed the leopard as well as the man.
“We’re not going to wait for them,” Nikita declared. “If they can’t handle that sniveling idiot of a son, they’d better not come home, Filat.”
“Mr. Bogomolov,” the man he’d referred to as Filat said. There was respect in his voice, but also steel. She remembered him from her childhood. He’d picked her up occasionally and given her cookies. She knew he was Nikita’s closest and most trusted advisor. “If we don’t get Sasha, there’s a chance he can undermine us with the other vors.”
“We’re no longer in Russia.”
“No, but we have to work with those here. Also the Italians. And this man Tregre. He’s in tight with Lospostos. Lospostos runs a huge territory. He’s powerful and right now, untouchable. If Sasha remains alive, he will always be a threat to you, your biggest threat. He cannot make allies of these people. Shore up this alliance with Tregre. Get him to kill Sasha if our men miss him.”
“He knew where the bitch was and didn’t tell me,” Nikita snapped.
Sonia could see he was thinking over what Filat had said. He didn’t necessarily like it, but first and foremost, Nikita was a businessman. He didn’t get to where he was without doing what was best for his business.
“Be ready to move. Reach out to Tony. Tell him the second it’s done to call in. We’ll leave then. You’re right. This is our best shot at getting Sasha and the rats that followed him. I want them all dead. And their families, Filat. Every last one of them wiped from the earth.”
“They’ve gone into hiding,” Filat said, “but they’ll have to come out sometime. If we get Sasha, we’ll get the others and their families.”
“While I’m waiting,” Nikita said, his voice a smirk as he turned and looked at her, rubbing his crotch lewdly, “I’ll be occupied with my newest little slut. You like her?”
Filat nodded. “You willing to share her?”
“If I do, it has to be soon. Tregre may have put a baby in her. We’ll get rid of it. Until then, we can have fun the way we like. There’s always her mouth. She’ll learn to be a good little cocksucker, won’t you, Sonia?”
Gatita. I’m not doing this. I’m not. If he comes near me, I’m going to hurt him. He’ll probably kill us. If not, he’ll beat the holy hell out of us.
I won’t let him touch you.
His leopard is a killer. It wants to kill us both.
Nikita started toward her as Filat laughed and put a cell phone to his ear. He leaned against the counter as if he was about to watch a show. Heart beating hard, she watched him coming, feeling Gatita coiling and ready to strike. Her stare was focused, the predator watching prey.
Nikita stopped abruptly and laughed. “Her leopard is close, watching me. I can see her. I’ve never had a woman who was leopard other than Sasha’s mother. She was a timid, stupid woman, always so eager to please, completely unlike this one, Filat. This one’s a fighter.”
Filat straightened, his eyes on her, darkening with pure lust. “Tony isn’t answering. They must be at the house. Just a minute, boss. This is going to be fun.” His hands went to his shirt.
There was a slight sound and everyone turned their heads to see Joshua standing at the foot of the stairs, regarding them all with amusement. “You were going to start the fun without me? I found her, by the way. She fights like a wildcat.”
Silence followed his statement. Sonia’s mouth went dry. He sounded so sincere, but then every statement he made was true. The leopards listening for their human counterparts would have to say he was telling the truth. She didn’t dare look at him, even though she wanted to drink him in. How had he gotten in? Just waltzed past Nikita’s guards and gotten in through her bedroom balcony? And where were Evan and Kai? They wouldn’t let him just come alone.
“What are you doing here?” Filat asked carefully.
Joshua’s face changed. He looked cold. Arctic cold. Like a glacier. “Came home to find my house on fire and the woman I’ve been fucking gone. I decided to go look for her. If she started it, I was going to beat her within an inch of her life. If she didn’t, whoever had her clearly tried to burn me out.”