Scoundrel's Honor (Russian Connection 3)

“The only reason a man is willing to risk his neck is for love or—”

“Hate,” Dimitri finished for his companion, his thoughts racing.

Josef’s words made sense. He better than anyone understood the effectiveness of manipulating others with threats to their families. A man might refuse to pay a gambling bill even after a savage beating, but he would beg, borrow or steal the necessary funds to protect his wife.

And if you wanted to sincerely hurt a man…

Well, you threatened his lover, not him.

“He no doubt holds you to blame for interfering in his profitable affairs,” Rajih pointed out the obvious.

“Yes.” His gut twisted in icy fear. If something happened to Emma he would be destroyed. “What better revenge?”

Josef stepped forward to grab his arm, his face tight with concern.

“Or trap.”

“Yes,” Dimitri slowly agreed, his gaze shifting toward the brothel as a plan began to form. As much as he might long to charge into the house and shoot anyone who might stand in his path, he had enough sense to know that Emma would be killed before he could ever reach her. No, he had to convince the damnable Valik to release her unharmed. And there was only one means of persuading such a man. “Of course, it ceases to be a trap once you recognize it for what it is,” he husked.

“Damn,” Josef muttered. “You’re going to do something stupid, aren’t you?”

Dimitri turned back to meet his companion’s accusing glare.

“Yes, and you are going to assist me.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

“OW.” EMMA GLARED AT the large servant who carried her through the filthy brothel, his expression stoic despite the fact he had just smacked Emma’s head into the door frame of the parlor. “If I must be carried then could you at least not ram me into the walls?”

Leading them past the low divans and stacks of pillows tossed about the bare floor, Valik glanced over his shoulder with a mocking smile.

“You are wasting your time if you hope for a response from my servant. I cut out his tongue when I hired him.”

Emma fought to control her panic. “My God, you are demented.”

“Cautious.” The large man shrugged, angling toward the narrow staircase. “No matter how much I might be willing to pay a man to keep my secrets I can never be certain of his loyalty. It is far more effective to make certain he can’t speak at all.”

The man carrying her through the dark room with a low ceiling and heavy scent of incense appeared indifferent to being discussed as if he were no more than an animal. Perhaps his spirit was too broken to care.

“The world will be a far better place when Dimitri hunts you down and kills you,” she hissed.

Valik chuckled, pausing at the base of the stairs to turn and regard her with a smile of evil anticipation.

“If he is reckless enough to seek me out, then he will quickly discover that he is the prey, not the hunter.”

“You are…” Realization hit with shocking force and Emma felt her stomach clench with an icy dread. “Oh, my God. You are hoping he will come after me.”

The man’s smile widened, his hand waving about the seemingly empty room. No doubt he had a dozen guards hi

dden about the place.

“Let us just say that I am prepared should he choose to rescue his woman. And if he doesn’t…well, I at least have the satisfaction of knowing that for the remainder of his life he will blame himself for your painful and degrading destiny.”

She struggled to hide her fear, knowing that was precisely what he desired.

“You know nothing of Dimitri. He will kill you and there is nothing you can do to stop him.”

“Such faith in your lover,” he taunted. “It’s heart-warming.”