“You don’t have anywhere to be over the weekend.”
I opened my mouth to argue but he was right. The next two days I was free. I snapped my mouth shut.
No work, no other obligations. “It doesn’t matter what I do or don’t have to do. I have a life not here. With you.”
I couldn’t believe I’d held on to any kind of hope regarding the good things about Kostya. In ten years, he’d changed into this monster who was emotionless, violent… coldhearted.
I stared into his eyes and saw no recognition of the past between us. No feelings of remembrance about what we shared. And when he looked back at me, I didn’t see any of that either.
“I don’t plan on keeping you as a prisoner forever, Anastasia.”
I didn’t know why I believed him, but I felt a little bit of my annoyance take a step back.
“Keeping me here for one day against my will is just as bad.” He shrugged as if he didn’t care, as if it meant nothing to him.
Because he’d do whatever he wanted.
“So what?” I threw my hands in the air. “I’m stuck here for the next few days and then you’ll just let me go?”
He leaned back in the chair and crossed his arms over his chest, which caused the muscles in his upper body to flex with all that power.
“Until I kill your father, you’re not safe. That means, princess, you’re here until I make that a reality.”
My body tensed at the sound of Kostya saying he was going to kill my father.
I opened my mouth then closed it.
“That’s right.” He leaned forward and rested his forearms on the table. “I’m going to find Vladimir and cut out his heart.”
“All because he set me up with Ivan?” Confusion filled me. “Seems extreme.” I let my gaze move over his body. “Although, it seems you’re already at that point.” I snorted and crossed my arms, glaring at him.
“Truth is, I’d kill anyone who got in the way of you being mine. It wouldn’t take much, baby. Just a look of desire in their eyes aimed your way.” He slowly shook his head, his expression turning frightening. “But Vladimir has a lot of marks against him, more than could ever be paid with blood in a lifetime.”
I found myself taking a step back on instinct.
“The fact you thought I’d just leave you still hurts the more I think about it, sweetheart.” His jaw clenched. “Your father was the one who did it all, Anastasia. He’s the one who organized the fight clubs, the training.”
The more he spoke, the harder his voice grew.
“Your father was the one who sent me away at the age of fifteen.”
“But your father—”
“—was nothing but a foot soldier. A lap dog.”
My heart thundered painfully in my chest.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, those two words spilling out of me as tears streamed down my cheeks.
I shook my head as I heard the truth in his words, as I felt them deep in my heart.
“He’d told me…” I closed my eyes. “He told me fatherly things to comfort me when he’d been the cause of my pain.” I opened my eyes and took another step back. My father created this… this… whoever I stared at.
“You need to realize I’m not going to let you fucking go, not in the sense that you will ever be anyone else’s.”
So many emotions bombarded me, and I knew I was going to lash out at Kostya even though he didn’t deserve all of it.
The hatred I felt over what he told me about my father was so strong I couldn’t think or breathe.
Before I could stop myself, I let a harsh sound leave me. “Why? Why are you doing any of this to me? It’s been ten years and zero contact. You haven’t reached out to me once even though you’re admitting you watched me, and could have spoken to me a hundred different times over the years?” I was screaming, my face feeling hot, my heart racing.
I didn’t realize I’d moved closer, and I was only a few feet from him now, screaming, my hands tightly curled into fists, this anger I felt making it seem as if I were at my strongest.
“You say I’m yours, yet for a decade you let me think you’d just left when we could have been together.” I was panting and held my place as he slowly stood, as he walked closer.
I refused to let him intimidate me.
“You let me wonder—think—you’d died.” I was crying now, big, angry fat tears that pissed me off even more.
“You’re being dramatic,” he hissed out.
“God,” I screamed. “I hate you.” I went to turn away, wanting to get far from him because I was so upset and hurt and just wanted to lash out.
He gripped my arm and forcefully turned me around.