Break For Him (Volkov Crime Family 2)

“Work for me.” I knelt down again. “Come, little Leigh. It won’t be so bad. You’ll be all mine. I won’t share you, I promise.”

“I can’t… sleep with strangers, I just… I’m not a whore.”

“Your time’s almost up. You need to choose.”

“I’m thinking.” She squeezed her eyes shut. “Two hundred grand. I can… I can borrow from a bank and pay you back. That way… I’ll be on the hook, not you.”

“You won’t find a bank that’ll loan you that much so quickly. I’m an impatient man.”

“I can find someone. There has to be another way.”

“There’s no other way.” I leaned closer. I took a breath and smelled her soap. Her lips parted as my mouth brushed past her cheek and toward her ear. “You’re either all mine or you’re going to die here. I think you know the right choice.”

She let out another sob. I pulled back, a smile on my lips.

It wasn’t that I enjoyed her suffering. That wouldn’t be accurate. I didn’t want to hurt her.

But I did enjoy the moment. These sorts of moments, where the stakes are so high, they can say so much. They can be so revealing.

I loved them. I loved going through them and I loved putting people through them. I wanted to be tested over an over. I wanted to prove to the world how strong I was.

And I loved testing people around me.

“I’ll do it.” The words came out like vomit. She coughed, like she was gagging on them. “Oh my god. I’ll do it. I’ll work for you.”

“That’s a good girl.” I stood up. “Viktor. Bag her.”

“Wait, please.” She stared at me, panicking again. “Don’t do that. Please don’t do that.”

I waved my hand at her and walked away. Viktor flicked his cigarette onto the ground, stubbed it out, then walked over and pulled the bar over her head. She fought a little but it was no use.

Delicious. Fucking delicious. And my little diamond came through for me.

I stood and savored the sweet moment. I closed my eyes and pictured her face as she gave in.

My little Leigh. Beautiful.

I wandered down between the crates toward where Rolan stood under a single overhead light drinking from his bottle of vodka and looking at his phone. He looked up as I approached.

“You done?” he asked.

“All done.”

“And she’s working for you now?”

“Yes she is.”

He shook his head. “You really do like to fuck with people, don’t you?”

I laughed and leaned up against a crate. Inside was thousands of dollars worth of pills that needed to get sold, pills that had been sitting in this warehouse for weeks, waiting for my plan to come to fruition.

And finally, it looked like it would all work out.

“You know it’s not fucking with her. I’m testing her strength, her resolve. I’m putting her in a situation where she can find out what’s important to her and what kind of person she actually is.”

Rolan rolled his eyes. “Right, yeah, I know. You did that shit to me, too.”

“Ah, come on. You know how I operate.” I spread my hands, palms up. “If you want to challenge me to single combat for control of our little crew, you’re more than welcome.”

He grunted. “Might take you up on that one day.”

“Please do. But you know the rules. No weapons. Just pure strength.”

I saw a flicker of fear pass across his face. I was willing to bet he remembered the last guy that challenged me.

His name was Marco.

He was a big man. Had an inch on me, maybe twenty pounds. He was a fighter, loved to get into shit. Seemed to enjoy pain, like nothing could really hurt him.

I smashed his face into a curb over and over until his skull cracked under my palm.

“Maybe another time.”

“Okay then. For now, go help Viktor get the girl in the car. We’re bringing her to my place.”

He frowned. “Your place? Why not the cat house?”

“Fuck the cat house. This one’s for me.”

“Your call, boss.” He took another sip then capped the vodka and slipped it into his back pocket. He walked past me and back toward where Viktor stood with Leigh.

I ran my hand over the wooden crate and smiled.

I hadn’t been completely honest with Leigh back there. Yes, I was an optimist, and I believed there was strength in everyone.

But that wasn’t why I gave her brother money and drugs.

I had a plan. A long term plan. And she was a part of that plan, whether she knew it or not.

So far, things were going exactly as I expected.

My little Leigh.

She was going to sell every single one of these pills, and we were going to get very, very rich together.

She just didn’t know it yet.

I turned away and walked back toward them with a big smile on my face.2LeighThey kept the bag over my head until we reached some building. I couldn’t tell where we were. All I could see were flashes of light through the black cloth.