“Fuck you, pendejo.” Annoyed at the interruption, I grab the water bottle off the floor and take a swig. I normally like Diego, but right now I’m tempted to use him as my punching bag. “My prisoner is none of your fucking business.”
“I helped deliver her here, so she’s kind of my business,” he objects, but the grin leaves his face. He can tell I’m in a mood. “She’s the bitch who caused that crash, right?”
I wipe the dripping sweat off my forehead. “What makes you say that?” I’d been under the impression that only Esguerra, Peter, and I knew of Yulia’s involvement.
Diego shrugs. “We got her from a Russian prison, and everyone knows the Ukrainians were behind it. It just seemed to fit. Plus, it seemed kind of personal for you, so...” His voice trails off as I give him a hard look.
“Like I said, she’s none of your fucking business,” I say coldly. The last thing I want is to discuss Yulia with the other men. What should’ve been the easiest thing in the world—revenge—has turned into a mess of epic proportions. The girl tied to the chair in my living room is not what I thought she was, and I have no fucking clue what to do about that.
“Yeah, okay, no worries.” Diego grins again. “Just tell me: did you fuck her already? Even with the prison smell, I could tell she’s a hot piece—”#p#分页标题#e#
My fist slams into his face before he finishes speaking. It’s not a conscious action on my part; the fury filling me is simply too explosive to contain. He stumbles back from the force of my blow, and I follow, leaping and tackling him to the ground. My leg protests the sudden movement, but I ignore the pain, raining blow after blow on Diego’s shocked face.
“Kent, what the fuck?” Steely hands grab my arms and drag me off my victim, resisting my attempts to throw them off. “Calm down, man!”
“What’s going on here?” Esguerra’s voice is like a splash of icy water on the flames of my rage. As my mind clears, I realize that Thomas and Eduardo are holding my arms while our boss is standing a dozen feet away, at the entrance of the training gym.
“Just a little disagreement.” I manage to keep my voice steady despite the bloodlust still surging through me. Seeing that I’m no longer fighting them, Thomas and Eduardo release me and step back, their expressions carefully neutral.
Knowing I need to say something, I turn to the guard I assaulted. “Sorry, Diego. You caught me at a bad time.”
“Yeah, no kidding,” he mutters, getting to his feet with some effort. His nose is bleeding, and his left eye is already swelling up. “I’ve got to put some ice on this.”
He hurries out of the gym, and Esguerra gives me a questioning look.
I shrug, as though the problem is too minor to explain, and to my relief, Esguerra doesn’t pursue it. Instead, he informs me about a call with our Hong Kong supplier later this evening—he thinks it’s a good idea for me to be present—and then heads back to his office, leaving me to shoot beer cans with the guards and try not to think about my captive.
22
Yulia
I don’t know how long I sit there, trying to find a comfortable position on the hard chair, but eventually, a quiet rapping on the window draws my attention. Startled, I look up and see the girl who was watching me before—the one with the rounded face. She’s standing outside, her nose pressed to the glass as she stares at me. I don’t see her friend, so she must’ve come alone this time.
“Hello?” I call out, unsure whether she speaks English or would even be able to hear me through the glass. “Who are you?”
She hesitates for a second, then asks, “Where’s Lucas?” Her voice is barely audible through the window, but I can tell that her English is of the American variety, with only a trace of a Spanish accent.
“I don’t know. He left a little while ago,” I say, studying her as thoroughly as she’s studying me. It’s not a fair exchange; all I see of her is her head, while she’s looking at me in my birthday suit. Still, I note her regular features and full lips, filing the information away in my mind in case I need it later.
Who is she? Could she be Lucas’s girlfriend? There was no mention of significant others in his file, but Obenko wouldn’t know about Lucas’s relationships on this estate. For all I know, my captor could have a wife and three kids here. A pretty young girlfriend is a no-brainer; Lucas is a virile, highly sexual man who’d have no trouble attracting women, even in a place as remote as this compound.