The door opened and Luka and Yuri pushed their way inside. They closed the door behind them, but not before I glimpsed the guy who’d been guarding it lying on his back, his chest stained with blood.
I slapped my hand over my mouth, afraid I was going to throw up. I’d never seen anyone killed before. Luka just murdered someone! Jesus, this was a man I’d given my body to, who I’d allowed to comfort me when I was flashing back to the worst moments of my life. I knew he’d done it before, but to see it—
There was a shout from inside, abruptly cut off. Minutes passed. God, what’s he doing in there?! I imagined him going from room to room, killing. I have to get out of here! I have to call Adam, or call the police! There was no way I could stay with him after this, even for just a few hours. Nothing could justify this.
Then the door opened and a woman ran out, trampling over the dead guard’s body in her haste. She was naked save for a man’s shirt.
Another woman followed her, this one in a red dress. She seized the first one’s hand and they ran together down the street.
A third, this one in her underwear. Two more, in dresses. And a final one, her eye swollen and blackened, her wrists—
My stomach heaved. Her wrists had red marks around them, where she’d been tied.
I suddenly knew what had been going on inside the house, and why Luka was so angry. I’d thought that nothing could justify murder, but this….
Luka and Yuri burst out of the door, hauling a third man with them. He was bleeding from a split lip and his nose was broken. They wrestled him into the seat next to me and Yuri snapped handcuffs to his wrists, threading them through the grab-handle next to the door. Then Luka jumped into the passenger seat, Yuri got behind the wheel and we were screeching down the street.
I turned and stared at the man next to me. Muscled, but smaller than Luka. Blond hair, carefully styled, and a wide face with small, piggish eyes. He was glaring at Luka defiantly, but his face was pale with fear.
“You fuck!” Luka yelled in Russian, twisting around to glare at him. “Not women! Never women! Not like that!” He caught my eye for an instant and I saw something there that made me catch my breath. Fear.
Fear of it happening to me.
The man spat blood onto the spotless seatback in front of him and cursed Luka and his family. Then he turned to look at me.
“Don’t look at her,” snarled Luka in Russian, grabbing the man’s chin. “Don’t even fucking think about her!” And he punched the man in the face.
Yuri stopped the car and I saw we were in a back alley, out of view of the street. Luka came around to the rear of the car, unlocked the handcuffs and hauled the man out, handling his weight easily. He dragged him off down the alley.
“What’s he going to do to him?” I asked in a small voice.
Yuri turned around and just looked at me.
My stomach lurched again. Killing the guard at the house to free the women...that was one thing. Horrifying, but maybe—I was shocked that I could even think it—maybe necessary. But this, what Luka was doing now...this was simple, brutal violence. Punishment.#p#分页标题#e#
I climbed out of the car, my legs shaking.
Yuri looked at me in amazement. “Better you stay here,” he warned.
But I was already off and running down the alley after Luka. He’d dragged the guy to a lock-up garage, its door secured by a padlock and chain. Luka heaved on the chain, forearms bulging, until brute strength made one of the links give away. He swung open the door, pulled the man inside and threw him up against a wall.
“You fuck!” Luka yelled, swinging his fist into the man’s gut. The man doubled over. Luka caught him with an uppercut under the chin, sending him tumbling backward. “You sick little bastard!” The guy was trying to get up, but Luka didn’t give him a chance. His fists smashed into the man’s chest and face, pummeling him, knocking him to his knees. I remembered the punching bag, aboard the yacht. I don’t box. I hit things.
“Luka!” I screamed, grabbing his shoulder. “Enough!”
Luka turned to me, his eyes savage. “Wait in the car!”
“No!” I looked at the guy. Blood was pouring from his nose and lips, his face swollen with bruises. “You’ll kill him!”
Luka looked at me. And nodded.
“It’s enough! Let him go!”
Luka stared into my eyes. “Do you know what they were doing in there? It wasn’t just a brothel. It was a rape club, for rich businessmen. Where they can do anything they like to the women, for money.” He kicked the man on the ground.
I stared at the bleeding, broken man. I almost wanted to kill him myself. What harm would it do? He deserves it. Luka’s all ready to do it. Let him.