Royce glanced at Rurik. The man was flexing his hands and curled them into fists, a growl barely audible. Dimitri's words sank in, and Royce felt his stomach heave. His blood began to boil."You mean human trafficking."Dimitri slipped his hands into his pockets. "Yes. He's one of the biggest traders in the flesh markets."If there was one thing in the world that could change Royce's mind about killing a man in cold blood, it was sex trafficking. The monsters who did that to women, who stole their freedom, their bodies, their livesit was a fate worse than death. It was hell. Royce stared down at the vial of ricin in his hands, and made his decision."Then he's a dead man," Royce said. He wasn't going to let someone like Vadym continue breathing if he had a say in the matter. It wouldn't stop human trafficking in general, but he was going to stop this bastard if he could.Hans looked to Dimitri. "Guess that's that. Where can we find him? You mentioned the club he gets into?""It's
One, two, three, fourKenzie fell into the cathartic pace of counting her strokes as she did laps in the massive underground pool of the Lotte Hotel. The square blue tiles along the pool bottom seemed to glow like neon from the underwater pool lights. She felt weightless, as if she were swimming in a distant galaxy of glowing stars rather than a pool in Moscow.She swam until her arms burned. With each stroke she tried to banish the memories of the horrors she'd faced.Monte gripping her throat, squeezingwood splintering above her. Glass and splinters raining down on hergunshots piercing the night, louder than she'd ever imagined they could bebullets embedded in the wall where her head had beenbroken glass glittering on the expensive stone floors like hundreds of diamonds.She'd never been close to death. She'd never seen the ugliness of true violence or crime. She had lived a sheltered life full of love, happiness, and her textbooks. Dinosaur bones over human bones. She could neve
"I think I should go and clean the guns," Hans muttered. He set the empty plate down, got up from his chair, and took the two gun cases into the other room. Royce still hadn't taken his eyes off Kenzie, but he reached for a bottle of vodka and poured her a small shot."Drink this." He held it out and she downed it, wincing at the burn."Thanks, I needed that," she said, still unable to meet his gaze."Little Mac, look at me." He caught her chin to turn her head his way. She stared up at him, seeing those burning brown eyes, the hint of stubble that was like a sexy shadow on his jaw."You can do this. It's just like in classI give you an order and you obey, no questions, no sass. The only difference is that you'll be in revealing clothes, probably cuffed, collared, and""And?" Kenzie had a sense she knew what was coming."And I might have to be intimate with you. Probably not full-on sex, but there might be something else required to prove our 'legitimacy' if it comes to that."S
She kissed him, unleashing everything she'd buried inside her. Everything she was ashamed of. All of the dark desires. The secret needs she'd hidden even from herself. All of it poured out of her and through her, infusing that kiss with the hot wave of her own inhibitions unbinding. For so long she'd held her life in perfect balance, keeping out of trouble and free from complications. But now she craved the danger she'd fed with her recklessness.Royce was the one man who could upset her fine edge of discipline and send her world tumbling. She didn't care. Consequences be damned. The burning connection of their mouths consumed her until there was only this man, this glorious kiss.A soft whisper of pain made her gasp as he fisted a hand in her hair and pulled her head back from his. Their eyes held like a key settling into a lock. Everything inside her went wondrously still. Kenzie clung to that feeling, digging her nails into his shoulders, afraid it would shatter this perfect feeli
"Fuck me, Dr. Devereaux."He'd never forget how those words sounded as they escaped her lips. He'd shared his dream, his ultimate fantasy, the one he'd jacked off to in the shower more times than he could count, and she'd given in and surrendered to him and his fantasy.And it had been a thousand times better than anything his imagination had come up with. She'd managed to drift into subspace during their first time together. He'd never had that happen before with any woman. Not even the trained submissives at the Gilded Cuff were able to manage that.He stared down at her, relishing how small and delicate she felt in his arms. So beautiful. He'd jumped on her like a rutting beast and hadn't even taken the time to enjoy exploring her.We still have time for that. He would make sure of it. He had a thousand other fantasies he wanted to try out on her: tie her up, lick her folds until she cried out in pleasureAnd yet it had taken a fossil-smuggling ring and the Russian mob to get h
Kenzie reached for the buttons of her flannel nightshirt. "So" She slowly revealed her body to him. The moonlight pouring in from the windows illuminated her breasts as she unwrapped herself like a Christmas present.He knew just what he wanted to do. She sat on her knees next to him as she let the nightshirt fall away. He reached out, cupping one of her breasts, rubbing his thumb over one tight nipple. She arched her back, offering herself to him, and he groaned as he reached for her, gripping her by the waist and pulling her on top.She settled onto his lap, straddling him. Her breasts were now close enough that he buried his face against them. He drew a nipple into his mouth and squeezed gently on her other breast. How could she taste so sweet? He let his hand slide down to her ass, tugging on the black panties. The urge to rip them again was almost overwhelming. Kenzie brought out a savage side in him. He always loved to be a bit rough, sure, but something about her made him feel
Pale morning light roused Kenzie from one of the deepest sleeps she'd ever had. She opened her eyes, blinking slowly as she took in the elegant and lavish room around her.This isn't home. This isShe was bewildered for a long moment, wondering how she'd gotten here, in Russia with her professor and in his bed. Memories from last night hit her, and she winced as she shifted. Her inner legs were sore, and between her thighs hurt too. She bit her lip to hide a smile.Dr. Devereaux sure knew how to make love, as they had stared into each other's eyes and he'd gone slow, it had rocked her to her very core. She hadn't been a virgin before, but that last time was what every girl dreamed her first time would be like.She sat up in bed, still tender all over, and it felt good. She tucked her knees up to her chin and realized she was smiling. She couldn't seem to stop. That was when she heard it, the sound of the shower running and the voice of a man singing in deep tones. Normally, a man s
Vadym Andreikiv sat in his leather chair in his office, glaring at Jov Tomenko."You said they were in Moscow, but you lost track of them at the airport."Jov was a burly brute born in Siberia. He was a man of few words, and he kept secrets well, but if he didn't start talking, then Vadym would replace himpermanently."They hired a private car service. Our hacker team checked all the major databases and the taxicabs. Electronic receipts are easy to track these days, but we couldn't get a lock on their location."Vadym pulled a cigar cutter from his desk and stared at Jov as he sliced off the tip of the cigar with a menacing sound."Think carefully about your next words, Jov. You don't want to displease me."Jov audibly swallowed."I'll find them. Or""Or?""Well, you could lure him to you, couldn't you? Put the word out where you can be found. Make Devereaux come to us. Then I can deal with him." Jov clenched his hands together, his knuckles cracking.Vadym considered the ide