Chapter
2

Volkov’s Compound
Second Night

Volkov’s smile was more of a smirk when Balkon strode into his study late that evening. He’d known it was only a matter of time before he’d be scampering here to see him. “You look a bit edgy. I told you the odds were against her. You shouldn’t have taken the bet if you were this scared.”

“I’m not scared. She’s made it through the last twenty-four hours, hasn’t she? And you made sure that I’d take the bet. You doubled the stakes.” Balkon took the glass Volkov handed him. “You knew I couldn’t resist the chance to take it away from you like I did the last time.” He took a swallow of his vodka and dropped down in the easy chair by the fireplace. His gaze shifted away from him to the burning logs. “Have you heard from either Razov or Gregor today?”

And that’s why Balkon was really here, Volkov thought cynically. In spite of what he said, he was terrified that he was in over his head and the bitch would end up dead. He had a right to be panicky. When he won the bet, he’d squeeze the little prick dry. Volkov had known Balkon couldn’t afford the bet, but he’d been so frustrated that he’d wanted to hurt and humiliate him as Lara had humiliated him. “No, I told you that they checked in last night. They’ll call me when they’ve put her down.”

“I wouldn’t be too sure.” Balkon forced a smile. “They might be stronger, but as soon as the bet was set, I started working with Lara. She’s better than you’d think. And I guarantee she wouldn’t want to make me angry.”

“I wouldn’t think so.” Volkov lifted his glass in a toast. “You’ve had all these years to train her. Or should I say we’ve had all these years? You have to admit that I’ve done my part. Not that I haven’t enjoyed every minute of it. There have been times when it’s been quite satisfying.” He smiled. “I suppose we should consider this weekend as graduation?”

Balkon’s eyes widened in bewilderment. “What do you mean?”

“Well, you can’t actually believe she’ll come out of this alive. Our little experiment had to end sometime.” He shrugged. “I would have preferred to finish her myself, but this will do as well. I find that I like the idea of thinking about her facedown in the forest with a broken neck. I’ve been getting sick and tired of your Lara lately. Those last two times that she managed to win our little challenge, it was a bit humiliating for me.” Now to flick the whip and make him feel it. “My men didn’t dare to laugh in my face, but I heard their bets and I saw how they looked at me after she won. That’s not going to happen again. I believe this is where our paths part. I enjoyed our little games, Balkon, but we’ll have no further business once she’s gone.”