Taming Blade (Kings Reapers MC Book 5), Nicola Jane [books for 7th graders TXT] 📗

“Mr. Petrova,” I say.

“Now the introductions are out of the way, let’s take a seat in my car.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I reply, taking Tillie by the hand.

“I can take her from you,” he says, nodding to his henchman, who’s pointing a Glock with a silencer attached our way. I glance towards where Sara is still hurriedly walking toward the club. It’ll be a few minutes before she alerts them. “But I’d much prefer less drama, so if you’d step this way,” he adds, pointing to his car.

“We can talk here,” I mutter.

“Mr. Archer, I really do not have the time or patience for this right now. I can have him put a bullet in your head and take her, or you can both talk to me like adults. Either way, the girl is coming with me.”

I give Tillie a reassuring smile and lead her towards the car. “You have a gun, right?” she whispers and I shake my head. “Are you kidding me? I thought you were supposed to be able to protect me.”

“Oh, so now you’re happy for me to kill someone?” I whisper hiss, and she rolls her eyes. “I wasn’t expecting to come out on a rescue mission tonight because I thought you were in fucking Scotland . . . safe!”

“I was heading that way next,” says Viktor. “She wasn’t going to be safe for long.” Tillie glares at me as the henchman opens the car door. Tillie gets in first and I follow. There’s another man already in the back with a gun pointed at Tillie. She grabs my hand tightly. “We’re going on a little journey,” says Viktor, taking a seat opposite me.

TILLIE

We’re driven in silence to a large stately home on the other side of London. “This is quite a journey,” says Blade. “A long way for a chat.”

The car door opens and we step out onto a gravel driveway. We’re ushered around the back of the house to what looks like a barn. I begin to panic again, but Blade gently squeezes my hand to ease my fears.

Inside the barn, there’s huge bales of hay stacked up on both sides. In the centre, there’s a pen with large pigs inside. They snuffle around excitedly when they see us, but I can’t imagine these are domesticated pet pigs. They’re so fat, they can hardly walk. Viktor points to a hay bale and we take a seat. It seems a strange place to have a meeting and I feel sick with nerves. “Matilda, I’ve heard so much about you,” says Viktor.

“I’ve heard nothing about you,” I say.

He smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “Have you seen your father of late?”

I shake my head. “I’ve never met him, if you’re talking about Cobra.”

“Pity. You see, he left, and that means we have a big problem.”

“We?” I repeat.

“I say we, but I mean you. In my business, when a person owes a debt and they can no longer pay, well, that passes to the next person in line, unfortunately for you.”

“Let me get this straight,” says Blade. “You want Tillie to pay a debt that Cobra left, even though she’s never met him?”

“It sounds so simple, doesn’t it?” asks Viktor, laughing.

“How much?” I ask.

“It’s gone beyond money, I’m afraid,” says Viktor. “A lesson needs to be taught.”

“To whom? Cobra’s gone. He doesn’t care about a fucking lesson,” growls Blade. Viktor nods to one of the many goons who have appeared. He grabs Blade and another moves forward and punches him in the stomach. I cry out, unsure of what the hell I can do. Blade smirks, shaking off the punch like it was nothing.

“Show some respect,” says Viktor calmly. “I can’t be seen to be weak. Men would take advantage.”

“What do you want?” I hiss.

“The money he left you, to begin with,” says Viktor. “Then we’ll talk more.”

He turns and heads for the door and I’m left wondering how he knows about the money when I’ve only just found out. “You can’t keep us here.”

He turns back and marches towards me. Blade stands, but Viktor’s goons move in, holding Blade back as he grabs my face in one hand and pushes me up against the wall of hay bales. “I will be keeping you, Matilda, for as long as I see fit. I’ve always wanted a pet.” His face is so close, I can smell his whiskey-laced breath. He glances down at my chest pushed up against his. “Torturing you might make me feel a little less pissed that your father stole from me, or maybe he’ll appear out of the woodwork once he knows we have his long-lost daughter.”

“I didn’t even know him,” I whisper, tears rolling down my cheeks.

“It’s a cruel world. A high price to pay for a distant family member, but rules are rules, and I made sure he knew them very well before he borrowed from me.”

“I can give you the money, all of it. Please just let us go,” I beg.

He grins, pressing his nose into my hair and inhaling deeply. “You’re not scared enough. I want you begging. I want to see the fear in your pretty little eyes as I fuck every ounce of self-respect from you. Men need to see what will happen if they screw me over.” His hand runs along my shoulder and I shudder in disgust. It only pleases him more and he wraps his hand in my hair, pulling my head back hard, causing me to wince as pain rips through me. A commotion behind us makes him look back over his shoulder. His men are beating the crap out of Blade.

“I’ll beg,” I say desperately, “if that’s what you want. Just let him go. He’s nothing to do with this,” I cry.

Viktor smiles. “Where’s the fun in that?” he asks. He pulls me by the hair back towards where the men are now chaining Blade to shackles attached to steel beams. He’s bleeding from his cheek and eyebrow,