“Not like this, Connor,” Brian hisses through clenched teeth.
I look at Logan, who’s holding his bloody nose and whining in pain as he leans against the concrete wall.
I lift myself off the floor and run toward Katya and help her up. I remove my suit jacket and drape it over her shoulders. She looks like she’s in shock as she peers up at me with big, dark-brown eyes that do things to my heart and body.
I hug her and kiss her forehead.
“Are you okay? I’m so sorry,” I whisper against her forehead.
“Fuck you, Connor Pierce. She’s mine not yours,” Logan screams, still covering his bloody nose with the palm of his hand.
“You shut the fuck up. You’re under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you,” Brian says as he handcuffs Logan.
Once he’s done, he rushes toward the woman who’s standing and shaking on the other side of the vast basement. There’s a kitchen, a living room, and a queen bed. But it’s cold and unforgiving. I wouldn’t be able to live here.
“Irina Kuznetsov? Are you okay?” Brian asks the woman softly as he approaches her slowly.
She nods her head frantically.
“Yes. I’m okay. Please help us. Help me, my son, and Katya, please,” she cries out, and pulls her son toward her even more.
I stare at the little blonde kid. He looks like his mom, but has his father’s eyes. I look over at Logan.
“You sick fucking bastard,” I growl.
“You can’t take my son away from me. You fucking assholes. I will kill you all. I will fucking end you and your cop friend who thinks he can just barge into my house like that.”
I’m about to answer him when the woman in my embrace speaks for the very first time.
“Shut your fucking mouth, Logan,” she bites out. Her voice is shaky and almost soundless. But we all heard it, and everybody but Irina is in shock.
Katya pulls herself away from my hold and walks toward Logan, who regards her with shock crossing his face. The moment she’s an inch away from his useless body that’s sitting on the floor, she crouches in front of him.
“You … you are sick. And you belong in hell. You deserve to roast in it for eternity.”
“You bitch can talk?” Logan hisses, and I approach both of them. If he thinks of hurting her, I will end his miserable, fucked up life.
“She’s always been able to talk, Logan,” Irina says, “But since that was the one thing you wished she could give you once you decided to keep us both your prisoners, we decided to give you a little taste of what it means to want something and not have it. All we wanted was freedom, Logan. You couldn’t even give us that.”
Logan turns his head toward Irina. His eyes are bloodshot and no doubt fury is killing him slowly.
“You fucking sluts, you are nothing but—”
He didn’t get to finish his sentence, as Katya hit him so hard in the head that silence fell the moment he hit the harsh wall behind him.
“Katya, stay away from him, please. I understand you’re furious and angry and want nothing but to end him. However, it’s my job to do that. Let me take care of him. The law will for sure take very good care of him,” Brian explains to Katya, who backs away, scowling at the unconscious monster next to her feet.
She turns around and looks me in the eyes, and tears pool in hers as her throat bobs up and down due to her hard swallowing.
“Connor, I …” she whispers, tears streaming down her face like a waterfall.
“Your voice is so soft, beautiful, and I can’t believe I’m hearing it for the very first time,” I murmur, and she takes a step toward me.
She cups my cheek and bites her bottom lip.
“I had to protect them. I’m so sorry.”
I close my eyes and kiss her freezing palm. My body heats despite the coldness of her skin against mine. Nothing in the world compares to touching her, let alone hearing her mesmerizing voice.
“Connor, I called backup. They’re on their way,” Brian says to me before flitting his gaze to Katya. “Katya, we will need both your statement and Irina’s.”
Katya nods before looking over at Irina, who’s still crying. The flow of her tears is relentless.
Katya rushes toward her and hugs her. The kid, who’s probably three years old, hugs Katya’s leg as well and squeezes his eyes shut.
The sight of them all together, hugging and crying, is something I don’t think I’ll ever forget. God only knows how long Irina and her son have been locked up down here. I stare at the woman I love the most with pain gripping at my chest. This whole time she’s been protecting these people from harm by being Logan’s punching bag. She’s strong, much stronger than anybody I know.
She turns her head for a fraction of a moment and looks at me with beautiful, sparkling eyes. I smile at her, wishing I could show her how much respect and love I have for her with one simple look.
But the moment she smiles back at me and nods, I know she read my thoughts, just like I’ve been reading hers for the past couple of months.
There’s no doubt about this. We’ll always be telepathically connected.
Epilogue
Katya
I walk into the station, nervous. I need to give my statement today, since I asked for a break once the cops got to Logan’s place and took pictures and arrested him. I needed some time to think. I needed time to grasp the fact that everything’s over. I’m no longer Logan’s puppet. I didn’t need the six digit code to free myself, Irina, and little Alexei from Logan’s abuse and torment. Because I had met Connor, and he ended up being our savior.
“Ms. Rivera,” Brian greets me at his office door. “You look nice.”
“Thank you,” I say.
I’ve been silent for years, refusing to speak and training myself to remain quiet. It worked, and only a few times I spoke to Irina when Logan would throw me in the basement. I didn’t want to lose my words forever, but I needed to remain silent. It was my only weapon when it came to Logan.
“Oh, and congratulations on your new baby. Connor showed me the picture. He’s adorable.” Brian smiles and looks down. He’s a handsome, nice man, and I couldn’t be more grateful to him for saving our lives that night.
“Thank you, Katya. Are you ready?”
I swallow hard.
“Yes,” I reply quickly.
“Start from the beginning. The moment your life changed for the worst.”
“Logan, this place is beautiful,” I admit, walking around the vast hotel room toward the mesmerizing view through the window that shows the Atlantic Ocean.
“I’m glad you like it, sweetheart.”
He takes a couple of steps toward me, and snakes his arm around my waist, pulling me into his body. Butterflies instantly fill my stomach, and heat pools in-between my legs. My body always reacts when it comes to Logan. It doesn’t ask for my permission, it just always leans toward him like a magnet.
The moment his lips land on mine, we both hear loud knocking on the door. It’s not the normal, soft knocking that comes after you have ordered room service. This knocking is wild, violent, and angry.
Logan grunts and walks over to the door to open it.
The moment he does, a beautiful blonde woman storms inside the room angrily. Her eyes are bloodshot and tears are running down her cheeks.
“How dare you?” She turns around swiftly, facing Logan, who’s scowling at her, anger morphing his beautiful features.
I take a step back, confused about what’s happening. Who’s this woman and what is she doing here?
“Who the fuck gave you the right to come here? Are you spying on me now?” Logan bites out, taking a couple of steps toward her and gripping her forearm harshly.
“You’re cheating on me, you asshole!” she screams at the top of her lungs. His hand connects with her right chee
k, and he sends her falling to the ground with one simple hit.
I run toward her and get on my knees next to her.
“Logan! Why would you do this? Who is she?” I ask, shaking as tears pool in my eyes, ready to stream down my cheeks any minute now.
“I’m pregnant!” the woman screams, and silence falls after her statement.
I land on my ass next to her, shocked to my core. I peer up at Logan, who’s towering over both of us. His cheeks are red with the amount of fury that’s poisoning his blood.
“Both of you, get up. We’re going home,” he drawls. His voice is like a blast of icy air because of all the suppressed anger that’s within him.
“Logan, you lied to me—”
“Shut the fuck up, Katya. I don’t want to hear a single word coming out of your mouth. Get up, we’re leaving.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you!” the woman hisses through gritted teeth, making him even more angry as he reaches for his suitcase across the room and pulls out a gun.
My heart sinks into my stomach, and the woman beside me on the floor gasps while cupping my hand.
We both stare at him in fear as he points the gun toward us.
“One single word, and I shoot both of you. You want to survive? You do as I say and follow the rules,” he threatens in a dangerously calm voice that shouldn’t belong to a monster like him.
Betrayal and horror cause my brain to become numb. I know that going forward, I’ll have to fight for survival, even if it costs me my life.
I breathe out heavily. Going through memory lane when it comes to Logan always takes a huge toll on me. After today, I never want to hear about Logan. I need to start over, find my life and my destiny, and make it a rule to never, ever let anything like that happen to me again.
As long as I keep reminding myself that it was all a nightmare, I will be good. I will be fine.
“You never have to worry about him anymore. He’s gonna rot in jail for the rest of his life,” Brian assures me. The smile on his face is tight but confronting.
I smile back and rise from my seat, ready to leave all of this behind me.
“Thank you for everything,” I tell him honestly, shaking his hand.
“It’s my job. Where to now?”
I make my way over to the door and turn back to answer his questions.
“I miss my mother. I’m going to see her and stay with her until I figure out what I’m going to do next.”
“Good luck.”
I walk out of the police station and into Connor’s car that’s been waiting for me this whole time. I slide into the passenger’s seat and breathe out a heavy sigh.
“Done? Ready to go see your mom?” he asks, and I turn my head to look at him.
I’m damaged, and before I jump into anything with anybody else, I need time to heal. Time to go back to the strong woman I was once before I met Logan. When I told Connor this a couple of days ago, his answer warmed my heart, and it was everything I needed to hear. Everything a woman like me is desperate to hear.
“I’m with you till the end. I won’t leave your side, unless you make it clear that you never want anything to do with me.”
“I’m ready,” I tell him softly.
The End
Afterword
Thank you to my readers for believing in me and giving Dirty Puppet a chance.
Thank you to my husband, my family, and friends for always supporting me through it all.
Thank you to my editors, book bloggers, reviewers, and everybody who read Dirty Puppet.
Also by S.S. Richards
Standalone Novels
Devoted To You
The Agreement
Havoc
Ruthless
Dirty Puppet
Dark Mafia Romance – Beasts In The Dark Duet:
At His Mercy
His To Keep
Learn more at:
www.ssrichardsbooks.com
About the Author
As a young teenager, S.S. Richards started creating imaginary friends and could invent a story in her head within a matter of seconds. A gift that lead her into believing she may be “super talented” after all. One day she decided to open her laptop and start feeding words into it, and that’s where it all begun. She decided to make a career out of writing.
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