Beloved Predator (Beloved Series #2)

Nine

"Sarah"

St. Petersburg, Russia

I hung up my cell phone and placed it on the arm of the couch where I'd been waiting for the past hour.  The bar downstairs was busy as hell, which meant Yani was occupied.  I stood in front of the mirror near the door to check my appearance, deciding to look as close to Ari as possible.  I turned to sit down when the door burst open.

Yanislov Petrocova stomped into the office cursing under his breath in Russian.  He slammed the office door and stomped to his desk.  He turned to sit at his chair and paused briefly when he saw me at the couch.

"Ms. Monroe, welcome to St. Petersburg," he greeted as he sat down.  "I trust you had a safe trip here."

"I'm here in one piece is all that really matters."

He rubbed his bald head absentmindedly.  "How is Prodigy?  Is she okay?"

"She's okay.  It took some time to recover, but she's doing a lot better.  I was staying with her and her fiancé before coming here.  In fact, she was the one who tracked James to Amsterdam."

He smiled.  "She always was a smart girl.  It was nothing short of a miracle when she was able to find my little girl.  Fiancé, huh?  I hope he treats her well.  I already have one goon who mistreated her in my cells.  I won't hesitate to add another one."

"That won't be necessary.  They look very much in love and he treats her like a queen."

"I'm very glad to hear it," he replied with a small smile before his face turned serious.  "The only reason I'm even agreeing to this plan of yours is because of her.  She saved my little girl, and I would love nothing more than to tear the beast who attacked her to pieces."

"I know, and she's very grateful for your help.  We all are."

"I hope this works.  We should move you into the cell soon so you can begin.  The red hair and the green eyes are a nice touch.  It will make him more receptive to you.  What story are we using?"

"I figured the closer I looked to her, the easier it might be.  I thought I'd be the dumb American tourist who accidentally witnessed a murder.  Is Anatoly still the head of your guards?"

"He is.  And he knows you're here, so he's made sure only those guards he can trust are in the cells for the next couple weeks.  That should give you plenty of time to work on him."

He stood and opened his office door.  He yelled down the hall for someone and a young blond woman ran to the door not long after.  They spoke briefly in Russian and then she left, returning a few minutes later with a shopping bag.  He nodded and closed the door.

"Here are some clothes for you to change into," he said as he handed me the bag.  "Anatoly will take you to the bathroom to change before he takes you downstairs."

I nodded as I stood up.  I walked out the office and Anatoly was waiting for me in the hall.  He was a few inches shorter than Yani, but just as bulky and muscular.  He rubbed his close shaved blond hair and smiled when he saw me. 

"So, good to see you again, Ms. Monroe," he greeted, his green eyes glowing.

"Likewise."

We walked down the hall to the bathroom.  I emerged a few minutes later wearing a pair of light blue skinny jeans that were ripped and dirty.  The black t-shirt had a few holes in it.  I sat on the floor so I could tie the worn tennis shoes before we headed to my destination.  The temperature dropped about ten degrees as we climbed down the stairs that led to the dungeon.   The only sources of light were a few old light fixtures that swung from the ceiling.  The cries and screams of prisoners farther down the corridor could be heard as soon as we entered the hallway.