Free Viktor: Heart of Her King by Julia Mills Page A

was effective. Sweat ran down her back and her hands slightly trembled, but she’d come from the ‘never let ‘em see you sweat’ school of hard knocks and there was no way she was going to blink. Their test of wills seemed to go on forever. The longer she looked into his heartless eyes, the more the sense of déjà vu grew.
    Before she could think about it any longer, the man spoke. “Hello, Katarina.”
    His voice was hard and heavily accented, but familiar. It fit his dark features and olive skin. He knew her name. But so did a lot of people because of the huge amount of publicity she and Roma Tech had received in the last eighteen months. But that didn’t feel right. This wasn’t business...it was personal.
    He turned his head, glancing at their surroundings. At the sight of his profile, bells went off in her mind. It was right at the edge of her memory, just out of reach. A picture forming of how she knew her kidnapper. Then he spoke. Her concentration was broken and Kat wanted to scream.
    “I understand your reticence to speak to me. If you will be patient all will be explained. My plan is for you to be released unharmed as soon as I have what I want.”
    He turned to leave and Kat lost her cool. “That’s it? You have a plan? What am I supposed to do? Lay here and wait?”
    Spinning on his heels and advancing toward her almost faster than her eyes could follow, her captor leaned down until their noses almost touched. His piercing blue eyes bore into hers as he spoke through gritted teeth. “No, that is not it, but I was going to get you something to eat and the key to your handcuffs so that you would be more comfortable. However, if you prefer to lay here trussed up like a Christmas goose, then so be it. I must admit I like the view.”
    He pulled back ever so slightly and slowly ran his eyes from her face to her toes and back again. Kat felt like she needed a shower with lye soap and a Brillo pad. As if that wasn’t enough, he ran the tips of his fingers across the thin strip of her stomach that showed from where her sweater had ridden up.
    Kat held her breath, refusing to squirm. She absolutely would not let him know how much he repulsed her. The bastard was playing a game. He wanted her to react. He needed her to fear him for his plan to work. But she needed him to believe he had no effect on her, needed him to keep talking. It was the only way she was going to figure out what was happening.
    “I’m sorry if Aldo hurt you when he was carrying you to the car. Sometimes he doesn’t know his own strength.” Another swipe across her skin. Then, in a dreamy voice her captor added, “Viktoras truly is a lucky man.” Smiling an evil smile, he maliciously chuckled, “Or should I say he was almost a lucky man.”
    Now he was baiting her. It was a trap. There was no other explanation. He wanted her off kilter. On some level, she knew he was more than simply mean; he was sadistic. He wanted her scared. It fed his need for control, made him feel powerful. Too bad for him, Kat wasn’t playing. She had no clue who this Viktoras character was or what tall, dark, and psycho wanted with him, but she knew if she kept him talking, he would tell her.
    Taking as deep a breath as she could with her sore ribs, Kat used the voice her father had taught her for her debate competitions in high school. Calm and clear was the mantra going through her head. “I’m not sure who Viktoras is or what he has to do with me, but I am willing to help you get whatever it is you’re looking for.”
    “Oh, I know you will.” Her abductor spoke with a confidence that said he believed there was no way he could lose. He thought he had it all figured out. “First, let’s get you out of those restraints. Then we can eat and talk. I have waited for you for a very long time, longer than you can ever imagine.”
    Before she could say anything, he was gone. From the sound of his footsteps, Kat was able to figure out that he’d gone down