I keep my breathing even. Not letting on that he’s gotten to me. “What do you want?”
His expression reminds me of a viper. “To talk.”
I don’t know what’s more unsettling: the way he says it or that I know that’s not what this is.
“We’ve been watching you, Avelina. All these years. It didn’t take us long to find out where you had gone and what you were doing.”
I don’t respond. A cold drop of sweat slides down my back.
“We know about your daughter too.”
My chest tightens. And my breath catches in my throat.
“She’sspecial.” Panic starts to race through me. “One of our people saw her skating when you came to Russia. We see in her that same spark you had. The same potential.”
“Stay away from her!” I yell.
“Now, now, don’t get upset.” His tone is light, but his eyes are cold. “We’re giving her agift. An opportunity. Just like we gave you, remember? The difference is she’ll have you to guide her. Make sure she doesn’t fail us—like you did.”
“I-I didn’t.” My voice cracks. “I didn’t fail.I survived.”
He shrugs. “Interpret it however you want. But you’ll come back to Russia. With her.”
My mouth opens to refuse. “I won’t?—”
“If you don’t, well, you know howpersuasivewe can be.”
I shake my head, trying not to collapse onto the ice. “Why her? There are thousands of girls in Russia you can train!”
“True.” He shoves his hands back in his pockets. “But she’s got excellent genetics. That’s a huge advantage which a girl picked randomly won’t have. And you—well, you understand the program. You’d be an excellent secondary trainer.You’ll be of use to us again.”
My hands shake as I press them to my sides. “She has autism,” I blurt out. “She wouldn’t be able to handle the program.”
He lifts a brow. “We know. We knoweverythingabout her. Hertiming is impeccable. Our team physician tells me that he believes her superb timing may be a result of her autism. He’s seen something similar in another autistic skater who used to be on the team.”
Sofia couldn’t survive that world. I barely did. My chest heaves as I fight to get enough air to my lungs.
“Run, and we’ll find you. Say no, and we’ll make sure no one finds out what happened to you.All of you.” He lasers me with his glare. “We’ve got a file on your boy too. And on your new boyfriend.”
My knees go weak. But I lock them, needing to appear strong.
“Your mafia boyfriend can’t protect you,” he sneers. “The Russian government is bigger than some group of Bratva thugs.”
My pulse pounds. I can’t speak. I can’t move.
“The new training program starts in two months, Avelina. Be ready. We’ll be in contact with arrangements.”
He turns and vanishes into the darkness. Gone into the night like he was never here.
I’m frozen to the spot. Numb.
He came for me once.
And now he’s coming for my daughter.
And this time, I don’t think I can stop him.
I wait until I hear the echo of the door slamming before I move. My knees immediately buckle, and I sink to the ice. The chill bites through my tights like sharp teeth. My lungs burn from holding my breath, and the scream stuck in my throat won’t release. For the next few minutes, I just stay slumped there, my breathing coming in short, ragged bursts, fogging up the air around me.
