The guys approach where Viktor stands in front of me like a guard. “Done.”
Viktor nods.
Matvey shoots me a small smile. “Glad you’re okay, Avelina.”
Then they leave, and it’s just the two of us once more, the silence thick enough to choke on.
Viktor steps closer before kneeling in front of me. “Did he hurt you?”
I shake my head, though my chest feels tight enough to crack. “No,” I rasp.
His eyes narrow, scanning me like he’s trying to find proof.
“He…he grabbed my wrist a little and my hip. That’s all. You showed up before…” Bile burns the back of my throat. “Before he could…” I feel the burn of tears again.
“Let me take you home with me,” he says, his voice soft. “If you’ll let me.”
I should argue.
Say that I need to go back to my own place.
But the truth is, the thought of being alone right now makes panic race through me. I nod.
The street outside is cool and damp, the sidewalk shining under the streetlights. His black SUV is at the curb.
“Were you already here?” I ask, my eyes widening in surprise. I’m suddenly wondering how he got to me so quickly.
“Yes. I wanted to protect you.Hadto protect you. This was the only way I knew how to.”
I should question this more. But I find that I don’t want to...
It’s a short drive but quiet. I keep my gaze on the glass, but I can feel him watching me.
The tight knot in my chest has shifted into something heavier bythe time we pull up to my apartment building. The babysitter is inside with the kids.
Neither Viktor nor I move as the engine shuts off.
I should thank him. I should say something.
“I don’t know what to say,” I admit.
“You don’t need to say anything.”
But I do. Because if I don’t, I probably never will. “It just…it reminded me of before.”
“Before?” he bends his head slightly to meet my eyes, but I can’t look at him.
“When another…man did that to me,” I whisper. “When he slammed me against a wall. And trapped me…” I swallow, tears spilling over. “And then h-he did other things…”
“What man?” His voice is deadly calm, though I know he’s anything but. “Was it Gennady?”
My lips tremble.
“And what did he do to you, Avelina?”
I finally look up at him, full of terror and a secret that feels like it’s ripping me in two.
“Yes, it was Gennady,” I croak before a sob escapes me. “And the other coaches. But Gennady was the worst.”
