For one brief second, relief flickers through me. But then I see his expression, and the relief dies as quickly as it came.
"Then where are we going?"
Silence.
"Andrei, where are you taking me?"
"To someone else."
My blood turns to ice.
"Who?" The word comes out as a whisper.
He doesn't answer.
"Who are you taking me to, Andrei?" I demand, my voice rising with panic.
His grip tightens on the wheel. "Just some guy."
"What guy?"
"A man who approached me in town a couple of days ago. A rich suit type. Russian." Andrei's jaw works like he's chewing on something bitter.
My asshole grandfather?
“He said he knew where I worked. Offered me money. Big money.”
“For what?”
“Feed him information on what was happening inside the lodge now that Mr. Morozov was back in town.”
“And you did?”
“It was a lot of money, Holly.”
“For you to betray Nikolai.”
"I’m over a barrel. I owe money. Lots of money. Made a few bad bets and racked up a debt I can’t pay. I’ve spent months holding the wolves at bay. Waking up in the middle of the night wondering if today was the day the men I owed came looking for payment. Then this guy shows up in town. Offered me a lifeline out of the shit I was in.”
“And what does he want now?”
“Told me to offer you my number in case you ever needed it. Said if I could bring you to him, he’d triple the money he was paying me.”
Fear funnels through me.
“Andrei, please. You don’t need to do this.”
“Yes, I do, Holly. I need that money.”
“Nikolai will offer you more.”
“You’re kidding me, aren’t you? Nikolai will kill me the moment he sees me. He doesn’t forgive. He’s ruthless. He will see this as a betrayal and make sure I pay with my hands, my feet, my mouth, and my eyes.”
He’s right. Nikolai will tear him to pieces and then set fire to them.
“You know this man you’re taking me to wants to kill me, right?”
I can tell by the look on the on Andrei’s face that he does. But still, he tries to make himself feel better about betraying me by suggesting otherwise. “You don’t know that.”
