Katia gives me a long, measured look and disappears again. Miss Deveroux glances between the two of us and then perches on the edge of a seat. She reaches for a handful of peanuts, hercrunching snapping me out of my reverie. Then, she clears her throat and leans back.
“I haven’t said anything about your involvement; don’t worry. Mason thinks we were picked up by a random stranger.”
Miss Deveroux pops open the bottle and pours a generous amount into two glasses. “Do I need to ask about the bruises?”
I grimace and take the glass from her outstretched hand. “I pushed Katia too far when she was training me.”
Miss Deveroux makes a face and takes a small sip of her drink. “I’d ask what you did to deserve winding up with her as your instructor, but I don't think you'd tell me."
I lean back against the couch and grimace. “She’s the best.”
Miss Deveroux’s eyes move over me. “You can still change your mind, you know. About leaving, I mean. It’s not too late.”
I ignore the lurch in my stomach. “I’m not changing my mind.”
I’ll do what I need to do to survive.
“I can talk to her—”
I shake my head. “No, I don’t want you getting more involved than you have to. I know how Mason would see it.”
Miss Deveroux takes a sip of her drink. “I know there isn’t much I can do, but I’m here.”
Slowly, I pull my hood back and turn to face Miss Deveroux. Her mouth falls open as she leans forward to inspect my face. She lifts a hand and drops it. Then she opens her mouth again, but before she can say anything, there’s a loud banging sound.
Fear settles in the pit of my stomach and coils its way around my chest.
There’s another loud banging sound, and I reach for Miss Deveroux’s hand to pull her down. She flips over the table, sending glasses and bowls in every direction. My heart pounds as I sit there, calming my racing heart. Katia appears next to us and pulls me to my feet. She whips out a gun and motions to us.
My stomach lurches as we follow her downstairs and past the chaos.
Men with bulging muscles race past us in either direction. I swallow hard when I see a few inert forms on the floor and smell the unmistakable odor of blood. Miss Deveroux reaches for my hand, and I squeeze it. Katia leads us down a dark hallway to a storage room in the back.
She punches a code and pushes me in. “I’ll be back.”
Miss Deveroux hurries in after me, and a second later, the door hisses shut behind us.
I have no idea how long we sat there, waiting for Katia to return.
When the door opens again, relief floods my veins, and I stumble to my feet. I’m surprised to see Mathew standing on the other side of the door with a gun in his hand. He takes in Miss Deveroux before turning back to me. Then, he holds out his hand.
“Katia sent me to get you.”
“Where is she?”
“You can ask her when you see her.”
“I don’t believe you,” I tell him. “I don’t trust you.”
Mathew huffs and shifts from one foot to the other. “I don’t know what bullshit Mason filled your head with, but we don’t have time for this.”
“Make time.”
Mathew takes a step in my direction, and my heart skips a beat. “Fucking move before I make you.”
“You won’t touch me.”
Mathew’s eyes narrow further. “My brother needs to teach you your place.”
