She nods and then she’s gone.
I don't know if she'll do it.
But I pray she does.
Because one of us needs to survive this.
Two days before the wedding…
The wedding dress is beautiful—I have to admit that. Cream silk, gorgeous lace overlays, a train that goes on forever. The kind of dress every girl dreams about.
Except I'm not dreaming. I'm living a nightmare in expensive fabric.
"Turn," the seamstress orders, pins in her mouth.
I turn mechanically, staring at myself in the mirror. The woman looking back is a stranger. The Ice Queen in bridal white.
The irony would be funny if it wasn't so tragic.
I haven’t heard from Anya. I have no way to know if she managed to escape, but I pray she did. I heard Roman yelling yesterday. I hope it’s because she got away, and he can’t find her. I don’t dare ask.
"Perfect," the seamstress declares. "You'll be the most beautiful bride in Moscow."
The most trapped, more like.
"Can I have a moment?" I ask. "Alone?"
The seamstress glances at the guards. They nod once.
“I’m alone,” I say when the guards look like they plan on staying in the room. “I’m not going anywhere.”
When they don’t budge, I roll my eyes. “I’m going to take off this dress and get very naked. Do you think your boss is going to appreciate the fact you saw his wife naked?”
To make my point, I start to unzip the gown, letting it fall forward.
Suddenly, they’re scrambling to leave the room.
I smile as I pull the zipper the rest of the way. I step out of the dress and leave it in a heap on the floor. I’m wearing nothing but the white bustier and lacy panties when I hear voices in the hall.
Curious, I walk to the door, open it just a little and poke my head out.
Down the hall, I can hear men talking. They’re trying to be quiet but failing miserably.
"She’s asking too many questions," someone says. Viktor. I'd recognize his voice anywhere.
What's Viktor doing here? He was my father's associate, not Roman's. Why is he in the compound?
"Maksim's getting suspicious," another voice. One of Roman's lieutenants. The man that grabbed Anya. "He's been digging into the financial records."
My heart stops. Maksim is investigating. He's finally seeing the truth.
"We need to handle it," Viktor says. "Before he finds evidence."
"Roman says wait. Maksim's useful for now. Once the wedding is done—"
I step halfway out of the room trying to hear more. Trying to understand what they're planning. No one is in the hall and I’m too curious to care about my state of undress. This is the information I’ve been desperate to get my hands on.
"We’ll have to eliminate the problem. Make it look like—"
