Nothing immediately fatal. Which means Roman wants me alive for something.
The question is:for how long?
I look around the cell more carefully. Small—maybe six by eight feet. Smaller than the ones in Georgia, and that's saying something. No bed, just a thin mat on the floor. A bucket in the corner that I don't want to examine too closely. A single door, solid metal, with a small slot near the bottom for food.
I think I’m downstairs. I’m still on the property.
Kira.
What happened to her?
Did he kill her?
Footsteps are coming close.
I force myself to stand, ignoring the way my vision grays at the edges. I won't meet my captors from the floor. Won't give them that satisfaction.
The door opens, and two guards step inside. I recognize them. Roman’s men.
"Where's Kira?" I demand.
They laugh. Actually laugh.
"Worried about your girlfriend?" The taller one grins. "That's sweet."
"Where is she?" I take a step forward, and pain shoots through my ribs. "Is she alive?"
"For now." The shorter guard leans against the doorframe. "Boss is deciding what to do with her. Might keep her around for entertainment. Might kill her. Depends on his mood."
The casual way he says it makes me want to tear out his throat.
The other grins. “No, didn’t you hear, she’s marrying Volkov. Original plan for the sister, but maybe the whore gets that honor instead."
"What?" The word comes out strangled.
"Boss decided the younger sister was more... manageable." He's enjoying this. "Anya's going to be the new bride. Roman likes them young and innocent."
No. No, this can't be happening.
Roman is going to destroy her just to spite Kira.
"You can't—" I start forward, and both guards draw weapons.
"Can't what? Stop it?" The tall one laughs again. "You're in a cell, bleeding. What exactly are you going to do?"
He's right, and that makes it worse.
"Boss says to keep you alive," the shorter guard adds. "Might need you for leverage later. But he didn't say you had to be comfortable."
They leave, the door slamming shut with a finality that echoes in my bones.
I sink back down onto the mat, my mind racing.
Kira is alive but a prisoner.
I should have seen this coming. Should have known Roman was testing us, watching us, waiting for us to betray ourselves.
But I was too focused on Kira. Too caught up in desire and doubt and the desperate need to touch her to think strategically.
