He looked at me and said in a quiet tone, “It’s a bad deal.”
“I’ll do it on two conditions.”
His eyes widened. “You haven’t even read what’s required of you.”
“The mission doesn’t matter. I’ll accept anything, as long as they agree to leave Mila alone and you arrange for me to see my brother in person one last time.”
He stood with his hands in his pocket. “Was it worth it?”
“Was what?”
“Throwing not only your career but your life away for someone who probably won’t even remember you in six months.”
I stared at him and then shrugged. “You can let me know if they agree to my terms.”
Six weeks later,I sat chained to a table and watched as they led Viktor through a series of locked doors.
He sat down across the table from me, but neither of us spoke until the guard had exited the room.
“You look good.”
I shrugged. “It’s probably the most sleep and exercise I’ve had in a long time.”
A ghost of a smile crossed his lips. “They said the trial and charges against you were dropped. Are they letting you go?”
“So to speak.” I dropped my gaze to avoid his scrutiny. “For a price.”
He didn’t even try and hide his concern. “How bad is the danger they’re sending you into?”
I didn’t want to talk about the logistics of my next placement, or how it sounded like a direct path to hell. “It’s not good, but the weather is better than here.”
He let that sink in. “Heavy price for your freedom.”
It was never about my freedom. This had always been about hers.
“Better than twenty on the inside.” My tone was glib, but it wasn’t far from the truth. Saving Mila had always meant it wouldn’t end well for me. I was just grateful they were letting me choose my ending.
And I was definitely taking my chances on the outside. Even if I didn’t have a fighting chance of survival.
I’d go crazy if I was locked up for twenty years with only my memory of her.
“Did you do what I asked?”
He slid the envelope across the table from me. “The law firm can immediately file for an annulment based on your abandonment of your Canadian wife, as long as both parties sign. Once they get both wet signatures, the paperwork can happen immediately.”
“The guard said he’d watch me sign and witness for me. He has a pen for us when we’re ready.”
Viktor thought about his next words. “You sure about this? Sometimes it’s okay to have something or someone to look forward to.”
He was assuming I would survive my mission, but I didn’t want to give anyone that kind of unrealistic hope about my future, which was already closing in on me. “I’ve already screwed up her life enough. She deserves her freedom.”
He nodded slowly. “She asks about you all the time.”
The lump in my throat was thick. I had promised myself I wouldn’t ask, but I needed one scrap of her to ease the pain. “How’s she doing?”
“She’s back at her classes, and her friend Selena invited her to move in with her and her older sister. Everything at the house was confiscated, so we helped her get a bed and some other items to get started. She and Bandit moved out a few weeks ago. That dog isn’t going to suffer from lack from of attention. Her two new roommates dote on him more than Blaire did, and that’s saying something.”
I nodded, working hard and failing to keep the emotion off my face. Getting confirmation that she was thriving flooded my system with so much relief it almost floored me. “That’s good. Can you make sure she signs these papers so you can file them with my lawyer?”
