Including taking Petrov with me on one final late-night mission after I get the tribute list compiled.
On the way to my office, I make a quick pit stop.
I tell myself that I’m only checking to make sure she locked the door.
But I know she did, and I stand in the hallway too long for that to be the truth.
5
Alina
After Petrov handsme a stack of neatly folded clothes, I close the guestroom door behind me with a click then turn the lock, as if it’ll actually do me any good. As Dominik said, he could come in whenever the hell he wanted. I’ll try not to give him a reason because I’m certain that my prison cell could be much, much worse. It could be Gavriil’s cage.
The bedroom is actually bigger than the entire apartment I share with three roommates. It’s all soft lighting, plush bedding, and a wall of glass looking out over the city. It’s the sort of luxury found in the most expensive suites at the hotel where I work, ones meant to make you feel safe and comfortable.
Placing the clothes down on the corner of the mattress, I stand in the middle of the open floor, my arms crossed tightly over my chest, listening for footsteps outside.
Nothing. Not a peep. Just the low hum of the air system.
I know I should take a shower then try to lay down and get some sleep. But it feels impossible with all that’s hanging in the balance.
My temporary loss of freedom is nothing compared to what may happen to Archer when they find him.
I still won’t believe he’s guilty unless I hear the words from his mouth.
Archer has always been a bit reckless, quick to leap without looking, and blow his money on taking stupid odds on sports…
Oh shit.
Is that how he ended up getting involved with the Russian mafia? Some sort of bet gone wrong or a gambling debt he couldn’t pay back?
To run off with two million dollars that doesn’t belong to him, he had to have been in deep debt that make the measly hundred dollars a month I give him look like chump change.
With his most recent job as a crane operator and forklift driver at the docks, he would make a valuable asset to a criminal organization if he ended up owing a debt.
I push aside all my guesses since there’s no way to know for sure until I talk to Archer.
Tomorrow he’ll call. He’ll come back with the money if he took it.
He has to; he’s the only person I can put my trust in to do the right thing for me. Even if I’m caught up in this messy situation, I’m not going to give up on him.
After the fastest shower of my life, I put on the shorts and tee provided, then go over to the high bed to climb under the covers since there’s nothing else I can do for Archer tonight. My body literally sinks into the impossibly soft mattress. Still, my mind refuses to stop racing.
The cold look on Gavriil’s face when he assessed me, talked about me, saying nothing good in a language of their own isworrisome. ThePakhancertainty didn’t look like a man who is kind or good-hearted. Gavriil was much colder than his underboss, as if he isn’t capable of empathy, and all he knows is how to inflict pain and suffering.
When his finger grazed my skin and his intense blue eyes met mine, I could barely breathe. I felt paralyzed, helplessly at his mercy despite my anger. He could do whatever he wanted with me, and there’s little that I could do to stop it.
Will Dominik be able to protect me from someone so ruthless and powerful?
If not, then this whole nightmare could just be getting started.
I press the heels of my hands to my eyes, willing myself not to cry. Crying would mean I’ve accepted that this situation is completely fucking doomed. And I can’t afford to think that way. Everything will work out. It has to.
I must have eventually dozed off at some point, because the sound of footsteps in the hallway jolts me awake. Slow. Measured. They stop outside my door.
I hold my breath while I strain my ears to listen.
Nothing happens. The steps retreat, leaving only silence behind.
