"Good," Kirill says. Silence settles again. But it doesn't last. "So," Tessa says, leaning forward slightly. "What's the plan here?Are you gonna torture us? Ransom us? Sell us to some creepy billionaire? Because I gotta tell you, I'm not worth much. I'm broke as hell. You'd get more money selling my kidneys." Kirill sighs, rubbing his temples. "Do you want me to gag you?"
"Kinky," she shots back without missing a beat. "But no thanks." I laugh again,
Damn, she has guts. "You're funny," I say, turning in my seat to look at her properly. "I like you."
"Great," she says dryly. "The kidnapper likes me. That's exactly what I was going for."
But I mean it. I find myself watching her reflection in the rearview mirror more than I should.
Iris turns to her, speaking hoarsely again. "Tessa, stop. Please."
Tessa's face falls. She reaches over and squeezes Iris's hand. "It's okay. We're gonna be okay."
But Iris just shakes her head, tears spilling down her cheeks again. "No, we're not. You don't understand. They..." Her voice cracks. "They shot him. They shot Ilay. And he...he just..."
She breaks down, sobbing into her hands.
Tessa wraps an arm around her, pulling her close. "Hey, hey. It's okay. He's tough, right? He'll be fine."
But even as she says it, I can see the doubt in her eyes.
Kirill leans back, arms crossed over his chest. "He's not dead," he says flatly. "Yet."
Iris's head snaps up, hope and horror warring in her eyes. "What?"
"We didn't kill him," Kirill says, bored. "Just made sure he couldn't follow. If he's as good as they say, he'll survive."
"If?" Iris chokes out. "If?"
Kirill shrugs. "Not our problem."
Tessa glares at him, with venom in her eyes. "You're a real piece of work, you know that?"
"Thanks," Kirill says, unbothered.
She turns to me. "And you? You just gonna sit there and let your twin be an asshole?"
I grin. "He's always an asshole. I'm used to it."
"Great," Tessa mutters, slumping back. "I'm stuck in a van with Tweedledee and Tweedledum."
Kirill frowns. "Who?"
"Alice in Wonderland," Tessa says, exasperated. "It's a children’s book. You should read it. Might teach you something about not being a sociopath."
Kirill looks genuinely confused. "Why would I read a children's book?"
Tessa throws her hands up. "I give up."
I chuckle, turning back to the road.
The rest of the drive is quieter. Tessa throws out the occasional sarcastic comment, but even she seems to be running out of steam.
Inside, Kirill points them to the room. "You two stay here. Sleep. We'll deal with everything tomorrow."
Iris collapses onto the bed immediately, curling into herself like a wounded animal. Tessa sits beside her, wrapping a protective arm around her shoulders.
"It's gonna be okay," Tessa whispers, though her voice wavers for the first time.
