“I’d rather not.” I move closer, studying the girl’s face, the determination in her features, even in unconsciousness. “Dangerous or not, she fought back. That’s more than most would do.”
No mistake, this is Wren – we’d run the details earlier. Sophia is damn clueless about her best friend. She described Wren as the sweetest, kindest girl she’s ever known. “Sweet and kind” don’t usually involve slicing off dicks and attacking Dimitri, of all people.
Erik grins, eyeing the girl. “I bet she’s a wild one in bed, too.”
Dimitri rolls his eyes at him. “That’s not what this is about. We need to figure out what she knows.”
She wakes up suddenly, clutching her jaw where Dimitri’s punch must’ve landed. She jumps to her feet, rage all over her face.
The fact that she doesn’t even bother to cover herself up tells me she’s not like most girls.
“Fuck, that hurt,” she snaps, her eyes fixed on Dimitri like she’s ready to murder him with her stare alone. “What’s the big idea, asshole? Didn’t your mother teach you not to hit a lady?”
“Lady?” Dimitri snarls, clearly unimpressed. “You attacked me with a knife.”
She rolls her eyes, still holding her jaw. “Oh, boo hoo. Big man’s scared of a little knife.”
“You’re not exactly in a position to make fun of me,” Dimitri growls, his face turning red with anger.
She smirks, her pain momentarily forgotten. “And yet, here I am.”
I toss her a blanket, and she wraps it around herself, never taking her eyes off Dimitri. “Got a cigarette?” she asks, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “I need something to take the edge off after being manhandled by Captain Caveman over there.”
Erik chokes on a laugh, and even I can’t help but smile at her audacity. Dimitri, however, looks like he’s ready to punch something.
“You’re not getting anything from us until you tell us what we want to know,” he snaps, his voice dangerously low.
Raising an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed, she says, “That’s not how this works, sweetheart. You want information, you treat me with a little respect.”
“Respect?” Dimitri repeats, his voice dripping with disbelief. “We just saved your ass!”
She shrugs, her eyes filled with defiance. “Well, I didn’t ask you to.”
The room goes silent for a moment as we all take in her sheer gall. She’s not scared, not even a little, and her courage is both infuriating and fascinating.
Finally, I nod at Erik, who tosses her a pack of cigarettes from a nearby drawer. She lights one, takes a deep drag, and then blows the smoke in Dimitri’s direction.
“Thanks,” she says, her voice heavy with fake sweetness.
She takes another drag of the cigarette as she looks around the room, taking in the cots and medical equipment. She’s like a caged animal, her body tense, ready to strike.
I study her, intrigued by her courage, her fight. “So, what made you kill Aleks’s men?”
“Apart from the obvious?” Her lips curl into a sneer. “It’s none of your fucking business.”
“Watch your mouth,” Dimitri snaps, his patience wearing thin.
I chuckle, enjoying her fire. “Let her speak. I want to hear what she has to say.”
The room goes quiet, all eyes on the girl.
“I was taken,” she finally says, her voice low, filled with rage. “I killed those fuckers because they deserved to die. And I’ll kill you too if I have to.”
I lean in close, feeling her hot breath on my face. “You’re not going to kill anyone here. We’re not your enemies.”
She looks me in the eye, searching for truth, for trust. “Who the fuck are you guys?”
Dimitri’s face is set in a hard line, his patience clearly wearing thin. “We’re the ones who are going to help you if you stop being a pain in the ass and cooperate.”
