How can I think about strategy when my brother is dead? When Dom is trapped in a cell somewhere?
My eyes begin to burn, but I clench my jaw to keep my tears at bay. I won’t cry again, especially not in front of Gavriil or his men, who I’m sure report everything I do to him. The moment he smells weakness, he’ll pounce, and I refuse to give him any more satisfaction than I already have.
He backed his own brother into a corner so tight that Dominik had no choice left.
The man I was falling in love with tookmy brotheraway from me. Even after everything he put me through, I never wanted Archer to die!
I wanted him to have another chance at life. Maybe he could’ve changed. Maybe he could’ve truly started over if Gavriil was the least bit merciful.
But he’ll never get that chance.
A mixture of grief and betrayal churns in my stomach, my mind splitting in half between wanting to forgive Dominik and being unsure if I truly can. He’ll always have my brother’s blood on his hands, and I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to unsee that.
Yet, even now, a part of me still yearns to be wrapped up in his arms, shielded from Gavriil’s twisted games.
Why didn’t Dominik call Gavriil’s bluff and refuse to follow his demands for once in his life?
Repeating dark what-if thoughts in the silent room causes time to dissolve into something shapeless. For hours, maybe more, I sit here, my hope dwindling with each second. Has it been two hours? Six? Even if I do make it through this next month, I know that nothing will ever be the same. My release isn’t even guaranteed. How can I trust a manipulative bastard like Gavriil to keep his word? That’s why I didn’t accept his offer to write to Dom. He’s not going to free his brother anytime soon after his betrayal, and there’s nothing I can do to help him.
The bedroom door suddenly opens, making my eyes dart in that direction to see Gavriil and another guard enter the room holding a tray in his hands. My fingers curl to dig my nails into the side of the mattress as they both move closer to the cage, my mouth remaining shut.
Gavriil doesn’t deserve to hear my voice.
“Drink. Eat,” Gavriil tells me as he unlocks the cage door so that the guard can set the tray with a glass of water and some sort of sandwich down on the floor.
I don’t budge from my spot despite how dry my mouth feels and how my stomach aches from hunger. I haven’t eaten or drunk anything in hours. I won’t give Gavriil even the smallest satisfaction.
Besides, I don’t deserve any type of comfort.
Gavriil flexes his right hand as he stares at me. He doesn’t have to say anything for me to know that he’s not pleased with my lack of cooperation. “You must be hungry. I doubt Dominik fed you a full course meal before thinking he could run off with you into the sunset.”
His guard says something to him in Russian as he waves his hand at me dismissively.
Gavriil doesn’t speak a word, but he does stare down the guard until he backs away like a scared animal.
Maybe it’s because I feel like shit right now, but I almost laugh at that. He doesn’t even have to say a word to terrify his own men. That’s who has my life and Dominik’s in the palm of his hand. A man who incites crippling fear into the hearts of full-grown men.
“It’s impolite to refuse the offerings of your host,” Gavriil comments as he lifts his arm to rest it on the bars over his head. His other hand rests in the pocket of his expensive black trousers.
He can afford for me to waste a sandwich.
I look away from him and draw my knees up to my chest, wetting the corners of my dry lips with my tongue. Water does sound nice right now, but I’d rather drink from a dirty puddle than accept the glass only a few feet away from me.
“Dominik and his men are settled in their cells,” Gavriil reminds me. “You won’t have to worry about my brother doing anything foolish like try to rescue you.”
If Gavriil hadn’t taken Dominik and his men, I’m sure Dominik would’ve figured out a way to save me, even if I told him not to try. He’s the type of man to put his life on the line for me without hesitation.
Just one more thing that I admire about him, even though I wish I didn’t.
Dominik’s relentless care for me is why Archer is dead right now.
“I have another update for you,” Gavriil says, his words a knowing tease.
My eyes stray back to his as cold dread creeps up the back of my spine.
“Archer’s body has been dumped where no one will ever find him,” Gavriil says. “Dominik won’t have to worry about going to prison for his death.”
A flash of fury sparks in my chest, but the tidal wave of grief that hits me extinguishes it within a second, leaving me yet again on the verge of tears. No one will find my brother’s body. He’ll just…disappear from this world. From people’s memories.
