“She knocked over the food I brought her!” Simeon tells me, voice strained.
“And that gave you permission to lay a finger on her?” I ask, digging my fingers into the back of his neck. My eyes lift to peer over his shoulder, immediately spotting Alina. She sits at the head of her cot where she rarely moves.
Her bloodshot eyes stare back at me as she holds her knees against her chest, not a sound leaving her.
She can knock over her lunch but not say a word to me.
“I’m sorry, sir. Please forgive me,” Simeon begs in Russian, his right cheek still crushed against the bar.
I want to do worse, but I don’t. I have more important things to do than break faces. I have a prisoner who won’t consume anything.
“Go get a towel and clean this mess up,” I tell him before releasing him.
I’m enraged because I’ll have to keep a closer eye on Alina via the security camera from now on when I’m away, when there are much more important things I should be doing.
With his head bowed, Simeon hurries out of the room, leaving me alone with Alina.
I might as well be completely alone. My brother’s wildcat is becoming a goddamn ghost.
“You need to eat or at least drink something instead of making a mess all over the floor and sulking in the corner,” I tell her in English. There’s a sharp edge to my voice that I’m usually able to keep at bay.
When she swallows, her whole body tenses like it’s painful. I don’t miss the slight tremor in her hands as they rest on her knees. She looks exhausted.
“Did you sleep last night?” I question her as I step closer to the bars. “Answer me. At least nod or shake your head.”
She does neither. She just sits there. And I swear that I hear her stomach growling.
I clench my teeth in irritation. Instead of making sure that my enemies aren’t touring my territory like it’s their next home, I’m here fixated on how tired and weak she looks.
I was eager to play with her, to expose the desires for me that I suspect she hides deep down. But what’s the fun in unraveling her if she doesn’t even have the strength to face off with me?
All she does is sit there with that cold look on her face, not revealing even a mere glimpse of what’s going on behind her vibrant green eyes.
She reminds me of myself more than I care to admit.
I don’t like staring at my own reflection, and I especially don’t like that she’s kept up this infuriating charade for this long.
I tear my eyes away from her when Simeon comes back into the room with a gray towel in his hands. “Be quick about it. And bring her another plate of food and another glass of water when you’re done.”
“Yes, sir.”
I’m not going to stand here and stare at her being docile when I have plenty to do, even if there’s a part of me that feels uneasy about leaving her, especially when she’s in this state. She’s hurting herself on purpose.
The thought sends an uncomfortable prickle up my spine.
If anything happens to her, Dominik would kill me.
“No more messes, Alina,” I warn her as I back away from the cage. “I’d rather you use your words if you’re pissed off with me.”
I don’t bother to wait for a response before leaving the room, knowing that it’ll take more than that to get a reaction out of her. Maybe if I get her mad enough, she’ll finally break out of this blank stupor andsay something.
I’ll take her cussing me out. I’d love for her to tell me how pissed she is at me if it gets her to talk.
And I hate how badly I need to break her silence.
I should be happy that she’s quiet and nonreactive so that I can focus on more important things.
But I’m not. Far from it.
