"You were struggling," he says simply, setting the cup down on the saucer. "You were fighting the dress like it was choking you. Scratching your own skin. I removed it."
"You had no right!" I shout, but it comes out as a weak rasp. "Did you touch me? Did you take advantage of me while I was drugged?"
He stands up and walks toward the bed, hands in his pockets. He stops at the edge. His eyes scan my face, drop to the T-shirt, then rise back to mine.
"If I had taken you, Helena," he says softly, "you wouldn't have to ask."
He leans down, placing a hand on the mattress beside my leg. The bed dips under his weight.
"You would be sore," he whispers, his eyes darkening with a predatory promise. "You would be marked, and you would remember every second. I don't fuck unconscious women. When I take you, I want you to scream my name, not mumble it in your sleep."
The vulgarity shocks me into silence. My face burns with humiliation and a sudden, confusing spike of heat.
"Then why am I here?" I ask. "Why am I in your bed?"
"Because I didn't trust you to stay in your cage," he says, straightening. "You proved last night that you are resourceful. I wanted you where I could see you."
He reaches for the nightstand, picks up a tablet, and tosses it onto the bed.
It lands near my knees. The screen is glowing with a satellite map. A single green dot is moving across the blue expanse of the ocean.
"Look at it," he commands.
I look down.
VESSEL: BLACKWOOD STAR.STATUS: INTERNATIONAL WATERS.JURISDICTION: NONE.
My stomach turns.
"It's gone," I whisper. "The Atlantic Loop actually left."
"It crossed the maritime border ten minutes ago," he informs. "The cargo is now untouchable. The US Coast Guard can't board it. The Port Authority can't recall it. It’s a ghost."
"What is on it?" I demand, my voice trembling. "What did you make me sign for?"
He smiles.
"Read the manifest, Helena."
He taps the screen and enters a passcode. The screen flashes red as the encryption dissolves.
CONTENTS: UNMARKED PHYSICAL CURRENCY (USD/EUR).ORIGIN: MOSCOW.
My blood runs cold. The air leaves my lungs in a rush.
"Cash?" I choke out. "You're shipping... cash?"
"Digital trails are easy to follow," he says calmly. "Banks talk. Servers can be hacked. But physical cash? That is the only true ghost in the system."
His face hardens.
"That ship is carrying the operational funds for the entire Eastern Seaboard. You moved the Bratva's treasury, Helena. You are no longer just a CEO or a Director. You are now the banker for the Russian Mafia."
He taps the bottom of the screen.
AUTHORIZED BY: DIRECTOR H. BLACKWOOD.BIOMETRIC CONFIRMATION: VALID.
"You launched it. Your biometric signature is on the release. Your retinal scan authorized the departure."
