His wrists were bound tight behind him, shoulders wrenched back at a painful-looking angle. His lip was split, cheek swollen, and his shirt clung to him, soaked through with blood.
“Make him kneel,”Octavius ordered.
The man gripping Anton shoved him down. The pained groan he let out as his knees cracked against the wooden floor made my skin break out in a cold sweat.
I didn’t know what to do with myself. Anton was supposed to be untouchable. Composed. I’d never seen him kneel. It felt like the one constant in my fucked-up life had evaporated.
“Shh, calm down, sweet girl,”he cooed, staring right at me.“I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry. There was nothing I could do.”
“Sorry?”I echoed, the word barely a whisper.
He nodded, tears welling in the corners of his eyes.“He’s gone, sweet girl. Your father... he’s gone.”He turned his head, leveling Octavius with a vicious stare.“Don’t hurt her. Please. Do whatever the fuck you want to me, but don’t hurt her. It’s not her fault, she—”
“Shut the fuck up!”he snapped, driving his boot into Anton’s ribs.“Three years! You’ve been leading me by the nose for three fucking years!”
Anton doubled over, wincing, coughing, spitting red onto the floor. I watched, numb, frozen in place, his words bouncing inside my mind but not registering.Your father... he’s gone.
Gone where?
Anton straightened, glaring at his brother. So much hatred in his eyes and so much desperation in his voice.“I couldn’t kill her. Look at her! She’s so pretty, so good—”
“You had a job to do!”Octavius roared, tearing at his hair while pacing the living room until he suddenly paused, eyes growing wide.“Whatreallyhappened to my men?”
Anton swallowed, his chin lifting in defiance for the first time since they shoved him through the door.“I killed them.”
“Motherfucker. Those were my best people! You have any idea how long it took to find their replacements? Fuck!”
I sat there, seemingly present, but not really.
Years had passed since anyone else entered the apartment, since I heard any voice other than Anton’s. Now the noise was everywhere, too much at once, battering me from all sides. My body didn’t know how to absorb it. I trembled, eyes stinging, throat clamped so tight I couldn’t swallow or pull down a full breath.
Panic took over, years of careful calm stripped away in a moment, chaos pouring in and frying my nerves until they were raw and on display.
“Stop.”Anton spat at his brother.“Stop scaring her! She didn’t do anything wrong. Don’t take it out on her.”
Octavius just scoffed, jerking his chin in a silent order. His men moved, hauling Anton up, his arms still twisted back, wrists bound. And yet he still strained forward, trying to close the space between us.
Slowly, Octavius rounded the couch, every step calculated, rhythmical.“You really love this sick fucking fantasy, don’t you?”
Those words yanked me further out of the haze I’d been living in, reminding me with every breath that this was no longer a quiet world.
“You love her, isn’t that right?”
Calloused knuckles scraped along my cheek, nothing soft or tender in that gesture. Octavius braced both elbows on the back of the couch, leaning in, his cheek brushing mine, the stench of cigars hot on his breath.
“Don’t touch her! You promised!”Anton roared, his nostrils flaring, spit flying past his mouth. He fought against his restraints as if he could throw himself between us.
“You dare talk about promises when you broke yours?”Octavius hissed, nuzzling his nose into my neck and inhaling deeply.“She smells sweet... soft. You use baby wash on her, you twisted fuck, don’t you?”
“Get away from her! Please. I’ll do anything, just don’t touch her. Don’t fucking hurt her!”
Something stirred inside me. My stomach turned over, heat and ice flooding my veins at the desperation in Anton’s voice. At what he was offering.Anything. I knew he meant it. He’d give up everything for my safety.
“Anything?”
“Anything. Just don’t touch her.”
Octavius lingered, taking one more sniff of my hair before straightening up. He was silent for a long, tense moment, pacing a line in front of Anton. Every crease in his face shifted between distaste and anger before settling on intrigue.
