“No, it doesn’t hurt at all.” I press a kiss to her temple. “You’re being so good. I’m proud of you.”
“Where are Nina’s belongings?” Georgi asks Santino, making my gaze dart to them.
“Still in the SUV.”
“Bring everything.” Georgi’s gaze turns to me. “I’m sure you would like to freshen up as well.”
Simi yawns and leans her head on my shoulder. Daring to ask for some comfort for my daughter, the usual pleading look forms on my face. “Is there a room I can use so my daughter can get some sleep?”
Georgi points at the bed. “Make her comfortable. While we’re here, I want eyes on you at all times.”
Shit.
With a sinking feeling in my stomach, I walk to the bed and pull the covers back. Laying Simi down, I sit beside her and gently cover her.
“Mama, can you stay with me while I sleep?” she asks, her eyes filled with so much hope it hurts.
She thinks Georgi is our prince, and I don’t have the heart to tell her he’s not.
My heart shrivels in my chest as I force a smile to my face, hoping I’m not telling a lie as I reply, “Yes,milo moe.”
“Did you bring my clothes over from the hotel?” Georgi asks Raya.
“Yes.” She walks to the door. “I’ll get you something to wear. Go shower.”
She leaves the room, and I turn my head slightly, watching from my peripheral vision as Georgi and Santino go into the bathroom.
I listen as the door creaks, then my heartbeat speeds up violently as I gather Simi in my arms and run out into the hallway. I glance left, then right, and hightail it the way we came.
My heart thunders wildly, and remembering my last failed attempt to escape and the punishment of being forced to listen to Simi crying for a week, my sanity slips, and unbearable fear takes over.
“Fuck!” I hear Santino snap from the room, and it spurs me on.
When I run into a foyer, there are so many men, I come to a sudden stop and glance wildly around me before shooting toward another doorway.
Just as I enter the kitchen and my eyes lock on a woman, an arm comes around my middle, and I’m yanked backward.
The disappointment of my failed attempt to escape is too much to bear after all the hell I’ve already been through today. The wail leaving me sounds broken and hopeless, and for a moment, my fractured mind loses the battle to stay present in the moment.
My ability to make sense of everything vanishes. I think A growl escapes me, and I let out a hopeless scream.
I hear Simi crying.
Suddenly, my arms feel horribly empty, and I begin to weep for the loss that hasn’t registered yet.
Warmth wraps around me, and the familiar scent of blood and sweat that’s Georgi somehow gets through the broken shards in my mind.
“It’s okay. Shh…” It’s not me saying the words to Simi. The voice is much deeper, carrying a strength I’ll never have.
“This will help,” another deep voice says.
Something is pressed to my lips, and even though I register it’s water, it tastes too sweet.
The moment of insanity slowly retreats back into the darkness in my soul, and when my sight focuses, I find myself staring at a bicep, my head pressed to a solid chest that’s covered in bruises.
Georgi.
I take a deep breath of him, and it settles me in a way nothing ever has before.
