I can feel the amusement radiating off Ivan. “Oh, so you aren’t the one who gave it to her?” he asks, his amused face watching Jagger carefully for any sort of reaction. “When I saw the two of you clutching each other, I assumed you were together, but apparently I was wrong. She’s chosen someone else.”
Jagger keeps staring at the ring while Ivan watches him for any sort of reaction. But Jagger is one of the most stoic people I’ve ever met; he keeps everything hidden on the inside.
“So is she keeping you around as a backup? Or perhaps she just likes the protection she thought you could provide.”
My heart starts to beat faster, worried that Jagger will actually believe this, and when he lifts his eyes to meet mine, I finally blurt out, “It’s not an engagement ring.”
“Kukolka, do not lie to me. I have seen a lot of jewelry in my time, and that rock is most definitely an engagement ring,” Ivan says, squeezing my wrist tightly as if in warning.
I try to hide the grimace on my face, but Jagger notices as he tries to lunge for Ivan, but the two guards pull him back before he crosses half the distance.
“Now, now, son. No need to get angry with me. She’s the one who agreed to marry another man.”
“I did no such thing,” I tell him, but my eyes stay on Jagger so he can see the truth.
“Then why are you wearing the ring?” he asks, pressing for more info.
I want to tell him that it’s none of his business, that he can go to hell. But I want Jagger to know I’m not lying, so I keep my eyes on him as I explain. “Elias gave it to me rightbefore we thought Robert was going to kill us. He didn’t ask. He just told me he’d been holding onto it and wanted me to have it, and put it on my finger. Before I could respond, Robert broke in.”
“And if you had time to respond, what would you have said?” Ivan asks, his attention now on me as he lets my wrist go.
“That’s none of your business,” I tell him angrily.
“No? But it’s probably his,” he says, gesturing to Jagger.
My eyes move to Jagger just in time to see him sign,“I trust you.”
My anger fades, and my heart calms instantly. I don’t need to answer any more about this. Jagger understands. Of course, he does. He always understands me.
I glance up at Ivan’s amused face. What game is he playing with us? I don’t think we have anything he wants, other than our ability to suffer at his hands. He could torture us or beat us, make the other watch, but instead, he seems to be more interested in these strange mind games. That makes me nervous, as I’m not sure what else to expect.
But if he thinks either of us will break from having food withheld from us, or revealing secrets, or being placed in a humiliating position, then this is going to be a long game, one I’m determined to win.
At least it might give me opportunities for escape, or at least break up my current routine. If I can find a gap in the guards' schedule, or see a knife I could easily slip into my sleeve, I will take the chance.
We would need to take any advantage we could find to get out of here.
CHAPTER FOUR
DEX
The building we’re using as a safehouse smells like dust and old concrete. It used to be a storage unit at some point, long before anyone bothered boarding up the windows and abandoning the place. The air is cold enough that every breath hangs for a second before fading.
The FBI got us to Russia on one of their private planes, but then told us we were on our own as they had no resources here to assist in our mission, which is why we’re in such a shitty place right now.
None of us complains. Privacy matters more than comfort, and this is the only space we’ve had in days that isn’t crawling with eyes.
Although it’s definitely crawling with something,I think as I eye a cockroach moving behind one of the abandoned crates.
Elias sits at the metal table we dragged away from the wall, the laptop open in front of him, wires running to a booster and a small power pack. He’s been like this every night: focused, steady, and locked into whatever system he’sdigging through. Pete stands at his right shoulder, watching silently. Sly leans on the edge of the table, arms crossed, waiting for news.
I stay a few steps back, pacing. I’ve been unable to sit still ever since Wren was taken. Only feeling her body held tightly in my arms will settle my racing heart now. My head feels too full, and if I don’t move, the pressure builds fast.
Elias’s fingers stop, and I immediately feel the tension rise.
Sly notices immediately. “Tell us.”
Elias scrolls twice and angles the screen. “This is the camera feed in the east interior corridor.”
