Nadia stood.
The blanket slid down her arms. She caught it against her chest and backed away from the sofa.
“No.”
I stayed seated.
“No to which part?” I asked.
Her eyes widened. “All of it.”
“Then all of it waits.”
“That’s not what I mean.”
“I know what you mean.” I stood slowly. “The guest room is yours tonight. The door locks from the inside. Irina brought clothes. Food is there. Water is there. You can call your brother from my phone with me out of the room if you want. You can sleep. You can shout at me more when your knees stop shaking.”
“I’m not sleeping in your guest room like this is normal.”
“None of this is normal.”
“You bought me.”
“I took you.”
“That is worse.”
“Yes,” I said. “In some ways, it is.”
She blinked.
“You’re not going to argue?”
“Not with that.”
A line appeared between her brows. “Then what happens if I walk to that elevator?”
“The elevator will not take you down without my handprint.”
Her face hardened.
“Captivity,” she said.
“Protection and captivity,” I said. “Both. I will not pretend one cancels the other.”
Her hand tightened around the blanket again. “That’s supposed to make you better than Gennady?”
“No. Gennady wanted you afraid and alone. I want you alive and angry in a room where he can’t reach you.”
“You keep making it sound like wanting me is different when you do it.”
“It is different.”
“Because you say so?”
“Because I will not force sex. I will not sell you. I will not share you. I will not put your brother in pain to make you obedient. I will not touch you because a room of men called you sold.”
She went very still.
