Page 49 of Enemy of the Heart

“She’s mine, yes.”

His single bloodshot eye bores into my face. When he still hasn’t spoken half a minute later, Lou whacks him lightly on the shoulder with the back of her hand.

“It’s nice to meet you.”

His British accent isn’t quite as thick as hers, but there’s a distinguished lilt to his words. He eyes Jace next, but the two don’t exchange words.

There’s something I don’t like about Mercer. It goes beyond the bizarre string board. What kind of brother abandons his sister in a place like Ex-I? He’s alive, so whatever excuse he has is piss-fucking-poor. What if I’d followed orders and executed her? What if she never got out?

If someone else hadn’t beaten him to shit, I would’ve done it myself.

Lou leans over and presses a kiss to her brother’s forehead, then leaps to her feet excitedly. “If Conall and Viktor were here, all my favorite people would be together in one room.”

Jace and I both saw those familiar names on that wall. We look to Mercer to make an assertion. He doesn’t. Interesting. I’m not going to say anything yet. I want to see how this plays out first. But when Lou finds out, she’s going to go ballistic.

“Alright, I’m going to pop out to the store to get some food, then I can make some lunch.”

“I can go,” I volunteer. I’d rather be the one to risk a public outing, even if Russia is the safest place for us right now. Then there’s the added benefit of avoiding Lou’s brother while she spends time with him. That’s the best option to ensure everyone keeps their limbs intact.

“But you don’t speak the language.” She scrunches her nose as though she smells something sour. “What if you come home with stale meat? Or if you choose a subpar wine?”

Well, shit. I hadn’t considered that. If we’re going to be here for any amount of time, I really need to learn the language beyond phrases like vittu or pilu. Or maybe that’s Finnish. I’m not sure. I only know that Lou uses them.

Jace shudders, then pulls a face. “It’s settled; Lou’s the one making the supply run. We’ll assemble the bedframes and dust off things while you’re gone.”

I internally cringe at the prospect of Jace with construction tools. He’s liable to remove a finger or two in the process.

Lou looks a little wary as she pads over to me, and I cup the back of her head. As I press her tightly to my chest, she melts. I soak in the way she fits perfectly against me, her head nestled between my pecs.

When I was being tortured and abused at Ex-I, all I wanted was to be free to live my life, but I was wrong about liberation. Freedom isn’t a place; freedom is Louhi.

She grants me the space to truly be myself; never balking at my dark, unsavory parts. She pried open the sealed door to her heart and soul for me to make a home there. She’s helping me—and my best friend—to build a new, safe life on our own terms. She’s the deliverance I’ve longed for, my redemption.

I don’t like the idea of being apart considering everything we’ve endured, but worrying about a professional killer is absurd. She’ll be fine.

Louhi scans all three of us, her gaze lingering on her brother for a moment. “Will all three of you still be alive when I get back?”

I’m not going to promise fucking shit, but I’ll do my best to leave her brother exactly the way she found him.

Jace to the rescue, though. My best friend tosses his arms over Lou’s shoulders and steers her toward the door. “Leave it with me, Lou. I’m the greatest buffer in all the world. I’ve won awards for it.” He swivels his head dramatically. “Not to be rude, but this place could use a bit of sprucing. Did a gaze of raccoons move in?”

He’s right. It’d be good to bust out the mop and duster. Thankfully, no actual tools will be required. While I’m more than decent with a hammer, Jace is hopeless.

After Ex-I, this feels like a mansion, even in its current state. It’s more likely that the mess is due to months of neglect and Mercer squatting here for God knows how long without adequate supplies.

Lou stops in the doorway, her hands in her back pockets, and observes her brother intently. I get the impression she isn’t thrilled about leaving him now. Or maybe she’s just memorizing his face. Even if I don’t trust the man, I wouldn’t hurt him while she was gone. Not unless he came for me first, but he’s in no state to do that. Not successfully, anyway.

She disappears from view, and a second later, I hear the car start.

“A gaze?” I parrot. “How the fuck did you know what a group of trash pandas were called?”

Jace grins at me over his shoulder, his smile bright. I snort before settling my attention squarely on the remaining man. Mercer’s brown eyes—or at least the one he can see out of—narrowed, and it’s evident that he doesn’t trust us. That feeling is mutual.

“Want to tell us why you look like you escaped a horror movie?”

“No.” He pins me with a look so dark that it could make flowers wither, but not me. I shoot an equally menacing glare right back.

“Are you planning to kill us if we leave you unattended?” I ask bluntly.