Page 32 of Take Me Darkly

“I’m sorry that happened to you.”

“It’s in the past,” she said, waving her hand dismissively, though her fingers tightened on the letter opener. “Anton handled the john. Just like he eventually handled Jerry. Then he rebuilt this place to bury all the ugliness. What do you think a life is worth, Serena?”

“It’s priceless,” I whispered, silently wondering what exactly Anton had done to take care of the john who had hurt Myla.

“That’s right. And Anton saved mine. I will owe him until the day I die.”

A chill traced down my spine. The bond between Myla and Anton was far deeper and more tragic than I’d realized.

“I worked for Jerry,” Myla continued, her voice dropping to a near-whisper. “I did horrific things to survive. Jerry owned everyone here—body and soul. He specialized in breaking young girls. He liked them young and broken. And I was both.”

She paused taking a slow ragged breath. Her gaze was distant, looking past me at seemingly nothing in the corner of the room.

“I was a mess. I was an addict by fifteen, using whatever I could find just to blur the reality of what was happening to me. Anton watched that exact same cycle destroy his mother. She died right before his eyes. Did he tell you that?”

“No,” I whispered, recalling the little bit Anton had divulged. He’d told me his mother died of an overdose when he was fourteen, but I had no idea it happened right in front of him.

“Well, do me a favor and don’t let him know I told you. I’m sure he’ll tell you in his own time.” Myla paused, as if weighing her words before continuing. “He didn’t stick around long after that. He disappeared for a while, but when he came back, he was different.”

“Where did he go when he left?”

“That’s up to him to tell you. But just know, when he came back, his sole intent was revenge. He came armed with millions in crypto and used that to find justice. He destroyed the evil of this place and brought what could be saved back to life. He found me half-dead in a stairwell, strung out and resigned to dying. He could have walked past me. Instead, he picked me up. He saw something in me that I didn’t see myself.”

I thought of the things Anton had said to me when we first met. He’d given me strength at a time when I thought I’d had none, daring me to trustfall and go after what I wanted.

“He has that way about him,” I murmured, and found myself falling a little harder for this enigma of a man.

Myla looked at me, her eyes suddenly wet pools of gratitude and pain. “He was the first man in my life who didn’t expect anything from me. He paid for my medical care, got me clean, and forced me to get an education. He gave me a future and a purpose, and as it turns out, I’m pretty good with numbers.”

I smiled softly. “I can see why he trusts you so implicitly.”

“It goes both ways. Anton is protective to a fault. He’s terrified of losing what he cares about. This situation with you…” She paused, seeming to search for her words. “I’ve already said far too much, but I’ll add this. I’ve never seen him this anxious. He knows the threat against you is real, and it’s driving him crazy. You must trust him to protect you, even if it goes against your instinct. We’re women, and we tend to feel things differently than men. But if you get in his way, his control will slip. He doesn’t respond well when he feels cornered. That’s the secret to navigating Anton. You need to make him believe he’s always in control, even when he’s not.”

I took a moment to digest this, recognizing the tactical wisdom in her advice. I understood the necessary removal of emotion when faced with a problem. I just wasn’t sure if I was capable of doing that now—not when I was barely hanging on myself.

“I don’t have much expertise here,” I admitted. “I’m an archaeologist. I deal in dead languages. Not controlling men.”

A genuine, warm smile broke across Myla’s face, shattering the remaining tension between us. “Lucky for you, I know someone who’s a master at it.”

“Who?”

“Krystina Stone.” Myla turned to her keyboard, pulling up a profile on her monitor. The screen displayed a stunning, sophisticated woman with dark, curling hair and sharp, intelligent brown eyes. “She’s married to Alexander Stone. They’re prominent club members, and Alexander is one of Anton’s few close peers. Krystina isn’t easily intimidated. She knows exactly how to handle a dominant husband without losing an inch of herself.”

“She sounds like someone I would like,” I murmured.

“She’s a gem. If anyone can give you the blueprint for managing Anton, it’s Krystina.”

“Okay. But there’s one problem.”

“What’s that?”

“If I can’t leave this place, how am I supposed to meet her?”

Myla waved me off, her fingers flying over her keyboard. Her eyes scanned a calendar interface before a triumphant smirk touched her lips.

“This is perfect. I couldn’t have planned it better. Anton has a business meeting with Alexander for tomorrow afternoon. Normally, they’d meet at Cornerstone Tower, but since Anton isn’t keen on leaving you alone, he’s moved the meeting to the club. When Alexander is here, I’ll see about inviting Krystina and him to the club this weekend. If they agree, I don’t doubt that you and Krystina will make fast friends. And knowing her, she’ll welcome a conversation about reining in overbearing men.”

I felt a rush of both excitement and apprehension. It would be nice to find a true female ally in this unknown world. It was something I’d been lacking for some time and hadn’t realized how much I missed female companionship until now.