AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Why think of heaven? I chide myself. It’s a place I’ll never go. Men who condemn children to death have no right to keep their souls. I don’t need God to condemn me; I’ve already done it.
And if not me, Galina surely has.
Kristina would have done the same.
The idea splits my throat apart, making me choke on a gritty cough. Mila and Kostya eye me, but I wave them off. I’m beyond help in every sense of the word.
No one will forgive me for what I have to do.
But … even knowing that …
I pray Galina will.
35
GALINA
“This is ridiculous,” I scoff. “Mila, you can’t go along with this!”
Ignoring me, the black-haired woman speaks in a hurried, authoritative voice to the young man in the hall. “Arsen wants her locked in here. That means she doesn’t leave until he says so. Understood?”
“Mila!” I argue.
The guy glances at me nervously.
“I said, do you understand, Yeremey?” Mila asks hotly.
“Yeah, I got it,” he insists, lifting his hands to calm her. “I’ll stay right here. She won’t go anywhere.”
Squaring off with the pair of them, I hold up the prayer beads accusingly. “Did you know he’s been listening to my conversations?”
With a bitter smile, Mila just shrugs. “Of course I did. Who do you think put those there in the first place?”
The fight sags out of my shoulders. Mila knew? This whole time? Just how little does Arsen trust me?
“And don’t think about doing anything stupid, Galina Yevgeniyevna,” Mila continues. “It’s more than just a microphone in those beads. There’s a GPS tracker as well. In case you’re taken again, Arsen will have ways to find you.”
“Of course he does.” I turn my face away.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Mila says. “I don’t agree with it, but like it or not, you’re a danger to yourself as much as you are a danger to us. But you need to remember something: Yevgeniy is a devil through and through. And although Arsen is one too, he is different. He has you as the angel on his shoulder.”
Can devils even have angels? Is that even possible?
“I’m not exactly doing much to stop him, am I?”
“You’re doing enough that he’s having doubts. And I—no, we—need him to be the opposite of that.”
Then, she pushes me backward, shutting the door fast enough that the blow-back sends my hair fluffing away from my forehead. I grab for the handle; there’s a metallic click. One wiggle and I know she’s locked it. “Mila!” I cry, pounding my fists on the wood. “Mila! Come back here! Mila, please!”
There’s no answer. She’s gone.
Spinning around, I place my thumbnail between my teeth. I have to do something, and I have to do it fast! I’ve been praying I won’t have to go forward with the plan I orchestrated through Audrey and Ulyana, but the situation has gotten dire.
Marching over to the single window, I test the sill. It doesn’t budge. Shit, has this always been locked? I’ve never tried to open it before because of how cold it’s been. Whether Arsen had it sealed intentionally or it’s just jammed from old age, it doesn’t matter.
I’m officially trapped.
Recalling the icy way Arsen spoke to me, I hug myself and tremble. He promised me Ruslan’s death would be quick. It’s the kind of promise that taints all the others he’s made for me.
