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Egor makes an impatient noise, reaching over and switching on the light. The brightness is sharp even against my closed eyes, and when I hear the small cry from across the room again, followed by a familiar whisper, my eyes fly open despite the painful sudden light.
“No!” I cry out behind Egor’s hand, and he cuffs me against the side of my head, hard enough to make my vision swim.
“I said shut up, bitch,” he snarls, foregoing Russian briefly to make sure I understand the insult. He didn’t need to—my Russian is rusty, but I still remember most of it. I know what suka means.
On the other side of the room, Darcy is standing pressed against the wall, her cheeks tear-streaked and her face bone white, hugging Niki to her. His face is pressed against her stomach, small whimpers emanating from his shaking body, and I can see both fear and anger flashing in Darcy’s dark eyes. She looks at me, and shakes her head ever so briefly.
“Don’t make him angry,” she whispers, her voice trembling, and Egor lets out a dark laugh.
“I’m already angry, devochka.” He reaches for something in his belt, and a shudder of fear runs through me when I see what it is.
There’s a gun in his hand. I’ve never seen one so close. He smiles at me, pure delight on his face when he reads the terror in my eyes. “You see the severity of the situation, devochka. Now, I can tell the little boy means something to you. Yours?” He pauses, as if considering, because I can’t answer even if I thought he really wanted me to. His hand is still over my mouth, heavily covering it. “No, I don’t think so.” His gaze sweeps over my body. “I saw you all but naked in the club, devochka. You haven’t had a child. Your brother, then.”
He glances over at Niki, and I see that Darcy has her hands pressed over Niki’s ears, trying to keep him from hearing what Egor is saying.
“No, that won’t do.” Egor looks at Darcy. “You. Girl. Get over here.” He glares down at me. “You sit up.”
I close my eyes, feeling tears leak out of the corners. I feel Egor shift restlessly next to me, hear him grunt in displeasure, and when I open them again, I see him glaring at Darcy.
“Leave the boy there, and get the fuck over here!” He shouts it, his rough, accented voice filling the room. He shoves the gun barrel against my temple, and I let out a stifled cry, my entire body going cold. “Now, bitch! And you.” He grabs my arm, dragging me upwards against my pillows. “I said fucking sit up!”
I want to be brave. For myself, for Niki, for Darcy—but I’m terrified. Tears are streaming down my face, and I’m shaking so hard my teeth are nearly clacking together as I start to sit up, pushing myself up and whimpering as pain lances through my ankle. I see Darcy lean down, whispering something to Niki before she starts to haltingly move towards the bed, white-faced and shaking.
Niki sinks to the floor, his eyes scrunched shut, his hands over his ears. I can guess what Darcy must have told him. I have to hope that it will be enough to keep him from seeing and hearing whatever it is that Egor plans to do to us.
Lorenzo, where are you? The question echoes in my head as Darcy stops inches from the bed, her eyes wide and frightened. She looks at Egor pleadingly, and he chuckles again, darkly.
“Get on the bed,” he snarls. “Right next to her. Now!”
Darcy jumps as Egor shouts, her eyes flicking to where the gun is pressed to my temple before she starts to crawl onto the bed. Slowly, she moves to sit next to me, fear wafting off of her as she obeys.
Egor smiles, a satisfied look crossing his face. “Good girl. I like it when my women obey. Now?—”
Darcy’s face scrunches up, anger written across her features, and I see her tense. She rears back, spitting in Egor’s face, and he reacts instantly. Before I can even breathe, he whips the pistol across the side of her face, wiping spit off of his cheek as Darcy cries out and blood starts to stream down her face.
“Try it again, bitch, and I’ll put a bullet in your knee. Not enough to kill you, just enough to make it hurt while I do what I’ve come here for.”
I want to scream, but I’m too afraid. It’s as if the terror has clogged my throat, making me too frightened to scream, to beg, to do anything but sit here and shake as I wonder what comes next. I’m afraid of what he’ll do to Niki if I fight, what he’ll do to Darcy and me.
I’m terrified of what this will mean for Niki, even if we survive it, heaped on top of the trauma of the accident.
“Now.” Egor looks between the two of us. “Here’s how this is going to go, devochka.” His gaze focuses on me. “I know you’re running drugs for Lorenzo Campano.”
Next to me, a tiny whisper escapes Darcy’s lips. “What?”
I close my eyes. I should have told her. I hadn’t wanted to upset her, hadn’t wanted to hear her tell me what a bad idea it was, but her finding out like this is so much worse. Guilt and shame crash over me, and I hear Darcy’s small whimper as Egor slaps the side of my face. This time I hardly feel it, under the avalanche of emotion.
“Suka. Look at me, or I start putting holes in your friend.”
I open my eyes, looking at him through blurred vision. “What do you want?” I whisper helplessly. I can’t lie to him any longer. Not with Darcy and Niki here, too, who are in danger. Even if I might have been brave enough to fight back for myself, I can’t put them at risk. Not even if it means giving up Lorenzo.
“I want information.” Egor settles onto the edge of the bed, the gun still pressed against my face. Another shudder of fear runs through me, my teeth chattering with it. I don’t entirely know how I’m going to be able to speak, as afraid as I am.
“The last time we meddled with a Campano shipment,” he continues, “it went sideways. I need better information for next time. And you’re going to give it to me, devochka.”
A helpless shiver runs down my spine. “I can’t help you with that,” I whisper. “I barely know anything. Lorenzo doesn’t tell me very much. He just gives me the drugs to sell, and my profit afterwards. He doesn’t give me any information—ah!” I cry out as Egor slaps me again, hard. Next to me, Darcy lets out a small, terrified moan. I don’t look at her—I’m too afraid to—but I can imagine the disappointment I’ll see in her eyes.
“You’re telling a little bit of the truth.” He nods at me. “That’s a good start. We’re going to work on more of that, or I’m gonna tie you up, and your friend, and enjoy you both while the brat watches. And then, when I’m done, I’ll start taking pieces off your friend. Then you.” He smiles coldly. “If you tell me what I want to know, I’ll make it quick. Isn’t that better? If you don’t drag it out too long, I’ll even kill the kid first. Then he won’t have to see. How’s that for a deal, devochka? You don’t want him to see all of this nastiness, do you?”
