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It takes a fair bit of assurance from Rhea saying that she believes her brother, who apparently believes Wes’ stupid ass, and then I start to believe it. They do share some similar features, the three of them. The brothers have the same dark hair and Wes’ green eyes glitter with malice the way Rhea’s emerald takes over when she’s feeling mischievous.
“So maybe that’s why he’s keeping Wes alive.” I say.
“Doubtful.” Rhea chuckles. “Trust me, blood means nothing if you’re a shitty person, which he is.”
“Well,” I shrug, “I wouldn’t believe it until he can prove it. Wes is clearly manipulative.”
“Yes,” she agrees. “But you’re going to out-manipulate him tonight.” I lift an eyebrow in question, and Rhea grins, scrambling to her feet. “You did such a good job yesterday showing him how much you aren’t broken from him. I saw the way he looked at you the night Ryan introduced you, and I saw the way he looked at you last night at dinner. He fucking wants you, Claire. I think you should give him a glimpse of what he will never have.”
I’m starting to shake my head when she throws a dress at me. I hold it up to inspect it, but it’s hard to get a sense of what it would look like when it’s stretched over my body. “I’m not telling you to tie him up and perform a strip tease or anything.” She shrugs. “’Though if you want to torture him that’s not a bad idea.”
When I don’t agree, she rolls her eyes. “I’m just saying, you’re handling all of this so well. If you don’t know what happened, you’d never know. You know?”
“I don’t know.” I squint at her. “What are you saying?”
“Just that you are a badass.” She shrugs. “Lean into it.”
Chapter twenty-seven
Claire
Honestly, I don’t know if it’s the ‘badass’ I’m leaning into or the crazy, but I’m leaning into something as I walk quickly across the lawn, trying not to run but also trying to walk with every bit of the purpose that’s burning inside of me. The knife I pilfered from the kitchen when Elaine blissfully went to answer the front door is sheathed and tucked blade down against my hip. It pokes out from the bottom of my dress every few strides, so I just pull the fabric taut and carry on.
I don’t know if Remy keeps his evil half brother attended twenty-four seven, so I’m just hoping I can convince Dimitri to let me in. My other option was to wait and then find the guest-house key tonight while everyone sleeps, but I don’t want to lose my opportunity in case something goes wrong, and he ends up getting shot. Rhea assured me the security will be extensive and they won’t let Wes get away, but if he tries, he could end up dead and then I’d never get the opportunity to do this.
It doesn’t take long for the door to open after I knock. Dimitri opens it and looks down at me, confused. His tie is loose around his neck, the top button of his shirt not yet fastened. I take note of the gun holstered on his hip and feel a little bit better about what I’m about to do. “Hi?” His voice doesn’t hide his confusion, and the smile I fix him with doesn’t seem to help matters either.
I hear the TV in the background and realize he has most definitely been staying here day in and day out to keep watch over Wes. I wonder if he sleeps on the bed Remy and I fucked on. “Dimitri,” I bat my eyelashes.
“Do you… need something?”
That’s good. He wants to help. I nod slowly before looking up at him from under my eyelashes. I bite my lip too, for good measure. It feels ridiculous—I’ve never fancied myself to be an actress, but he doesn’t look at me with suspicion so I must not be obvious in my manipulation.
“Yes.” My voice is small. That part, I’m not faking. That comes all on its own. “I want closure.”
He knows what I’m asking for without me needing to elaborate, and I’m grateful that Jovich’s replacement is at least smart. And compassionate, apparently, because he doesn’t immediately shoot me down. “I… can’t let you in here.”
“I just really want to look in his eyes and ask him why he did what he did.” I bite my lip again because I’m afraid he’ll see right through me.
He hesitates, though for a moment I think his eyes go watery. “Remy would be furious if he knew I let you in.”
“Remy doesn’t have to know,” I say. “I won’t tell him.”
Dimitri looks like he wants to help me, but he’s conflicted. His loyalty is nice. I wonder if it would end at serving me up to the darkness to protect the ones he’s pledged that loyalty to. “I’m supposed to keep you safe.”
This is the most I’ve talked to him, so hearing him claim he’s supposed to protect me is kind of disconcerting, but I choose not to focus on that. “He’s tied up, right?” I shrug. “And you have a gun. He can’t hurt me.”
I see him working through the thought a moment before he opens the door wide enough for me to come in. “I wouldn’t get your hopes up about closure. Men like him don’t have good reasons for doing what they do. They just like to pluck the petals off flowers before they stomp on what remains.”
I swallow past the lump in my throat and nod my understanding. I know the way to the cellar—Remy took me here just a few days ago. I killed a man who made me try to kill myself in that very same space. I remember every detail of that night—I relive it every time I start to fall asleep. I think I could walk down there with my eyes closed, but I wait for Dimitri to lead me anyway.
My heart hammers harder with each step I take; I consider running in the opposite direction and hiding in my room ‘til after the wake ends, but I bet he hears my voice. He might even smell my perfume. It was a bold move, coming here all dressed for the wake, but by the time I committed to this idea, I wasn’t about to change back into something less formal.
When we step into the basement room, it's not what I expected. Last time I was here, Wes was tied to a chair in the center of the room with his hands bound behind his back and duct tape over his mouth. Dimitri didn't lie when he said that Wes was tied up, but instead of being bound to a chair, his wrists are secured tightly to a bedpost. It doesn't look comfortable, but it does look better for sleeping than the chair, and Wes is taking full advantage. His head lolls to one side, his eyes closed.
And he is fucking snoring.
