I lay on my bed, kicked off my shoes, and pulled out my sketchpad from under the mattress.
Drawing was the only thing that made me feel like I wasn’t rotting inside. That I wasn’t trapped.
When I was younger, I used to show my sketches to my father. He’d glanced at one and told me it was a “waste of time for girls who should be focusing on their value.” After that, I stopped showing anyone. Now they lived under my bed, seen only by me—and maybe the maid.
I let the pencil move across the paper. Shapes, shadows, lines. A man’s profile started to form. Strong jaw, dark brows, that intense stare I couldn’t erase from my brain. I didn’t fight it.
Then there was a knock on my door.
Firm. Male.
One of my father’s men.
“Your father wants to see you. In his office. Now.”
Of course he did.
I rolled my eyes, slid off the bed, and muttered, “What the fuck now.”
But I didn’t make him wait.
I never did.
To my surprise when I stepped into my father’s office, Maksym was already there.
5
A Girl in a Cage
—Maksym—
Igot the summons around five. No explanation. Just Pakhan wants to see you. Now. Code for: someone made a mess, and I was the weapon sent to erase it.
So I showed up.
Inside the office, Pakhan stood by the liquor cabinet, swirling something expensive in a short glass. His suit was dark grey, his shirt ironed crisp, not a wrinkle in sight.
“Maksym,” he said, turning halfway. “We’ve got a situation.”
Of course we did.
He tossed a folder onto the table. I opened it without sitting. Inside: notes, photos, bank logs. A familiar name.
“Belov’s little operation is late with their share,” Pakhan said. “Three weeks, no update. Claims they’re waiting on incoming payments, but I’m not buying it.”
Arms dealer. One of the newer ones.
“You want me to collect?”
“I want you to remind him where his position starts and ends. If he doesn’t transfer by end of week, we’ll make an example. But tonight? Just pressure. A visit. No blood. Yet.”
I nodded once. I don’t usually warn people. I’ll try to be a good soldier, but sometimes bones break when I blink too hard.
Then one of the guards appeared in the doorway. “Sir? Your daughter just returned from school.”
Pakhan’s eyes lit up like he’d forgotten he had a daughter until now. “Good. Tell her to come in.”
I stood by the desk and didn’t move. Didn’t react. But I did wonder what the hell was so urgent that he couldn’t even finish our conversation first.
