“You’re out of order, Seven. Out of control. You’re a liability?—”
“Towho? Towhat? All I do—all I’vebeendoing—is taking care of the trash on the streets. No one has ever cared when I did my job before.”
“You’remurderingpeople, Seven.”
“So?” I ask, my voice deadly quiet. “I’ve done it all my life. ‘Take care’ of this person, clean up that crime scene, hide this evidence, pretend I didn’t see that…the list goes on and on.Allof my actions,allof my life, have been directly tied to someone’s death. So is it really sofucking differentif I do it with my own hands for once?” I lean back, letting out a deep breath. “Is it really so bad if I do somegoodfor once?”
Viktor frowns, his ice-blue eyes staring hard into mine. “Yes. It is.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re not made for it, Seven. All your ‘good intentions’ are going to cause people serious pain. They’re ill-placed, and you can’t even see it through all the hurt you’re living with.” He shakes his head. “Let it go. Give this up. Go back to the way things were before you end up killing yourself."
“There is no going back. Everything has changed.”
“Just because the Sanctum’s changed, doesn’t mean the rules cease to exist. We all have our parts to play, same as we did before. We still have our duty.”
I scoff. “Duty? I’m basically ajanitor,Viktor. I could drop dead and our 'benevolent ruler’ would be none the wiser.”
“You don’t know Seraphina, then. She’d know. She’d care.”
“She’s got you fooled, too.” I shake my head. “She’s still a Madam. She willalwaysbe a Madam. She’s just as bad as the rest of them. Just as cruel—we just haven’t seen it yet.”
“Are you so cynical, Seven, that you can’t accept your good fortune? Seraphina isnotlike the ones before her. She wants to help us—all of us. That means you, too, no matter how much you fight.”
I’m growing tired of the conversation. “Is that really why you’re here? To get me onto Seraphina’s good side? Because you’re wasting your fucking time.”
Viktor shakes his head. “As much as I’d like to change your mind… no. I came to try to save you from yourself, but I see what a fool I was now.”
Viktor leaves in a huff, storming out of my apartment and slamming the door hard enough to shake the walls. A small part of me worries he’s angry enough to tell the Sanctum about what I’m up to, but I quickly dispel that fear. I’ve known Viktor for more than two decades now, and he’s never betrayed me. The man practically raised me, pulling me under his wing the first day I walked into the Sanctum and never letting go. He’s the father I’ve never had, and I know no matter what he says, he won’t turn the Sanctum against me.
Viktor is just worried about me, and that comes out as anger—it’s the only way he knows to express it. But I can’t let his fears dictate how I live. Not when I’ve finally discovered something that makes it all worth it.
At the reminder of Grace, I move to my bedroom and sit on the bed, pulling up the live feed of Grace’s bedroom on my phone. My chest aches at the sight of her pretty little face, lips parted and trembling in sleep.
I hope I can make it to tomorrow.
CHAPTER SEVEN
GRACE
Today,I woke up even groggier than I was last time. Even though I slept clean through the night, it feels like I’ve been up for three days straight. It takes me twice as long to get through my morning routine, and my brain is so foggy, I end up putting salt in my coffee instead of sugar—something I realize as soon as I step out of the front door and take a sip.
I've been late to work only twice in the year I’ve worked at LoveBytten. Thankfully, it’s only by a few minutes, and no one seems to notice or care. Still, I can’t help but worry about my health. It’s so unlike me to be this out of sorts, and I don’t have any other symptoms that would accompany a cold or flu, so I really have no idea what’s going on.
Instead of working, I spend most of my morning staring blankly at my computer screen, replaying images of Red 7 in my mind. By the time lunch rolls around, my head feels no less cloudy, my anxiety is through the roof, and I’m downright crabby.
Hoping that some food will make me feel better, I get up from my desk and make my way to the break room. Unfortunately, Tricia and her usual circle are standing around the table, blocking the fridge. Tricia leans directly on the door, one of herfriends holding up a small mirror to help her as she reapplies her lip gloss between bites of her plain, non-fat yogurt.
As I approach, one of Tricia’s friends whispers in her ear, and her crystal-blue eyes snap over to me. Tricia says something back to her, and they both fall into a fit of mean-spirited giggles.
“Excuse me,” I say, stopping in front of Tricia. “I need to get in the fridge.”
She looks me up and down with a nasty sneer. “Wouldn’t want to get between you and your calories.”
She steps to the side, and I resist the urge to roll my eyes. I reach forward, and as my hand wraps around the handle, my stomach lets out a loud gurgling noise, prompting Tricia and her friends to let out another few sniggers.
Ignore them, Grace. You’re better than that.I take a deep breath and pull open the door, locate my sandwich before turning to leave. I’m practically out of the circle when someone sticks their foot out, deliberately tripping me.
