Page 159 of The Savage

I stop a few feet from her. ‘Tell me,’ I say.

Yelena lifts her head. One eye swollen shut. The other sharp with spite.

‘What was intended for me?’

She laughs. It’s ugly. Wet. Broken.

‘You weren’t meant to crack like an egg,’ she spits. ‘That was… inconvenient.’

My stomach twists, but I don’t look away.

‘I wasn’t meant to babysit my lover’s child for six years,’ she continues. ‘That was never the plan.’

Renzo growls under his breath. I feel it in my bones.

‘After the Salvatores wiped out Ivanov’s crew,’ Yelena goes on, voice bitter, ‘El Topo got nervous. He realised Ivanov would not forgive a woman or a child being killed. He has his little rules.’

Her mouth curls. ‘So suddenly, you were valuable. Dangerous. A problem that had to be contained.’ She leans forward as much as the restraints allow. ‘We had no choice but to keep you guarded. Watched. Silent.’

‘You isolated me,’ I say. ‘You erased me.’

She shrugs. ‘You should thank me. Losing your memory was the best outcome for you. Or you would be dead.’

My breath catches as something in Renzo snaps.

‘You must really want to die,’ he snarls. Before he can move, one of Palinski’s soldiers steps in and strikes Yelena again. Hard. Efficient.

I flinch despite myself as pain flashes across her face and blood spills from her mouth. And still, I feel nothing like satisfaction.

I look at her. Really look.

‘You taught me forgiveness,’ I say quietly. ‘Under your so-called care. Even though your heart was never pure.’

Her eye flickers with confusion, then fury.

‘Maybe one day I’ll forgive you,’ I continue. My voice shakes, but I don’t stop. ‘But God help me, that day is not today.’

A sob catches in my throat despite my best efforts.

Renzo’s arm wraps around me instantly. He pulls me into his chest, solid and unyielding. He kisses my temple, grounding me, steadying my breath.

Then he lifts his head and looks at Palinski.

‘How do we make it worth your while to hand her over?’ he asks.

* * *

Renzo

Palinski doesn’t even pretend.

‘You do not. I will keep her,’ he says calmly. ‘Until I extract everything she knows.’

Cesare’s eyes narrow. ‘Then what?’

Palinski shrugs. Casual. Dismissive. ‘Then I decide what I share. And what I keep for myself.’

My temper snaps. ‘This sure as fuck doesn’t work for us,’ I snarl. ‘We didn’t come here just to admire your marble and gold-leaf ego and walk out empty-handed.’