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Scared.
Svetlana wasn’t to know that the only thing that would scare me was being locked in the house so that I couldn’t escape tomorrow.
Being imprisoned here had happened before, so I saw no reason why the threat was off the table.
Did he speak about business in front of her?
Even as I was perplexed about how she knew of Father’s plans, I didn’t have time to puzzle over their odd dynamic, not when my time felt like it was running out.
I’d been about to take a seat, but at her words, I remained standing, and drifted over to the fireplace. Either side of it, there were console tables, two massive displays of flowers looming over them in vile colors that clashed with the bright pink and reds. I didn’t even know royal blue tulips were a thing, but seeing them here, I wished they weren’t.
I’d been punished a thousand times by my father.
I knew what he was like in a rage, and while he was just as evil in a wheelchair as he was out of it, these past few weeks, he’d been crueler than ever before. As if the weakness inherent in being injured was making it necessary for him to terrify the men under him.
In the power pit he existed in, it made sense.
But I was his daughter. Not one of his soldiers.
And that was why I picked up the small crystal pyramid that decorated the mantelpiece.
I’d never armed myself before. Never even thought about fighting back. But tomorrow... I had to cling to it. Had to protect myself. I needed to make sure that I could run.
The perimeter wasn’t water-tight. I knew of at least two different ways that I could get off the estate if I needed to, so if Father came at me with his cane, if he beat me with it, I could defend myself before running off and finding one of those exits.
In my head, I planned my route. I wasn’t wearing the best shoes, and it was cold out, the autumn nights already starting to turn chilly. It was getting dark, twilight past us, and I’d left my phone upstairs—dammit—so I wouldn’t have a flashlight with me.
Neither would I have any money.
If things turned bad, and I could only reason that Svetlana’s smug smirk was indicative of how bad it really was going to be, I was screwed.
The minute I retaliated against whatever Father was going to do, Svetlana would call for the guards, and I wouldn’t have time to head upstairs for my phone and purse, wouldn’t have time to do anything other than run for it. Even the car keys to the SUV I used were in my purse. Along with my revolver…
Dammit.
I was screwed.
Temptation hit me to retreat upstairs, just so I could get my things, but I didn’t have time.
The second the pyramid was in my hands, I heard the faint squeal of the wheels in his chair. The sound had me tightening my grip on the impromptu weapon—a memento from when Father had taken his new bride to Egypt, yet another break from his old habits, taking her somewhere that wasn’t Moscow—and the pointed tip dug into my palm. The pain grounded me. Centered me in a way that few would ever be able to understand.
The catharsis came at a moment where I needed to be ready, mentally prepared for whatever could be hurled my way.
I’d never thought the cuts would give me an advantage at a moment like this, but I knew I’d never seen anything as clearly as I did now.
Father wheeled into the room, a nasty scowl on his face, Maxim, his guard, at his back.
I’d known Maxim for years. He was one of Father’s projects. Some Bratva boys showed a special talent for certain aspects of the life, and leadership cultivated that. In this instance, Maxim had come to the Pakhan’s attention.
I wasn’t sure I wanted to know exactly why Maxim was a part of Father’s special guard.
He’d always been pleasant to me, and God knew, pleasant was hard to find under this roof.
“Where is she?” Father snarled.
I hadn’t been hiding, but I realized that I was tucked away, sheltered by the natural nook formed by the fireplace, which jutted out into the room. Because the candelabra was old, it didn’t exactly illuminate the space very well, but that didn’t make me invisible.
Svetlana peered up, her attention veering from her phone as it pingponged between Maxim and her husband. She twisted around to point at me, a scowl on her face, one that made me wonder if Father’s eyes were failing him or something because she saw me quite clearly, before grumbling, “She’s right there!”
