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There’s that rage again, this time prickling up my arms like a thousand needles, the moment I clap eyes on Belsky striding along the stage. I hated this asshole by default, because of what he was planning to do to my family, but now, the hatred runs deeper, darker, led by pure emotion.
I skate my fingers down Romy’s bare arm as the lights dim, and Belsky taps the mic, reminding her that I’m here. Tugging my cell out of my slacks, I tap out a text to Declan:
Tune in.
“New York,” he booms into the microphone like he’s addressing Times Square on New Year’s Eve. “First and foremost, I want to thank every one of you for joining me tonight.” Drawing in a deep breath, he puffs out his chest and says, “Because tonight, I am announcing my candidacy for the governor of New York!” He leaves a dramatic pause, and a polite ripple of applause fills it. I glance down at Romy, considering muttering a sarcastic retort in her ear, but she’s standing as still as a statue and staring straight ahead.
She’s ready to ruin him. I don’t want to take this moment away from her.
“Throughout this country’s history, the great State of New York has always represented the American Dream. It is a state that has always welcomed everyone with open arms, offering new opportunities, freedom, and sanctuary for anyone who dares to believe in it.” Belsky’s eyes slash to me, his perfect politician smile faltering for a nanosecond. “It was built on the foundations of democracy and expanded with the notion of hard work. In the past decade, however, New York seems to have lost its way, with democracy giving way to dictatorship.” His nostrils flare. “Not from our great government, of course, but to organized crime.” There’s a shift in the room, and partygoers glance over the rims of their drinks toward me.
The expression water off a duck’s back has never been truer, baby.
“Those of you in this room will be well aware of my main adjective, but tackling organized crime is not all I have to offer. So, without further ado, I present to you a short video that summarizes my manifesto.”
Belsky steps to the side as a screen rolls down from the ceiling, and beside me, Romy’s breath skitters.
Belsky for New Yorkappears on the screen against a panoramic shot of Manhattan. It quickly cuts to his gaunt face. “My name is Leo Belsky,” he begins, looking intently into the camera, “and this is me announcing my candidacy for the governor of New York. New York is—”
The screen goes black, and Belsky’s awkward laughter flutters through the room. He mutters something about technical problems, flashing the IT guy at the side of the stage a death glare, who, in return, taps a few buttons on the keyboard and shrugs.
Suddenly, Romy’s face appears with Aisling’s living room behind her. Her eyes flick up to somewhere above the camera, then she draws in a deep breath and stares down the lens.
“My name is Romashka Bratnov, and this is my story of how Leonid Belsky groomed me from the age of twelve.”
I thought I was prepared for this, but staring into her stormy eyes as she bravely unravels her story makes it feel like someone’s taken a sledgehammer to my chest with the intent to kill.
I drop my gaze to her, the real her, the one I’m holding protectively in the crook of my arm. I want to shatter every bad memory, every horror she’s witnessed, and every goddamn person on this planet who has broken her before. And then I want to pick up all of her bittersweet pieces and mend them.
I want to love her.
Fuck. I think I already do.
Despite getting lost in her own confession, she feels my laser-like stare boring into her temple. She drags her eyes away from the screen, and for a split second, the stupefied crowd and the armed guards coming from all four corners of the room melt away. It’s just us, in our tangled web of darkness, two fucked-up people with fucked-up minds. Two of a kind.
I’ve never met another woman like Romy. I never will and never want to.
“I’m ready to go down with this ship,” she whispers, danger dancing in her eyes.
And I know that without a doubt, I’ll hold her hand and sink into the abyss with her.
