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“I guess you’ll just have to trust me.” And I mean that in every sense of the word. This entire plan is based on my ability to lie and earn Oscar’s trust.
He trusts that I haven’t gone to Astra yet because he has something I want. Or maybe he’s just toying with me. I honestly don’t know.
“Very well then,” he finally says. “I will speak with Astra about this. No doubt, she will want to be there for the meeting.”
Pavel mentioned I was to request a meeting with Astra, which means when he does this, he will ensure no witnesses are left alive. This ends once and for all. I have no idea what he has planned, but I can’t imagine things will end well for Oscar and Astra.
“Which is why I need time. She isn’t herself just yet. She is still gathering her strength. Once she’s well enough, I will meet my end of the bargain, and you will do the same. The information in exchange for your beloved’s release.”
I hate that I have to trust his word because he isn’t honorable, but there isn’t another way. He has to trust that everything I’ve said is true while I have to believe that once I deliver Pavel, he will let Saint go. The plan is far from perfect, but I’m in, and I have a fighting chance at saving Saint inside these walls, rather than outside of them.
Oscar eyes me suspiciously because so much of this is based on blind faith. But for now, he believes me. Or rather, he’ll humor me. “So do we have a deal?”
He extends his hand, appearing to want to make this official.
I peer down at the offering and wonder if this is the equivalent to signing my death warrant. But the thought of Saint being trapped in here has me placing my palm into his. “We have a deal.”
“Excellent.”
I yank my hand from his, not interested in touching this asshole unless I have to. “Where is he?” I go straight in for the kill, but Oscar merely laughs at my naïvety.
I understand why that is when two men enter the room and link their arms through mine. There is no point in fighting. Oscar hums at the sight of me being flanked by two giants. “We need to set some ground rules, ?????.
“As I said, trust is something we will need to work on, and until I trust you, Saint remains under lock and key.”
“You asshole,” I snarl, struggling with my captors to lunge for Oscar. The fact he opted to use the term lock and key enrages me further.
Oscar is unaffected by my insult. “Name-calling will not be tolerated.” He grins, revealing this is just a fucking game to him. “Take her to her room.”
The men drag me, kicking and screaming, while Oscar waves in victory.
Swathed among the red walls and draped in his black silk robe, he looks right at home as the devil.
Day 95
THE ONLY COMFORTI have is knowing Saint is somewhere within these walls.
Once Oscar’s goons took me to my “room,” they locked the door, and it’s stayed that way ever since. On the plus side, I suppose I can be thankful this room wasn’t decorated by Lucifer himself. The walls are white, and the simple furniture is below average for a house such as this. But I guess that’s because I’m not a guest.
I’m a prisoner.
I have the necessities—a bathroom, some toiletries, and a bed—but no windows. At least when Rapunzel was locked high in her tower, she could look out at the world, longing for her life to begin.
Oscar has ensured I don’t have the same luxury.
Pavel taught me how to spot hidden surveillance. No surprise, there was a hidden camera in the smoke detector. It also didn’t shock me when I pressed my fingernail to the bathroom mirror and saw that my finger and image touched tip to tip, which meant there was a camera in the mirror.
Not ideal, but I’ve had experience in dodging surveillance and staying in the shadows.
As I crouched in the far corner of the bathroom, pretending to hunt through my things, I frantically searched through the packet of gum, sighing in relief when I found the bugs were intact. Pavel positioned them in the way that he did, probably knowing the thugs would rifle through and clumsily pick the sticks in the middle.
Whatever his method, however, it worked, even if it was pure luck.
Carefully sticking a bug to the end of my finger, I walked as coolly as I could into the room and lounged onto the bed. Stretching overhead, I casually touched the headboard and planted the bug behind it. If anyone was watching, the move was completely normal.
No one broke down the door, so it was safe to assume one bug was planted. Only four more to go.
Pavel said once they were activated, he would be listening in, which is why I began singing to myself. The words were a jumbled mess, a mixture of a few songs thrown together, but the overall message was hopefully understood.
