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When I hear Pavel address me, I quickly brush away the tears I didn’t even realize had fallen with the back of my hand. “Hey.”
He looks into the window I am standing outside of, no doubt wondering what caused the nostalgia.
“We need to talk,” I firmly state, ignoring my emotion.
When he nods, I’m thankful he didn’t ask what’s wrong.
He leads me down the hallway, and I keep eyes aimed forward as I can’t afford any further distractions. We enter the library, which is filled to the ceiling with books thanks to Alek, but I quash down the sentiment and focus on the task at hand.
We take a seat at a table. “How’s Saint?” he asks, bringing forward his chair.
I shrug, not seeing the point in being evasive. “You heard everything, didn’t you?”
He nods firmly.
“Well then, you can guess how he is.” I don’t mean to be rude, but every time I think about what was done to him, I can’t shake this cloud of guilt looming over me. “Thank you for coming for us, but we could have done this from the beginning.”
Pavel pulls in his lips. “No, we couldn’t have. We were only able to pull it off because of the inside intel. We only knew of Oscar’s coming and goings because of the bugs.”
I wish that fact could ease this heaviness pushing against my chest, but it doesn’t.
“You were smart, Willow.”
I scoff in response. “I was far from smart. If I was, Saint wouldn’t have gotten hurt.”
“We always knew this plan wasn’t perfect,” he argues. “But what matters is that we got Saint back.”
“But in what state? You know the things that were done to him.” He lowers his eyes. “When he wakes, I don’t think he’ll have wanted us to save him.”
And there it is—the truth that has been staring me in the face this entire time.
Pavel simply stays silent, not bothering to argue. I don’t know if that’s because he’s run out of fight, or if it’s because he agrees.
However, thereissomeone who doesn’t agree, but no surprise there. “You underestimate my brother.” Zoey pulls up a seat at our table, ensuring she sits as far away from me as possible.
If looks could kill, I would be a smoldering pile of ashes. She and I have a date with destiny, but it will have to wait. For now.
“Saint endured a lot.” I wish I could emphasize just how much. But if Pavel heard what happened down in the dungeon, then odds are, she did too. No wonder she hates me more than she already does. “I know he is strong, but you can’t come back from certain things.”
She rolls her eyes as she leans back in her seat. “Well, maybe if you did what you were supposed to do, then we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
Lunging forward, I slam my fist onto the table. “You don’t think I know that? I wish I could take his place. Every single day, that was all I wanted! But don’t you dare come here on your high horse without accepting culpability. You’re just as guilty as I am!”
Just as Zoey is about to claw my eyes out from across the table, Pavel uses his arms as a barricade to stop this from turning ugly. “Ladies, enough.”
Zoey’s eyes are locked with mine, but I won’t back down. If she wants a fight, then I’m ready. However, when Sister Margaret walks past, pushing her library book trolley, I’m ashamed for losing my temper.
The mood settles for now.
“You’re both on the same side,” Pavel says while Zoey and I snort at his ridiculous claim. “So you need to put your differences aside and focus on what’s ahead.”
With great difficulty, I sit back in my seat. But I don’t take my eyes off Zoey. “What’s the plan?”
“As I said, you were smart to plant those bugs where you did. Remember that lady who visited the house?” I don’t need him to clarify as I know who he is talking about. “Why did you want us to know of her comings and goings?”
I shrug, still confused as to why I felt compelled to plant the bug on her purse. “I honestly don’t know. She just seemed…familiar. Was I wrong to do that?”
When Pavel shakes his head, I sigh in relief. “No, you weren’t. By doing so, we were able to gather so much information.”
