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It’s caught up to me at last. And for myself, I don’t care. I’m not afraid of death itself. It’s a shame to lose out on the trappings of life so soon, of course—the luxuries I’ve worked hard for, the pleasures of sex, the enjoyment of a good meal or a good cigar or glass of top-shelf vodka. I know that Luca feels the same. He’s younger than I am, in his thirties—he knows the accomplishment of having ascended to his place while still remaining alive and whole. And he’s had closer calls than I have.
Liam—well, he’s young enough to regret a life mostly unlived. I feel for him. And Max fears his God and the vows he’s broken. Death won’t come comfortably to him.
But mostly, it’s everyone else that fills me with regret. Sofia, who will bear her child alone, a widow. Ana, left alone in a world that has beaten her down enough already. Sasha, once again a prisoner. My children, in the hands of a man who will do things that sicken me.Caterina.
I should have told her that I love her. I should have understood what she was trying to say to me so much sooner. If only—
But there’s no point. I might have a few seconds to speak before the men fire, but I can’t use those seconds to tell Caterina what I want to say, no matter how desperately the words rise to my lips. It’s a selfish desire, and with death only seconds away, I don’t have time for that.
The thought of leaving Caterina at their mercy, never knowing how I feel, makes my heart feel as if it’s being ripped out of my chest. But it’s not her who needs me the most.
“Not my children, Alexei, please.” I hold my hands out, aware of how similar it is to how Olga begged only minutes ago, but I’m far from caring about my pride in this moment. “My business has never been trafficking children. The women have always been of age, and my clientele reflects that. If there is an ounce of goodness in you, an ounce of respect for the years we worked together, not my daughters. Kill me, do what you wish, but not—”
“Shut up, old man.” Alexei laughs. “I care about profit, not morality. Those girls are perfection. The one is wounded, of course, but I can work around that. The littlest one, though—”
“Alexei.”
Caterina’s voice cuts through the air, and everyone goes very still, mostly because of the way she says his name. It’s not a shriek or a plea. It’s cold and clear, the voice I would have expected from one of my men, and even the soldiers holding guns on us waver, wanting to turn to look at her. They don’t dare to incur Alexei’s wrath, though, and they hold their position, the muzzles of the automatic weapons pointed squarely at the five of us. At any moment, they could shred us, killing us before we hardly have a chance to hear the shots.It’ll be quick, at least.
It’s not death or pain that I fear. But the thought of leaving my daughters and Caterina behind is an unbearable grief, an agony like nothing I’ve ever felt.
Alexei turns slowly, a smirk spreading across his face. “The mama bear speaks. What do you have to say,Mrs. Andreyva?” He inclines his head sarcastically. “What would thetsarinalike to say to me?”
Caterina takes a breath, her chin tilted up. “If you let the men live—all five of them,” she specifies. “My husband, Luca, Liam, Levin, and Max, all of them live and go free. If you do that, I and the other women and the children will go with you.”
Alexei stares at her for a moment, dumbfounded, and then he starts to laugh. “Did you not hear what I just said, you stupid bitch?” He snorts. “I said you’re all coming with me once I dispose of your husbands. Are you an idiot? What kind of fucking bargain is that?”
Any other woman might have wavered or crumpled. Even Sofia is trembling, her face so pale and bloodless that I can’t believe she hasn’t passed out already. Her gaze is fixed on Luca, tears streaming down her face, her lips making wordless sounds.I love you, I love you.
The things I want to say so badly to Caterina. My fierce, beloved bride. My heart swells as I watch her face down Alexei fearlessly, even though I know it’s useless.
She smiles at him, and it’s enough to make him falter. “Are you stupid?” he asks again. “What the fuck are you smiling about, cunt?” He takes two steps towards her, sneering. “I’m going to sell you to someone who will cut that smile right off of your pretty face. I’ll find the most vicious man in Russia, someone who likes hurting women, and I’ll sell you for a price that will justify everything he’ll do to you. Someone willing to pay for his specific predilections. Can you imagine—”
“I can,” Caterina says evenly, though I can see the fear flickering in her eyes. “And you can do what you like with me, Alexei, if you let Viktor and the other men here go and promise to be gentle with the other women and my daughters. You can do anything you like, now or later, and I won’t struggle. None of us will fight you when you take us away. But if you kill our men—” she takes a breath, never breaking eye contact with him. “You’ll still take us, that’s true. But we’ll make it hell for you. We’ll do what we can to hurt your soldiers, we’ll try to escape, we’ll bite and claw and scratch no matter what you do to us for it. We’ll act out when you try to sell us, and drive down the price. We’ll make every moment you have us in your possession a living hell if you do this. You’ll sell us for far less than we’re worth, just to be rid of us.”
Christ.The bravery in her words, the steel in her spine, takes my breath away. She looks at him unfalteringly, offering herself up most of all. It rips my heart out of my chest even as I know without a doubt that no woman in the world could have been a better match for me.
I wish I hadn’t realized it so late.
Alexei snorts. “You’ll do what I want and come quietly anyway. Or I’ll hurt those two girls—”
“No, you won’t.” Caterina looks at him evenly. “You want a good price for them. And besides, what will you do? Will you hurt them? If you do, you won’t get more than pennies for them. Kill them?” She smiles coldly at him. “Death is better than what you have planned for them. If I thought there was no other way, I’d do it myself before I let you sell them.”
I don’t know of another woman who could have discussed something so terrible so calmly. Sofia looks as if she’s going to be sick, Sasha staring at Caterina with horror. But Caterina knows as well as I do a simple truth—begging and pleading with Alexei will change nothing. The only way to win against a man like him is to appeal to the only thing he cares about—greed and results. The practicality of the situation is what will change his mind, not moralizing.
He doesn’t care about right or wrong. He cares about efficiency and profit. And by removing her emotions from the situation, Caterina has appealed to both.
She might have just saved us all.
Alexei presses his lips together, scowling. “Fucking bitch,” he snarls between clenched teeth. “What if I tell you that I’ll hurt your men anyway, even if you go quietly?”
“You can do what you like,” Caterina says, her voice trembling slightly. “As long as you let them go. We’ll do what we have to in order to keep them alive.”
He takes a step forward, his left hand darting out and grabbing her breast roughly. I see the pain in Caterina’s face, but she doesn’t flinch. “You’re no virgin,” he says, laughing. “So there’s no difference who fucks you before you sell. I think I’ll take you for myself, for a while. Enjoy what Viktor’s been enjoying. I’ve already taken everything else of his. What do you think of that? Will you fuck me in exchange for your husband’s life?” His lip curls. “For all of their lives? You’ll have to do it willingly.”
Caterina is trembling all over now, a fine tremor running through her body from forehead to toes, but she nods. “Yes,” she says quietly. “If that’s what your price is.”
“What if I tell you to get on your knees now and suck me off in front of your husband?” Alexei laughs aloud, an almost crazed sound. “God, wouldn’t that be fun?”
