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“I would rather not burden her, uncle.”
“She’s been very well behaved,” Konstantin goes on. “I think it’s time we show her the ropes.”
Beside me, Mikhail goes rigid. “Uncle—”
“She will join us tomorrow. She will join me in the rafters.”
“The Pit is no place for a woman,” Mikhail hisses. “Especially a woman in her condition.”
Konstantin puts a hand up, a signal for Mikhail to stop arguing. “I’m eager for her to see the progress you’ve made these last few weeks. You’re up against the Bear tomorrow, are you not?”
Mikhail takes a deep breath. “I am.”
Konstantin takes a sip of his wine. “Excellent. I’m sure it will make for a very entertaining afternoon. In fact, let’sallgo.”
Charlotte shoots me an uncomfortable glance. Catherina looks downright delighted, something maniacal behind her eyes.
“What fun,” she says before polishing off her wine.
Chapter 35
Mikhail
Damn him.
Until now, I’ve been able to keep Aurora in the dark about Bratva business. It’s for her benefit. The less she knows, the less scared she’ll be. The lessscarred. Yes, we’re in this together, but I’ve done my best to shield her from the worst of it. Aurora is too good for this life, too innocent and sweet. Her hands are mostly clean of this filthy underground world.
We call it The Pit because it quite literally is one. An old air hangar on the outskirts of Moscow, deep within the Antonov territory. The hangar is massive, once the home to a whole squadron of fighter pilots during the Second World War. The planes have all since been decommissioned, their parts stripped for scrap. What remains is the protective structure of the building, its insides gutted almost completely.
The ground has been excavated, leaving nothing but a deep, foreboding hole where the concrete floor used to be. A sturdy metal staircase has been installed, jammed into the sides as it slowly descends into the pit. It gets darker the farther you go, what little sunlight there is eventually replaced by the sickening yellow glow of fluorescents.
Konstantin and his guards head down first, taking it a stair at a time. Deep below, the impatient groans and wails of the prisoners he has detained create a horror movie vibe. Catherina follows without hesitation. She doesn’t seem disturbed in the slightest. Aurora and Charlotte, on the other hand, are as pale as ghosts.
“They’re not, like, going to execute us or something, right?” Charlotte mumbles, the undeniable quiver in her voice giving away her fear.
“You’re not the ones going into The Pit,” I tell them, keeping a firm hold of Aurora’s hand. “No harm will come to you.”
She furrows her brows but says nothing. Aurora has on a brave face, but the slight tremor in her fingers gives her away.
We descend. The air gets colder and colder the further we go down. Eventually the thick dirt walls loom over us, foreboding and restrictive. I have no doubt they’ve been reinforced, but the intrusive thought of them collapsing in on themselves and burying us beneath the heavy rubble pops into my head anyway.
The true horrors lie below.
A whole line of large cages is pressed against the far wall. Large solid wood slats slip between the bars, creating narrow sections—cells for the prisoners Konstantin has locked away. There is an observation deck with a seating area, complete with small comforts one normally would take for granted on a day-to-day basis. A space heater is tucked into the corner, comfortable padded chairs, plenty of light, and—most importantly—armed guards standing in the way to keep any would-be escapees from getting up here.
The air is heavy with the stench of sweat and dirt and blood. Below the observation deck is the undeniable structure of a square boxing ring. It’s made of four wooden posts, a simple rope tied around it to create the fighting arena. It’s easy enough to leave its confines, but the armed guards positioned just outside the ring are a convincing reason not to leave without permission.
Aurora grasps the sleeve of my shirt. “Mikhail? Mikhail, what is this place? Why are therepeoplein cages?”
My mouth is dry. God, I wish I could rewind time so she doesn’t have to witness what’s about to take place. I’ve tried so damn hard to protect her from all this cruelty, from thisreality. Just because I’ve been welcomed back as Konstantin’s heir doesn’t mean I’m done proving my loyalty. It’s a never-ending process, a constant cycle of taking orders and carrying them through without question. Aurora and I both agreed we would do what we had to in order to remove all doubt in his mind, and this is no exception.
“This is the Antonov way,” I mumble bitterly. “Those people… They’ve crossed Konstantin in one way or another. They’ve stolen from him, refused to pay up, betrayed him.”
Aurora’s bottom lip trembles. “What does this have to do with you? Do you…killthese people?”
I cup her face, press her forehead to mine. Her breath tickles my cheeks. “I teach them a lesson,” I whisper. “As Konstantin commands. Most of them go free, but not before I show them what it means to cross us.”
“This is what you’ve been doing all this time?” she asks, aghast. “Why doyouhave to do it?”
