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As if I needed more motivation.I have to get Benjamin out of here.
Ihave to get out of here.
Timofey chose this life for himself. He walked in with eyes wide open. But Benjamin is a baby. He never had a choice. And if I don’t get him out of here, he won’t stand a chance.
I just need to get away from Timofey, and then I can start to formulate a plan.
“Can you handle that?” Timofey asks. “If you can’t keep your mouth shut about Benjamin, I’ll take someone else. I need to know you’ll act to keep him safe.”
“Of course I will,” I snap. “I can’t believe you even have to ask.”
As far as I can tell, I’m the only person in Benjamin's life trying to keep him safe.
“Good.” Timofey nods and holds out the green dress. “This one first.”
I hold it up to my almost naked body, grateful for the coverage. It’s strapless and, even without putting it on, I can tell it’s skin-tight.
“This looks like I’m going to a strip club, not a wedding. I don’t need to put it on. I can already tell I can’t wear this.”
“Not with your bra and those underwear on.” He eyes my saggy granny panties, and I shift further behind the scrap of satin fabric in my hands. “Take those off.”
My mouth falls open. “You can’t be serious.”
“I was going to say the same thing about that underwear. Really, Piper. Have some standards.”
There’s nothing else to throw, so I grab my sweater and hurl it at him. He snatches it out of the air easily.
“Give that back.”
“You need less clothes right now; not more.”
“I’ll need it back eventually,” I argue. “And I’ll… I’ll go change in my room and then come back in here to show you each dress. If we want to avoid being unprofessional, that would be the right thing to do.”
He arches a brow. “We are way past being professional. Besides, lying isn’t professional.”
I frown. “I’m not lying.”
“I guess it makes sense,” he says, striding closer to me. “The woman who can’t dress herself also can’t wear a mask to save her life.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Timofey grips my chin and forces my eyes to his. I can smell his peppermint breath and see his pulse thrumming in his throat. “You’re a terrible liar.”
“I’m not.”
“You don’t want to leave for privacy,” he interrupts. “You want to leave so you can grab Benjamin and flee.Again. How many times are we going to have to go through this before you realize there is no escape?”
Internally, I panic. How easily can he read my thoughts? Is anything a secret from him? Does he know I stared at his ass as we walked down the hallway?
Externally, I do my best to prove him wrong. I lift my chin and narrow my eyes at him. “Stop acting like you know what I’m thinking. You don’t.”
Timofey looms large over me, blocking out my view of anything except for him. “I know you think I’m the worst person to take care of that little boy. I know you think you can find a way to get him away from me and escape. But you can’t. And at the end of the day, I don’t care what you think—so long as you do what I say.”
“Blind obedience. How original,” I drawl.
His grip on my chin tightens, and I hold back a whimper. I’ll never let him see me crack. Not if I can help it.
“You should understand this next part better than anyone,” he rumbles. “Family means everything to me. I didn’t have one growing up, but I want that for Benjamin. Whether you like it or not, Benjamin is as good as my son. Which means I’ll do anything—hurt anyone—to keep him with me. There is no law I won’t break. No line I won’t cross. If you take him from me, you’re as good as dead.”
