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Now, Timofey himself is waving it under my nose in the middle of the night.
“It tells me you’re still considering my offer,” he says. “Somewhere, deep down, you know it’s an opportunity you can’t walk away from.”
“Is that a threat?”
He leans in closer. The dark obscures the edges of him like he’s emerging out of a pool of black water. Just the highlights of his nose and lips are visible.
Along with his eyes, of course. No matter what happens from this point on, I’ll never, ever forget his eyes.
“That’s up to you, Piper.”
“None of this is up to me!” I retort. “If it was up to me, you wouldn’t be here right now.”
“You have more control than you think. What happens next depends on what you choose to do.”
He pats his pocket and I remember the key. Ashley’s key. Is that another silent threat? He said she’s okay, but will that change if I don’t do what he asks? As far as I can tell, Timofey Viktorov is capable of anything.
“Why me?” I whisper.
“Why you?” His voice is soft, and I glance up, hoping to see mercy there. Instead, I’m met with a cold, calculating stare. “Because you had the misfortune of being handed my case file. Fate fucked you. There’s nothing more to it.”
Is it disappointment I feel weighing me down? It would be nice if there was something about me specifically that warranted Timofey’s attention. If the reason my life is being turned upside down was more than me being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
“Lucky me,” I drawl miserably.
“I’d say so,” Timofey agrees. “I saved your life and now, I’m offering to change it. All you have to do is accept.”
“And then you won’t hurt my friends?” I ask. “I accept, and you won’t track down my family and blackmail me?”
He doesn’t say anything because he doesn’t have to. It’s clear we both understand what my options are.
If it was just me at risk, I’d refuse to help him. Timofey could do whatever he wanted to me.
But there are more people to consider.
My grandma took care of me when I had nothing even resembling stability in my life. Noelle and Ashley, too, have been there for me since the beginning. Ashley would pack extra sets of clothes for me in high school when I didn’t have a way to wash mine at home. She’s had a hard go of things since then, and she doesn’t deserve for my bad luck to veer her any more off-course.
“Well?” Timofey snarls. “I’m not a patient man.”
“You’re really going to pay me?”
“I’m not in the habit of keeping slaves.”
“And I have to live with you?”
He shakes his head. “Yougetto live with me. There’s a difference.”
I huff out a breath. This man really thinks he is God’s gift to us all. He probably thinks he is doing baby Benjamin a favor, too. It tracks—most unfit parents have no clue how wrong they are.
Which is why I have to do this. At least long enough to get Benjamin out of Timofey’s claws. The fact that I can get myself out of debt at the same time is a bonus.
This doesn’t have to be forever. Just for now.
I press my comforter against my chest with one arm and hold out my other hand. Timofey eyes it suspiciously.
“I figured the CEO of Viktorov Industries would know what a handshake looks like,” I snap.
His brow lifts. “That’s not how I’d prefer to seal this deal.”
