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“You should have killed him,” Dima sighs. “Why didn’t you?”
I shake my hand, splattering wet blood across the asphalt beneath my feet. “Archie.”
He shakes his head. “This is not about Archie at all, is it? It’s about the girls. Although which one of them, I haven’t decided.” He raises his eyes to meet mine. “I don’t think you have, either.”
“Now’s not the time,” I warn him.
He combs sweaty hair out of his eyes and sighs again. “Is it true?” he asks. “Was it Mila?”
I avoid his gaze. “Now’s not the time for that, either.”
62
TAYLOR
I’ve been holding Cee’s hand so long, I can’t feel my own anymore.
When the door opens, I expect to see Dr. Baranov or one of the nurses, but it’s Mila. She’s carrying a bottle of lemonade that she offers to me.
“Have some. You need to stay hydrated.”
“You don’t need to take care of me, Mila.”
“Well, you’re certainly not taking care of yourself,” she retorts. “And anyway, having something to do is a good distraction.” Her eyes glance at the watch on her slim wrist.
“Shouldn’t they be back by now?”
“It’s been a few hours,” Mila concedes. “Nothing out of the norm.” Somehow, I don’t quite believe her. A second later, her forced calm shatters and I see that she’s every bit as anxious as I am. “That being said, if they’re not back in an hour, I’m gathering the men and we’re going in.”
“But—”
“They never should have agreed to those stupid fucking terms! My brother might honor his agreements, but Benedict Bellasio is a piece of shit with no honor.”
“He has Dima,” I offer, trying to say something comforting. It’s not easy to do when I need to be comforted every bit as much as she does.
Her lip twists. “That’s the problem.”
“Oh my god,” I blurt without thinking. “You love him.”
Mila’s head whips up. “Do you want the damn lemonade or not?”
“Mila.”
“Fine.” She shrugs. “More for me.”
“Mila,” I say again.
She glares at me. “Dima and I have known each other for years. We train together, we eat together, we practically live together. We’re good friends.”
“But…”
She grits her teeth, eyes whirling like a cornered animal. I shouldn’t have put her on the spot like this. I just don’t understand why they aren’t together after this long.Unless…
I’ve met the right man. I just can’t bring my walls down long enough to let him in. And since I can’t give myself to him fully, it would be selfish to get involved with him in the first place.
Mila’s words. So crystal clear.
“Does he know?”
