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“I didn’t know that was here.” I study the open door and mentally note the seams.
“You should know,” he says. “You are my wife.”
The anger returns in a flash. “For how long?” I ask him. “What is your plan? You never told me. My life has turned into a roller coaster of terror. And I have no clue as to why.”
“Paige, I’m protecting you and, now, your family. Haven’t I looked out for you?”
“You wouldn’t have to do that if you hadn’t brought me here in the first place!”
Andrei rubs his hand across his face. And it’s only then that I see the dark circles under his eyes. The haggard look of not getting enough sleep, the dark stubble on his chin, and something I’ve never noticed before—the concern in his eyes.
No. I can’t back down. Andrei must talk to me.
“Remember when I came to get you?” he asks. “Igor’s men were waiting outside. Not for me. But for you. At the wedding where we met, one of the hitmen tried to kill you.” His eyes dart away for a moment. “I want to know why.”
Liar.
“Then why bring my father here? My sister?”
“Because clearly they are all in danger,” he replies. “Your mother’s death is proof of that. Your family is safe for now. But what about you? What did Talia do to you?”
“Talia hurt me. Not so much physically. But in in other ways. I was locked in a cage and made to watch as she tortured people. Some lived, and others didn’t. She made a show of it all. A woman begged me for help. And I couldn’t do anything but watch.”
I keep thinking about the woman who looked like me—her clothes torn off her body as they slapped her and called her all sorts of terrible names. I start to shake as the ordeal finally catches up with me. Like the horrible wedding, I pretend it’s happening to someone else. Someone who deserves it. None of this involves me.
One day, I will wake up in my old life, and Andrei will forget me.
His hands grasp my shoulders, and Andrei spins me around. His eyes are wide and wild, and their desperate look scares me. “Her guards … did they touch you?”
I shake my head quickly. The darkness in his eyes is scaring me. “No. But I was forced to watch. Talia said she stopped it before it went too far. But I don’t believe her.”
His hands slip off my shoulders as he looks at the floor. “No, she’s many things, but Talia doesn’t lie. She keeps her word. I’m thankful she treated you decently.”
“Decently?” My voice shrieks sharply as his eyes lift to mine. “Decently?Your crazy ex kept me in a cage as she tortured people in front of my eyes. You call that decent?”
“It could’ve been so much worse, Paige,” he says. “She could’ve done whatever she wanted to you.” He lifts his finger in my face. “You are not to leave here without your guard or your phone. You must tell me where you are going so that this can never happen again. Do you understand?” Andrei pulls me close and holds me tight. “I can’t afford to lose you. Not again.”
“Funny choice of words,” I whisper. “I bet you can’t.”
I shake Andrei off me. I want to lie down and pull the covers over my head until this is over, but I can’t. They expect me to be weak. They expect me to be soft.
“I’m not weak,” I tell him in a calm voice that masks my fear. “And I will prove it.”
Andrei looks stern, waiting to hear what I have to say. He’s never been this attentive before to my wants.
“I want to find the person who killed my mother,” I say.
“Paige, I will take care of it in time.”
“No.” I shake my head. “If I don’t do this, all the other Bratvas will think they can pick at my family to get to me. My father and sister may be here now, but what’s to stop your enemies from trying again in force? They all have to know that I am strong. I may not be violent, but I am strong.”
Andrei steps closer. “Paige, you are not a Bratva woman.”
“I’m not?” I ask. “How can I not be when I’m married to a pakhan?”
He pauses, knowing that I have a point. “Anything else?” he finally asks.
“I want to speak to my father.”
