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“Do it,” I say.
Carl beats him to it. Leaning down, he snatches up the sparking cable Hector dropped and tosses it into the water. There’s a crackle of blue light and then a scream as Hector arches up and then flops back, his body pulsing in a series of macabre jerks and twitches. Seconds later, the stench of burning flesh fills the air and Hector’s eyes roll back.
“I didn’t know you had it in you,” says Luka.
“Shocking, right?” Carl smirks and Luka rolls his eyes. I shake my head. Carl shrugs at me. “He was poison. You know that.”
I did. But right now, we don’t have time for this shit.
“We have to get out of here.” I look down at Scarlett, who’s gazing up at me. I brush my lips over her forehead and she tucks herself closer to me. My chest tightens as it all starts to sink in. There’s a lot to discuss right now. And we’re not going to do it in this stinking hole. Scarlett smiles at me tenderly, and it warms my heart.
In spite of the carnage we leave in our wake, I’m still grinning like an idiot as we leave the room.
Chapter 21
Scarlett
The car weaves through the night, headlights carving a path before us.
The silence between Anton and me feels thick, almost suffocating. My heart is still pounding from our escape, but there’s another kind of tension now.
“Thank you for…back there.” My fingers twist in my lap, gripping the fabric of the oversized jacket that I’ve buttoned up around me. The others have taken another car, probably sensing that we need some privacy right now. “I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.”
Anton keeps his eyes on the road, his jaw clenched tight. A muscle twitches near his eye, betraying some hidden emotion. “You’re safe now,” is all he says, voice gruff. Silence descends again, until I can’t bear it anymore.
“I wanted to talk about…what I said,” I finally gather the courage to address the elephant in the room. He slants a look at me before staring ahead again. “About the baby…” I trail off, swallowing hard. “Are you really happy? It wasn’t just because of Cartwright, right?”
“Of course not.” He glances at me, eyes softening. “I am happy,Zayka. Truly.”
A knot inside me begins to unravel, but the silence returns as we journey on.
We don’t say another word about it, and my nerves are taut as violin strings.
Fuck.
I shouldn’t have said anything.
I should have picked another moment.
Finally, the estate looms before us like a fortress. As we step out of the car, Nikolai bursts from the front door, running toward us with open arms. Anton scoops him up, enveloping him in a bear hug.
“Scarlett!” Niko exclaims, face lighting up when he sees me. “I missed you! Everyone said you had to go to an important meeting. I don’t like it when you’re gone.”
I raise an eyebrow at Anton, who gives a shrug. I guess it wouldn’t be smart to tell the poor boy I’d been snatched up by a psychopath. Especially since he seems to have developed a little separation anxiety since his ordeal.
“I missed you too, kiddo.” I ruffle his hair, warmth spreading through me at the sight of his smile.
The interior of the house beckons like a beacon of safety after all that’s gone down. I step into the entrance hall and exhale a deep sigh.
“You good?” Anton turns to me.
“I’ll be fine.” I nod. “Just need to get cleaned up.” I look down at myself and grimace. “But I’d like to hang out with you later if that’s cool?”
Anton dips his head. “I’m counting on it,” he says. “Niko and I will be waiting for you.”
I make my way to the room that was once my own, and spend an hour washing the dirt off. Not that there’s much to wash off – I think it’s more the thought of Hector’s hands on me that I need to scrub away. By the time I’m dressed and warm again in a soft pink sweater and matching pants, I almost feel like none of it ever happened.
Except it did.
