Perhaps I wanted tears to form, my heart to ache, but I remained numb, guilt consuming me. Sadly, I wasn’t close to Peter, not in the sense of how a family member should feel. Even with all the money thrown at my education, lavish gifts sent via messenger, we’d never had a personal relationship. He was as cold as Aleksei, but I didn’t believe him to be totally heartless.
Until now.
I allowed gravity to take me all the way down, the comfort of the soft pillow far too inviting. I needed sleep to clear my head.
Or maybe my conscience.
I had other reasons for being lured into the life of an assassin, one that only Peter knew about.
And had used.
Another vile man.
Another secret.
Another…
“You will pay for your sins.”
The brawny man turned, taking another swig of whatever drink he was having then tossing the glass on top of the bar. He leered at me as he swaggered in my direction. And he was laughing.
“Come here, sweetheart. Then we can really talk about sins. Sins of the flesh. You know all about that, don’t you? You certainly didn’t seem to mind when you were writhing under me.”
As he lumbered even closer, I knew I had to make a decision. Every part of me was shaking, my mind reeling from the horrors I’d witnessed, the blood that would forever stain my skin.
And I reacted.
“Ah!” Jerking up, I took several deep breaths, my heart racing. The terror was paralyzing. Warm light flushed the entire area, making it difficult to focus. I slapped my hand over my heart, doing everything I could to control my breathing. The nightmare seemed so real, the images still swishing back and forth in my mind. I stared down at my hands, finally rubbing them against my jeans hard enough they ached.
Swearing they were stained with blood.
There was no clock in the room and I never wore a watch, but given the light level, it had to be the middle of the afternoon. My legs were shaky as I attempted to stand, managing to make it to the dresser. As I peered into the mirror, I noticed that two suitcases were positioned in the corner of the room. My suitcases.
I was shaking as I realized that Aleksei had actually sent someone to my apartment, a location that I kept secret, even listed in another name. All the rent was paid via a fake account, the lease signed in an alternative name. How in the hell did this man have that kind of power?
I dragged the cases to the bed, dumping out the contents. The asshole had gone through my lingerie drawer, my cosmetics. He, she, or it had brought various colors of panties and bras. Horrified, I backed away, still trying to comprehend the authority and influence that Aleksei must possess.
There had to be a viable solution to get out of this mess. I just had to figure it out. Would my own brother actually attempt to have me executed just because of what I’d learned? Given I honestly didn’t know my brother very well, there was no way to qualify my answer.
There really was only a single choice in getting to the absolute truth.
Play along.
I’d initiate a meeting with Peter, pretending that I knew nothing. I was very observant, a required quality in my line of work. I’d know if the man was lying.
As far as Aleksei?
I could be a good little actress there as well.
First things first. Seeing how much I could find out about my surroundings. I moved toward the door, trying the handle. Locked. However, from what I could tell, the lock was nothing special, a simple add-on purchased from a local hardware store, altered just enough to leave a single plate with two screws on the inside. Hmmm…
The nail file kept in the cosmetic bag the soldier had also picked up might do the trick.
After listening for any sounds that I might be able to hear, I went to work, able to remove the plate easily. The locking device was a bit tricky, but I’d picked my way through enough locks in my life that within thirty seconds, I heard the click.
I carefully opened the door, once again listening for any type of noise. The entire upper floor was eerily quiet, every door closed. Easing into the hallway, I took a deep breath before taking cautious steps on the wooden floor. The first room was nothing special, merely what appeared to be a guest room of sorts. The second was intended as a master bedroom, but there were no hanging clothes, no toiletries in the oversized bathroom.
Did Aleksei actually live in this house? I noticed the lock on the third door, another one to keep a prisoner inside. The mystery surrounding Aleksei and his actions was increasing, feeding into my need to find out every detail about the man as possible. I glanced over my shoulder before yanking out the file. This round was easy, the click occurring in less than fifteen seconds.
I twisted the knob, my curiosity piqued.
“What in the hell are you doing?” Aleksei’s booming voice rocketed through the upstairs, the anger vibrant and intense.
I remained still, ready to push open the door. The kind of fury exploding from his mouth only partially due to my refusal to follow his command.
But I didn’t have the chance.
I was dragged backward several feet, his hand wrapped around my neck as he shoved me against the wall, lifting me several inches off the floor. In his eyes I saw two emotions. Rage and…
Fear.
Whatever he was hiding behind the locked door he definitely didn’t want anyone to find out about.
His fingers dug into my neck as he towered over me, his chest heaving and his chiseled face twisting in anger. “You will talk to me. Who are you? What do you want with me?”
Shocked, my breath cut off, I did the only thing I could do. I covered his hand with mine, wrapping my fingers around his, using my other to knead his chest. I didn’t want to die here.
Roaring, he dropped me, releasing his hold, his breathing remaining ragged. His eyes still blazed of hatred, livid in a manner that left them black as coal.