Page 118 of Requiem
“Well,” she mutters dryly, “this is deeply fucking irritating.”
Heather lets out a shaky breath.
I swallow hard, forcing myself to stay calm as I look around the room again. There’s a heavy steel door across from us. No windows. No obvious exits.
My pulse spikes.
“Are you okay?” Heather asks quickly, her voice trembling. “You hit your head when they brought you in.”
“I’m okay,” I say automatically, even though I absolutely am not. My hand rises instinctively to the side of my head anyway, fingers brushing tenderness near my temple.
Adela exhales sharply through her nose. “I really didn’t think I’d end up held captive in Russia again,” she says. “Honestly feels repetitive at this point.”
Despite everything, a strained sound almost escapes me. That’s Adela. Still somehow sarcastic in the face of death.
Then realization slams into me, and I look around again. My chest tightens instantly. “Where’s Adriana?”
The room goes quiet.
Heather’s expression crumples while Adela’s jaw hardens.
“She isn’t here,” Adela says flatly.
Ice slides down my spine. “What do you mean she isn’t here?”
Adela glances toward the door before looking back at me. “The blonde one took her.”
Blonde.
My stomach sinks. The man from the event, who shot her before. I close my eyes briefly as dread crashes through me in waves. Adriana had barely survived Nolan. Barely survived Alexei. And now she’s alone somewherein this place with one of his men. I hate that I give a shit about her. But when it comes to the clutches of brutal men, I’d still protect any woman.
Fuck.
“They shot Micah,” Heather sobs suddenly, rubbing her already red eyes. “I don’t know if he’s alive, Emma.”
I swallow the bile that just rose to my fucking throat. “Wh—what? No.”
“What if he’s dead?” she cries, shaking her head. “I’m so fucking scared.”
“Please focus,” Adela murmurs. “You can be scared for him. But we need to figure out how to get the fuck out of here.”
Heather wipes at her eyes again. “Do you think…do you think they’re okay?”
I open my mouth, but no answer comes. BecauseI don’t know.I don’t know if Micah is alive. I don’t know if Jude made it out. I don’t know if any of them are still fucking breathing. And if they are still alive, thenAlexei has the ultimate leverage.
The steel door suddenly unlocks with a loud mechanical clank, making Heather jump. Every muscle in my body tightens as I prepare to see the face of the bastard who tortured the man I love for months.
The door swings open, and Alexei walks in. His dark coat is lightly dusted with melting snow, and his black gloves still cover his hands as his steely gray gaze drifts lazily across the room, then settles on me.
That smile appears. “There she is,” he murmurs softly. “His biggest weakness.” The smile on his face never fully reaches his eyes. And that’s probably the scariest thing about him. How calm he stays while doing monstrous things. Whilebeinga monster.
Heather instinctively shifts closer to me as he steps farther into the room, the heavy door closing behind him. Adela doesn’t move at all, though hatred sharpens visibly across her face.
Alexei notices it. “I’m relieved to see none of you were seriously harmed,” he says smoothly, removing one black glove finger by finger. “Contrary to popular belief, I do dislike unnecessary damage.”
Adela lets out a disbelieving laugh. “That’s genuinelyinsanecoming from you.”
His gaze flicks toward her briefly, amused more than offended. “Still unpleasant. Good. I was concerned captivity might soften you.”
