Page 70 of Broken Mercy
“Fair point. Still, looks like they have fun. Which is sweet, you know? The fire hasn’t died out despite the baby and marriage.”
“Do you think it would?” I work close to him now, lying on my side to brush my fingers along the edge of the bed frame.
He takes a while to answer. “My parents weren’t the best example. I doubt they ever loved each other.”
“You’ve seen mine, so you know where I come from.”
“True, but you’ve got how many siblings? At least they’re, you know?—“
“Stop now!”
“Oh god, come on, Tallie. Your parents have sex. That’s where you come from.”
I wrinkle my nose. “Moving on. Even if they’re reproducing together, that doesn’t mean they show any affection.”
“Does Arsen?”
“God, yes, all the time.” I smile, remembering the few times I’ve seen them together. “He dotes on her. It’s pathetic, actually. Alexan’s the same way with your sister.”
“Yeah, that’s true.” He sounds thoughtful as he moves over to the bathroom. I follow him as far as the doorway. He quickly checks the vanity, moving fast but being thorough. “Still, before Riley and Alexan, I always thought relationships were based on power and money. Why else marry someone, unless you need heirs and whatever resources they can bring to the table? That’s how my father always talked about it, anyway.”
“Then he sells you off to some second-rate Sarkissian girl.”
“Pretty much, but the stupid bastard did me a favor.” His eyes find mine in the mirror, his expression surprisingly serious. “Best thing he ever gave me, actually.”
A shiver runs down into my stomach. I hug myself. “I feel the same way. Before you, I saw my parents, who are both supremely fucked up people in different ways, and I saw my siblings, who are also all deeply broken. I figured I’d end up like Annie, marrying some random guy for absolutely no reason other than Daddy wants me to, and that’s exactly what I did. But I never expected I’d end up with?—“
I trail off. Brenden’s feeling at something in the back of the bottom drawer, tongue poking out between his teeth. He grunts in surprise as something clicks.
“What is it?” I ask, rushing to his side.
“There’s a compartment.” He’s reaching in further, fingers wriggling. “I can feel?—“
A door shuts nearby.
I jump two feet in the air and it’s only luck that keeps me from screaming. I slam my hands over my mouth to make sure I don’t whimper in fear. Footsteps come down the hall, the hardwood creaking.
I look around in a panic. We’re caught in the bathroom which is across from the closet we came through. There’s no way we can make it back in time, not without being seen; we’d be totally exposed.
But there’s nowhere good in here. The shower’s on the right and a large tub’s on the left. I might be able to squeeze into the linen closet, but I doubt we could both fit.
“God, my feet.” Lena’s voice coming into the bedroom.
Brenden grabs me. He pulls me from the door and wraps his arms tightly around me, turning his body and flattening us both against the wall. We’re out of range of the mirror now, but if she comes into the bathroom, she’ll see us.
There’s more rustling in the other room. Lena’s talking to herself but it’s in Russian and I don’t understand what she’s saying. She sounds bored though, like she’s only half aware of what’s going on. Brenden’s muscles tense when her voice comes close, clearly right outside the bathroom door, and if she steps through she’ll see us—she’ll find us—and Brenden’s shifting his weight like he plans on grabbing her if she enters?—
A pair of shoes clatter to the ground near the vanity, kicked off and tossed through.
I bite Brenden’s shoulder to keep from screaming.
“That’s better,” Lena says with a satisfied sigh. “Damn Arsen and his stupid friends…” Her complaining trails off into anotherstring of Russian, but fortunately, her voice gets further away until it’s clear she’s walking down the hall again and back to the party.
My heart’s going to explode.
Brenden doesn’t move. He keeps his arms locked around me, not making a sound despite the fact that I’m biting him.
“Tallie,” he whispers hoarsely. “You can stop eating me now.”
