Page 68 of Brutal Reign

I swallow, throat tight. What I wouldn’t give to believe him. To stop dissecting every kindness for ulterior motives, to stop waiting for the other shoe to drop. But life has taught me one thing: men don’t hand over unlimited credit cards because they’re feeling generous. There’s always a price, always strings attached.

Before I can get swept up in his pretty words, I press a hand to his chest and push him back. His eyes darken, but he doesn’t argue.

“Dinara will give you a tablet,” he continues. “Use it to order whatever you want online and have it delivered here.”

“A tablet?”

“Yes, so you can shop or do what you like. No outside communication, obviously, but you will have access to our intranet.”

My heart does a little leap. Access to a device means a way to reach Uncle Chen. An intranet is a private network, and I’m sure it’ll be locked down tight, probably monitored too. But every system has vulnerabilities if you know where to look, and I’ve picked up some tech skills over the years.

Before I can question him further, Yarik and Kin burst back into the kitchen.

“We saw a deer!” my son exclaims. “It was so close!”

“Really? That’s so exciting, sweetheart.” I smooth down my robe, trying to ignore how Pavel’s eyes seem to track my every movement.

Yarik launches into a story about the local wildlife, and Kin listens with rapt attention, but I can’t focus. My mind is racing. I’d written off any chance of contacting Chen, but the tablet opens up possibilities.

There’s still so much I have to figure out, like how we’d manage to get off the compound, but two hundred million dollars could solve a lot of problems, including how to slip past Pavel’s security.

I need to be smart. Stay aware and alert, so if there’s ever an opportunity to leave, I’m ready. And it starts with learning this place inside and out.

“Yarik,” I interrupt gently, turning toward the older man. “Remember that tour you offered? I’d love to take you up on it today.”

His face breaks into a genuine smile. “Wonderful.”

CHAPTER

TWENTY-SIX

HOPE

Lunch is servedon a sun-drenched patio overlooking the gardens. The cook, a round, smiling woman named Olga, brings out several courses of surprisingly light, fresh food: salads, grilled fish, and roasted vegetables.

Kin devours the chicken tenders shaped like dinosaurs. Someone clearly put thought into making a four-year-old happy.

“Where’s Pavel?” Kin asks between bites.

“I don’t know. He’s probably working.”

“Will he eat dinner with us?”

I set down my fork with a sigh. “Probably not, sweetheart. Men like Pavel have busy jobs.”

“Like Simon?”

The way his face falls guts me. What am I supposed to say? On the surface, Pavel and Simon might seem different, but underneath, they’re cut from the same cloth. They both run criminal empires, and there’s nothing they won’t do to protect that power.

Pancakes and unlimited credit cards can’t erase what Pavel really is—a killer. He might have spared my life for reasons I still don’t get, but he sure as hell didn’t spare my father’s.

I can shield Kin from the ugly truth, but I’ll never let myself forget it.

“They have similar work,” I say carefully. “But they’re very different people.”

Kin nods, satisfied with my non-answer.

After lunch, Yarik shows up for the tour he promised.