Page 83 of Love Me in the Dark

“What’s wrong?” he asked as he studied my face.

I froze. I’d never been any good at schooling my expression. Rada once tried to teach me to play poker, but she said my face was too honest. He raised an eyebrow.

“Your name is Stefanov?” I blurted.

Viktor’s eyes closed briefly. “Yes.”

“But… they said the Stefanovs were in charge of the people who took us?”

“My father runs the trafficking.”

My chest tightened, and I scrambled away from him.

“So you weren’t at the auction to buy; you were there to oversee it!” I accused.

A pulse pounded painfully in my temple. His arms closed around me, and he hauled me back against him.

“No running. Just listen.”

I batted at his hands, but he trapped them at my sides, his strength overpowering me.

“My father is scum and I’ve been working to shut the trafficking down, but it’s not simple.”

I gave up struggling against his hold. “Why should I believe you?”

“Because I can help you find your sister,” Viktor said.

I opened my mouth to speak, but he pressed a finger against it. “We’ll talk about this later. I asked Nik to wake me becauseI have a meeting I can’t miss. Later, I’ll explain it all and we’ll make a plan to find your sister.”

My mind reeled, but I nodded numbly. I was so stupid.

Viktor got out of bed and dressed. I played with the edge of the sheet, remaining in bed, trying not to let my face betray how I felt. He leaned over, and I forced myself not to flinch as he kissed my forehead.

“I’ll see you later. Nik will bring you some food.”

He closed the door behind him, and I didn’t miss the telltale click of the lock. My stomach sank. Why did I think I was in control of this situation?

It was dark outside again,but instead of waiting naked in bed for Viktor to return, I was pacing restlessly, paralysed by indecision. I’d pulled on all three outfits Viktor had provided me, as I didn’t have a rucksack to put them in. As a result, I’d thrown open the balcony doors because I was sweating through all my layers.

Part of me wanted to wait and see if Viktor really would help me find Rada; the other part, which realised I’d fallen into bed with a criminal connected to, and possibly the reason we were taken in the first place, urged me to run. But because my stupid heart was involved, I vacillated. Another consideration was whether I should run now or wait until Viktor was asleep, risking that he might hear me versus the potential he might see me climbing down the side of the house as he returned.

I moved toward the balcony, weighing my decision for the thousandth time. The bedroom faced the back garden, so he wouldn't see me even if he drove up to the front during my descent. I could hear the noise of a road in the distance, so itcouldn’t be that far away, but I didn’t know which direction to go in, and I needed time to get away.

What would Rada do?

She wouldn’t stand around here procrastinating, a nasty voice reminded me.

That settled it. I stepped out onto my balcony, and the wind picked up the ends of my hair. Gulping, I threw my leg over the wrought iron balcony and moved to stand on the ledge. Gripping the metal, I reached for a piece of the wood trellis and ivy with my other hand and nudged my foot lower to find a foothold. The ground looked further away in the darkness, and my hands shook slightly. I reminded myself it was just like climbing the tree in my grandparents' garden, and I took a deep breath, moving my other foot onto the wall as well. I pulled at it, but the handhold remained firm. I let go of the balcony and grabbed an exposed piece of wood. It snapped in my hand, and I scrambled to grab a chunk of ivy as one of my feet slipped. The plant came away. My left hand tightened as I dropped. To my horror, that gave way too. I screamed as my stomach lurched and I fell toward the ground. Pain crashed into my side, and everything went black.

10

Viktor

The hospital staffbustled past me, but I barely noticed. I rubbed my hands over my face and realised her blood coated the cuffs of my sleeves.

The throbbing pain in my throat and the tightness of my chest had not abated hours later. I wasn’t sure if I’d even taken a breath since seeing Angelina lying broken on the ground below our balcony. The sound of her scream had cut through the night, and I’d torn through the house. It still echoed in my ears, haunting me with how abruptly it got cut off.

Fuck!I clenched my teeth, breathing heavily through my nose. I’d been back at the house for over an hour, and like a coward, I had been attempting to work out the best way to convince her I wasn't a monster. It was my fault that she tried to escape while I wasted time. The image of her bleeding swam through my mind, tormenting me.