Page 14 of Stolen Empire

My legs are trembling, my hands are bleeding through blisters, and I've lost count of how many times I've hauled buckets of waste to the pile behind the building.

One of Dimitri's men—not the wiry one, someone else—appears in the doorway and tells me to follow him.

I don't ask where we're going. I'm too tired to care.

He leads me across the yard to a small office near the main gate.

Inside, there's a desk piled high with papers, and he hands me a sealed envelope.

"Take this to the surveillance room. You know where that is?"

I shake my head.

He sighs and gives me directions, pointing toward the far side of the track.

I take the envelope and walk out, my feet dragging.

The yard is busy now, men moving between buildings, horses being led out for training, and I keep my head down as I navigate through them.

No one pays me any attention, but I can feel their eyes on me when they think I'm not looking.

The surveillance room is exactly where he said it would be, a squat building with no windows and a single door.

I knock, and a voice inside tells me to enter.

I walk in, and the room is dark except for the glow of monitors lining the walls.

A man sits in front of them, his back to me, and he doesn't turn around when I approach.

"Delivery," I say, holding out the envelope.

He takes it without looking at me and waves me away.

I leave, closing the door behind me, and I stand there for a moment, trying to figure out what I'm supposed to do now.

The envelope could have contained anything—money, instructions, threats—and I have no idea why Dimitri sent me to deliver it.

But I know it wasn't random.

He's testing me, watching to see if I'll run, if I'll try to open it, if I'll do anything other than what he told me to do.

I consider running.

There's a gap in the fence I cut last night, service roads that lead away from the track, places where I could slip through if I timed it right.

I've spent my entire life finding exits, mapping escape routes before I even know if I'll need them.

But as I scan the yard, I see his men positioned at every corner, the cameras mounted high on the buildings, the way every doorI pass has someone nearby who glances at me without appearing to watch.

Dimitri isn't taking chances.

He's built a cage around this place that doesn't need bars.

I walk back across the yard, and when I report to the man who gave me the envelope, he nods and sends me back to the stables. I spend the rest of the day finishing the stalls, and by the time the sun starts to set, I'm so exhausted I can barely stand.

Dimitri finds me in the last stall, leaning against the wall, my hands shaking too badly to grip the pitchfork.

He doesn't say anything at first.