Page 45 of Twisted Pact

Dmitri was right; this is personal, and I’m done pretending otherwise.

I just hope that one day, Mila can forgive me for being such a bastard.

13

Mila

The silence in this house is going to drive me insane.

I pace my bedroom endlessly. I check my phone, but there are no messages from Alexei or updates on the rescue operation. Just my thoughts spiraling in circles about what happened this afternoon.

My phone sits on the nightstand. I pick it back up and stare at the screen. His words echo in my head like a warning: All communications are monitored.

But he’s out risking his life to save my sister because I got on my knees and begged. Because I let him use me and then listened as he compared me to every other woman in this world.

I sink onto the bed and pull up my contacts list. Anna’s name stares back at me. My best friend. The one person who might understand the mess I’ve gotten myself into.

I hit call before I can talk myself out of it.

She answers on the second ring. “Mila? Oh my God, where have you been? I’ve been trying to reach you for days.”

“I know. I’m sorry. Things have been complicated.”

“Your father said you were staying with family friends for safety reasons, but that doesn’t explain why you’ve been MIA.”

I lean back against the headboard and close my eyes. “I’m at Alexei Kozlov’s countryside estate. He’s keeping me here for protection because someone is threatening my family.”

“Alexei Kozlov? The same guy you rejected six months ago?”

“That’s the one.”

“Holy shit, Mila. Are you okay? Is he treating you well?”

I bite my lip and consider how much to tell her. Anna knows about my academic goals and my desire to escape this world, but she doesn’t know about the night at the safe house.

“We slept together,” I reveal. “Three weeks ago. And then today, I—” I cut myself off. Even saying it out loud feels wrong.

“You what?”

“He made me get on my knees to convince him to help rescue Irina. And then afterward, he said I was just like every other woman in this world, using sex to get what I want.”

Anna’s silent for a long moment. “That’s fucked up, Mila. Really fucked up. Please tell me you’re not developing feelings for this asshole.”

“I don’t know what I’m feeling. He’s arrogant and controlling, and he treats me like property. But he also reads French poetryand cooks me dinner and looks at me sometimes like I mean something.”

“Those things don’t cancel out the bad stuff,” Anna cautions. “You know that, right?”

“I know, but it’s more complicated when I’m here and seeing all the sides of him instead of just the criminal everyone talks about.”

“Mila, listen to me. Men like Alexei Kozlov don’t change. They might show you glimpses of something better, but at their core, they’re still dangerous and controlling. You need to protect yourself.”

“I am.”

“Are you? Because it sounds like you’re falling for your captor.”

The accusation makes something twist in my stomach. “I’m not falling for him; I’m just trying to survive until I can get back to my life.”

“Good,” she replies. “Keep it that way. And when this is over, you call me immediately so we can get you somewhere safe.”