Seeing him dressed in the expensive clothes, his beard trimmed back to a five o'clock shadow, and his hair neat, I’m also reminded that Georgi is a capo of the Cosa Nostra.
He’s no longer the prisoner. He’s back in a position of power.
“Ready to eat,printsesa?” he asks Simi as he helps her to sit on a chair by a small round table.
“Yes.” Looking at him, her eyes shine like polished stones, as if she’s already idolizing the ground he walks on.
Georgi sets a plate down in front of her. “Is this what you wanted?”
She nods, a happy smile spreading over her face. She picks up a teaspoon and cracks the shell, then peels off the little pieces. When she scoops into the egg, the white slips off and falls on the plate. My daughter picks it up with her fingers and pops it into her mouth.
I watch as she takes a piece of the toast that’s been cut into slices and dunks it in the yolk.
Georgi turns to look at me and gestures with a jerk of his head for me to come closer.
“I had them prepare an omelet for you. There’s also bacon and lots of toast and cheese.” He gestures at the cart. “Coffee or tea? Juice?”
“Juice, please,” Simi says with a mouth stuffed full of food.
Georgi pours some into a glass for my daughter and sets it down beside her plate.
When she reaches for it, I move forward. “Use both hands,milo moe.”
“Okay.” She licks her lips, and picking up the glass, she takes a few sips before setting it down again. Perched on the edge of the chair, her legs swing as she uses her fingers again to eat some of the cheese.
Pulling the other chair closer to her, I sit down and watch as she devours her breakfast.
“Nina,” Georgi says, his tone harsher than I’m used to.
When my eyes dart to his face and I see the dark frown, a chill skitters down my spine. Every muscle in my body tenses as alarm bells ring in my ears.
As I reach for Simi, placing my hand on her shoulder so I can easily grab her, he says, “Eat.”
If Simi weren’t here, I’d ask him how he expects me to repay him, but I don’t want to have such an awful conversation in front of her.
Everything we received from Boris came at a price. I had to work and take care of the prisoners. Anton got to rape me whenever he felt like it. I had to lure men into traps.
During the quiet days, I had to stay in my room and out of sight. If I was found roaming the halls, I was beaten. If I dared to ask for anything, I was beaten.
And Simi’s safety was always threatened.
As I continue to stare at his face, ready for any sudden movement from him, he shakes his head and grabs a plate from the cart.
He sets it down in front of me, and as the delicious aroma hits my nostrils, my stomach growls loudly.
“Do you want me to feed you?” He tips his head at Simi, and seeing the warning in his eyes that he’ll force me if he has to, and probably hurt my daughter, I quickly grab a fork and break a piece off the omelet.
“Coffee, tea, or juice?” he asks, his tone not as tense as before.
“I had water in the bathroom.”
Realizing Simi has stopped eating and she’s watching Georgi and me with big eyes, I force a tense smile to my face. “Have you had enough,milo moe?”
She pushes her glass closer to me and whispers, “Take a sip, Mama.”
Oh God, she picked up on the tension, and she’s reverted to whispering so we don’t get in trouble.
To set her at ease, I drink some of the orange juice before brushing my palm over the side of her head. “Eat more,malka.”