“Sorry?” I whispered.
The weight of his request tried to suffocate me.
“You don’t know him, right?” he asked. I was afraid to nod, afraid to speak. “So, kill him.”
Renat stepped toward the guy and grabbed Matvet’s gun. “Let’s make this interesting. One of you better be faster.”
He checked the barrel and handed the gun to Marco’s guy. The man shook, his eyes darting between the gun in his hand and me.
The atmosphere thickened with fear and danger. My arm shook as I reached for the gun in Artur’s outstretched hand.
I didn’t want to do this.
I couldn’t do this.
But what choice did I have? Kill or be killed.
My breath caught in my throat as I aimed at the man in front of me. The decision felt like the final nail in my coffin. Marco’s guy also aimed at me, his finger going over the trigger. I closed my eyes and prayed.
Chapter Six
Alessia
Cold water splashed on myface, but it did nothing to erase the vivid image that haunted me—the bullet to the guy’s head. The blood splattered across the walls. Renat’s laughter echoed in my mind. It was a cruel reminder of the world I was trapped in. I scrubbed my eyes, wishing to unsee what I’d witnessed. But there was no escaping it.
How could anyone take pleasure in ending lives so casually? I couldn’t shake off the feeling that Renat’s madness had only begun. His eyes had lingered on me with an unsettling intensity, and I knew I was far from safe. Why didn’t he kill me? Why did he kill Marco’s guy instead?
The bathroom door creaked open, and I straightened. A woman entered, giving me a once-over.
“Alessia?” Her voice was tight, as if the name caused herdiscomfort. She was one of the workers here. And I hoped she was here to offer some kind of clarity. “Follow me.”
Without waiting for my response, she turned to the door. “I was ordered to take you to the staff rooms and prepare you for your duties.”
Confusion clouded my mind.Duties?I had no intention of staying here. My job at the café had been enough. That reminded me, that I missed the job interview I had.
“What duties?” I asked carefully.
“You’re to serve Renat,” she answered.
My stomach churned. The thought of serving him or being so close to him again made my skin crawl. This had been his plan all along. He wanted to make me his servant so he could break me.
Sweat beaded on my forehead as panic rose in my chest.
Is this how I would die? Is this how he plans to kill me?
The woman pushed the door open, motioning for me to follow. “We don’t have time. Let’s make this quick.”
She led me down a hallway, and we stopped in front of a door markedStaff Dormitory.Inside, a few women moved about, their eyes flicking up as we entered. A girl I recognized from Renat’s room was sitting on a bed, reading a book. Her cheeks flushed when our eyes met. It was clear she remembered our uncomfortable encounter. But the other women didn’t acknowledge me. It was as if I were invisible to them, an outsider in their world.
“This is your bed,” the woman said, pointing to a spot near the girl who had been in Renat’s room. “Clara will show you the ropes before you head to your department.”
Clara. She looked up from her book, clearly less than thrilled at the idea of helping me.
The woman sent her a sharp look before turning to leave, her voice cutting through the silence. “Clara, get her ready for work.She’ll need a uniform. Dinner’s in an hour.”
With that, she was gone, leaving me alone in the room. Clara didn’t waste time. She went back to her book, ignoring me. The other girls carried on with their tasks, too absorbed in their own lives to care about mine.
Walking over to Clara’s bedside, I took a deep breath. “So, what are we doing here?”