“Oh, little brother,” he says, shaking his head slowly. “That soft heart of yours is going to get you killed.”
Without another word, Dato raises the gun. I brace myself, my heart hammering against my ribs, but I refuse to give him the satisfaction of flinching when the shot cracks through the room like thunder.
The man on the floor shrieks and clutches his head, but there’s no blood. Dato has simply obliterated the last remains of the apple sitting inches from the man’s face.
“See?” Dato smiles at Stanislav while the man at his feet sobs in terror. “Steady hands. Just like I said.”
He ignores the sobbing man and leans in closer to Stanislav, his voice dropping to a whisper that still carries across the room.
“That softness is what got our older brother killed. You think Romanov is civilized because he wears expensive suits and runs legitimate businesses? Even our father was scared to cross that beast, and our father feared nothing.”
Stanislav says nothing, his face turning pale as he stares at the floor.
“But me?” Dato spreads his arms wide, the gun catching the firelight. “I have leverage. I have his woman. They say beasts can be tamed, little brother, and I am the beast tamer.”
He points the gun at me as casually as if he’s pointing a finger.
“She is the meat.”
My stomach turns to ice, but I keep my expression as blank as I can manage.
“Now,” Dato says, his bright, empty smile returning. “Run along, sweetheart. I don’t want to bore you with the education of my little brother while we discuss family matters.”
Dato sits at the head of the table, swirling the wine in his glass as he watches the candlelight reflect in the dark liquid. Stanislav is nowhere to be seen.
“Just us tonight,” Dato says, gesturing for me to take the seat beside him. “My brother has decided he needs time to think. Apparently, my educational methods don’t agree with him.”
I sit down and keep my hands in my lap, trying to make myself as small as possible.
“You’re quiet,” he notes, pouring wine into my glass without asking. “No clever comments? No sarcastic observations about my hospitality?”
“I’m tired,” I reply.
“Tired,” he repeats the word as if he’s tasting it. “Yes, I suppose you would be. Captivity is exhausting, isn’t it? All that waiting and wondering if someone will come to save you.”
I remain silent, staring at the table.
“He’s not coming, you know,” Dato says, leaning closer until I can smell the wine on his breath. “I’ve had people watching his movements. Romanov left the country three days ago forbusiness in Ukraine. It’s an interesting timing, don’t you think? His precious journalist gets kidnapped, and he flies off to another country entirely.”
“Maybe he doesn’t know,” I say, the words feeling thin.
“Or maybe he doesn’t care,” Dato counters with a shrug. “Either way, the result is the same. You’re here, and he is not. Every day that passes without a rescue attempt tells me exactly what your value is to him.”
He reaches out and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. I force myself to sit perfectly still, refusing to flinch.
“Don’t worry, though,” he whispers, his fingers lingering on my jaw. “I find you valuable, Zoya. Very valuable indeed.”
He smiles and leans back, the tension in the air finally breaking just enough for me to breathe.
“Eat,” he commands, gesturing to the food. “You’ll need your strength for tomorrow.”
“What happens tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow, I’ll make a phone call,” he says, picking up his knife and cutting into his steak with surgical precision. “I let certain people know that I have something they might want. And then we see if the beast finally comes out of his den.”
Chapter 9
Alexei