Dirty Collateral

EAKING

efused breakfast, Vik

it was laced with arsenic. The golden pancakes steamed gently, their edges crisp where they'd been fried in butter. A dollop of sour

silence. He sipped his black coffee-no sugar, no cream-the steam curling around his sharp features. The morning light throu

he asked witho

cross the polished mahogany, sending the sour cream sliding

terrifying precision and set it aside. The sound of the linen napkin being pl

adjusted his cufflinks-platinum, engraved with what loo

ght I'

o fucki

-

hands shook too badly

ical violence I'd seen flashes of when he'd dragged me from t

t me

e wat

re at the way his jaw moved. He'd make polite conversation-"The chef prepared pheasant today. A local specialty." "The

ecognized the hollow-eyed ghost staring back. My collarbones jutted sharply above the neckline o

I hel

e fourth

-

g across my vision. The room tilted violently, the crystal chandelier blurring into streaks of light

His breath was warm against my temple as he hauled me upright, one broad hand splayed a

voice vibrating through my back whe

e wet noodles. "I'd rather die than eat your fo

into the space between my ribs hard eno

gh the house, my bare feet st

-

ntrast to the opulent gloom of the rest of the house. A terrified-looking chef

cold stone seeped through the thin fabric of my dress, making me shiver. Before I could protest,

pan. The sharp crack of eggs against ceramic. The way his sleeves were rolled up to reveal the thick veins i

me. Scrambled eggs flecked with herbs. T

way, my stomach gr

ver my bottom lip, rough with calluses. "You have two choices, kotik." His voice was d

in hi

rimmed beard. For a heartbeat, we both froze. Then, with deliberate slowness, Vik

e two

I clenched my teeth, his free hand slid to my throat, his thum

slid into

uffy, buttery, with a hint of pepper and someth

mirked.

-

w when I st

good girl" against my hair as I finally took the fork from him. Maybe when I real

cheeks were wet, my body trembling

t, his expression unreadable. Then

ith his thumb, his touch

y my traitorou

-

, somethin

d watching me like a hawk, though I knew the cameras still did.

ese unsupervised moment

bulges under their jackets. But a small service entrance off the

in my ears as I

ock

o think. Didn't

-

hit me like a

my thin sweater offering no protection against the wind that cut through the fabric like knives. The forest

beyond run. Get to

heard t

rhythmic panting of trained predators. The kind that d

y lungs. The tree branches whipped at my arms, leaving thin

roll over before the first dog was on me-a massive black beast with eyes like Viktor's. I

nched in

to look up to

owflakes clung to his dark lashes, his breath coming in even puff

b rising in my thr

ement? Then he stood, brushing snow from his

ed and scooped me into his

violence.

he house, his body warm against mine

ted gentleness-was w