Page 113 of Forged By Sacrifice

“God, no. I told you that you’ve been my most interesting student in years. Maybe decades.” She almost laughed, and that lightened my heart ever so slightly.

“You’ve had someone more interesting than this?” It was hard to believe.

“Yes. Remind me to tell you about Mario Baretta on Monday. Now, go try to get some rest. I’ll give you one final piece of advice, though.” I looked at her. “Don’t talk about this on your phone with Raisa. Don’t talk about this in your apartment. Try not to talk about it at all. But if you do, do it in public, with lots of noise, and somewhere you’ve never been. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

I nodded. She thought we’d be bugged. My phone probably already had been. The apartment, if it hadn’t been already, would probably be bugged when we were all gone from it. I felt sick. Bringing this to Dani and Mac. To the ties they had to the senator and Capitol Hill. To Mac’s future.

I leaned over and hugged her.

“I’ll see you Monday.”

“Good. Bring me one of those black-and-white coffee things again.”

I smiled weakly, stepped out of the car, and she took off.

When I looked across the street, there was a plain, black sedan sitting there. It was empty. But I had a feeling it hadn’t been when we’d arrived. I let the anger I felt at Malik flow through me again. Anger at his stupidity. Anger at how he’d risked everything Raisa had worked for. Anger that turned to a tiny bit of fear because I wasn’t sure what Petya would do when he found out. Anger that turned into sorrow as I headed toward the doors of the apartment and wondered how to explain this all to Mac and Dani.

Mac

IF YOU’RE GONE

“I think you're already leaving,

Feels like your hand is on the door.”

Performed by Matchbox Twenty

Written by Thomas / Thomas

It was close to four in the morning, and I was going nuts for more than one reason. My heart was twisted up with anger and worry. Fury curled through me as I looked at Dani, curled up on the couch, sleeping.

I looked down at the ice on my knuckles and swore silently.

I went to the kitchen, putting the ice pack back in the freezer, shaking my hand. My knuckles were going to be bruised…that I could handle. I just hoped Dani’s face wouldn’t have the same color on it come morning. When I’d found Dani, hiding in the bathroom at The Oriental, I’d completely lost it. Her dress was torn, and her makeup was trailing down her face to where a red handprint emblazoned her cheek. It was a Dani that I’d never seen. Ever.

When she’d collapsed into my arms, tears flowing, I’d been terrified. Dani didn’t cry. She barely muttered Senator Fenway’s name and something about a meeting in the Roosevelt room before I’d torn off down the hall. When I flung open the conference room door, the asshole senator and his cronies were sitting around a table, laughing, smoking cigars. I launched myself at him, busting his nose and smashing him against the wall with my hand spread across his windpipe. Dani had watched from the doorway, not saying a word. Not stopping me. And that had only filled me with more rage, because the Dani I knew would never have let me go at it like that. I’d hit him yet again before his security was on me, pulling me away.

“If you ever, ever even look at my sister again, you’ll wish I’d killed you right here and now,” I thundered, shaking off the security.

His equally slimy aide handed him a cloth napkin that he put to his bleeding nose.

“Macauley, right?” Fenway sneered. “Guess what, Macauley, not only did you just end any political career you ever thought you wanted, but you just got yourself an arrest charge.”

“We’ll see what the press thinks about a married senator who thinks it’s his right to attack a female who's told him no,” I said, brushing off the security guys.

He laughed. “Did she, though? Did she say no, or did she just feel guilty after the fact?”

Dani launched herself into the room, and I caught her around the waist. “Ever hear of the Me Too movement, jackass?” I said as I walked Dani toward the door.

Once we’d cleared the room, I looked down at her and wished I hadn’t taken my suit jacket off and left it in the car. I wished I had it to cover Dani’s torn dress, but I sheltered her the best I could as we made our way through the hotel lobby to her Mini that I’d left waiting for me at the valet stand with a hundred-dollar tip.

I took off down the street. “Do I need to take you to a hospital?” I asked, worry screaming through me.

She shook her head. “He didn’t get that far.”

I pounded the steering wheel. “Goddamn it, Dani. Why the hell were you meeting with him tonight?”

“Oh good, blame the victim,” she snarked.

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