Page 68 of Dauntless

She smiled weakly. “I see you’re a lot like me. You want to get to the point. A man collapsed at the airport with illness. And after a search through his things, the police discovered it was Dimitri and alerted us. He has an extremely rare form of heart cancer and has been admitted to the hospital here. We also found a fake passport on him with your picture.”

I tensed all over, and my stomach turned over. They had him. “What did Dimitri say? Did he tell you where Elliott is?”

“If she’s here she needs something,” Dane pointed out. His tone, curt.

“Dimitri claims he knows where Elliott is,” she said and cleared her throat. “But he said he’d only tell you, Gia.”

“No,” Dane said. “He tortured and drugged Gia. He could have killed her. I know Elliott would agree with me that you’ll need to find another way.”

“I’m with Dane,” Astrid added. “How dare you come in here and expect Gia to do that after all she’s just been through. I will not sit here and let you retraumatize my friend.”

Trish turned to me. Her face, stricken. “Please, Gia.”

There was no way I wouldn’t help Elliott if I could. “I’ll go talk to him. Could you get a nurse in here to unhook me?”

Trish was out the door before I even finished speaking.

Astrid stopped talking. She already knew there was nothing that would change my mind.

Dane, on the other hand, wasn’t as easy. “You don’t have to do this,” he said to me. “They can find another way. Elliott would understand and, like me, wouldn’t want you anywhere near that man.”

I cared for Dane and understood where he was coming from, but I believe he was wrong about Elliott. The Elliott I came to know and love would have thought I was strong enough to handle it. He believed in me, and I wouldn’t let him down.

“I need to do this,” I said resolutely. “Elliott never hesitated to help me. He stood by me through it all. He deserves the same, and I will do everything and anything I can to save him.”

The nurse came back in with Trish, and I prepared to face off with Dimitri, who had me at his mercy again.

***

After some finagling, I was allowed a short supervised visit to Dimitri’s room with a nurse and Trish. I was ready and willing until we got to his door. I wasn’t alone, but I didn’t feel safe—he was in there.

I took a deep breath, and I let the nurse wheel me in. I could have walked, but I was still weak. Trish followed close behind us. Dimitri’s bed was angled up. Even though he was hooked up to machines, he appeared just as large and threatening as he had the moment I met him. Even more now that I know what he had done to Kevin. Yet I couldn’t fall apart. I couldn’t allow him to win. This was more than me, this was for Elliott. He needed me.

Dmitri smiled broadly. His clear eyes centered on me. “There you are, and look at you. You’re all beat up. I didn’t know Loren had all that rage in her.”

I pressed my lips together. “This isn’t a reunion. I don’t have time for this. Where is Elliott?”

His nostril’s flared. “You’re not running this, I am. You want to find out where Elliott is, you’ll obey me. The more you resist, the longer this conversation will go.”

I tensed and took in a breath. He wasn’t going to just tell me. I’d have to play his power play game. I’d have to be smart for Elliott. He needed me.

“You…you think I can believe you after what you did to Kevin?” I said. “No. You tell me where Elliott is first and then I’ll…listen to what you have to say.”

He snickered. “Oh, you already found out about that. It came down to him or me, and of course, I always choose myself.” He was enjoying this. Too much. I didn’t want to be a part of it.

“Where’s Elliott?” I demanded.

“Tell me you enjoyed being with me,” he said ignoring my question. “Tell me that you liked me touching you. I made you come so many times. I spoiled you.”

I glowered at him. My doctor told me nothing came back conclusive to support his sexual assault claim, and with his heart condition he had to be lying. Even in the few days I was there with him, sex wasn’t his ammo. He was more attracted to physical and emotional abuse. Just knowing that made my hatred for him grow. And even now, that I’m vulnerable, I held back my feelings. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction he’d get at my distress. “I’m here now, and I’ll be able to go back to my life. You’ll go to jail.”

“One more smart remark like that and Elliott dies,” he snapped. “Where I left him, he can’t survive.”

I exhaled and glanced back at Trish. Dimitri has revealed he could still be alive. Then again, he lied about Kevin. I still had to try. Staring at him, he seemed too relaxed, like he had no care in the world. Had this been his plan all along? “Are you using me in another one of your games?”

“Very good,” Dimitri said and smiled. “I’ll admit I hadn’t thought I’d get arrested, but yes. I need you to do something that will help complete your game before I agree to help you. Now ask me what you will need to do to get to the final act.”

My mouth went dry. So, I’d been right. He wants something. “How can I trust you haven’t…killed Elliott like you did Kevin?”

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