Page 196 of Cashmere Ruin

And from that door…

“Carmine,” Matvey growls.

When I see the bundle in his arms, my heart drops. “May.”

Petra bares her teeth. “You.”

I’m not sure if she’s snarling at Vlad or Yuri, but both of them take their places at Carmine’s sides.

“Nice touch, isn’t it?” Carmine muses. “Impenetrable room. Nothing gets in or out without my say.”

“Makes the cells a bit useless, then,” Petra comments dryly.

“Call it a design choice.” He shrugs. “You know, I’d applaud you for getting this far, but…” He points at the child in his arms.Mychild. “I don’t think the little one would approve.”

I watch the rise and fall of her chest, but something feels… off. “Why isn’t she waking up?” I ask.

“What do you mean?” Yuri frowns. “She’s always sleeping, isn’t she?”

“Not like this.” I can hear the panic leaching into my voice now, like a dam slowly breaking. “What did you give her?”

It’s just a hunch, but Carmine’s smirk confirms it. “Just a little something to help her doze. After all, who wants a final showdown with a crying baby as background music?”

I knew it.We’ve been apart for hours now. Even if they’d fed her—which I highly doubt—she would still wake up at the sound of my voice. She would still want to be with me.

“You didwhat?” Yuri balks.

But his indignation is drowned out by Matvey’s low rumble. “You’re dead,” he sneers, straight at Carmine.

“No, son.” He smiles benevolently. “You are.”

Then he points a gun at May’s head.

It’s like the ground crumbles right under my feet. I’ve never felt so weak and so dangerous at the same time. My knees are buckling, legs shaking like they’re suddenly made of pudding, and yet…

And yet, I could kill him with my bare hands.

“The hell?!” Yuri snaps. “Put that down!”

“I think I told you already I don’t appreciate that tone.”

“You just pointed a gun at a baby!”

“I pointed a gun at a hostage,” Carmine gently corrects. “And if you looked at your brother instead of me, you’d know why it’s the smart move.” He pretends to wince. “Sorry.Formerbrother.”

He’s right. God help me, he’s right. I tear my gaze off my daughter and Matvey’s just… stone. Frozen. A statue carved out of marble.

“Yebanyi podonok,” Petra spits. I have no idea what it means, but I’ll go out on a limb and guess it’s not a compliment.

“Hah!” Carmine’s booming laugh fills the room. “You’ve got a mouth on you, young lady. I do hope you’ll come around and join our side.”

“Over my dead fucking body.”

“Petra…” Yuri murmurs. “Please. Don’t make this all be for nothing.”

Conflict crosses Petra’s eyes. And how could it not? She knows the full story now. She understands what brought him there: the road to hell and all its good intentions.

But then she sets her jaw and steps back towards us. “It already is.”

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