Page 151 of All Your Hate

“Why work with Dmitri in the first place? Why not keep picking women up like you were?”

“As long as Tommaso fed him information they were given to us for free. There were less risks for us working with Dmitri than getting caught by the police for picking up the wrong whore.”

“Information on what?”

She waves her hand at me as she keeps trying to call the doctor. Each failed attempt getting her more and more worked up as she paces. “City council business. That's why they had him run for mayor.”

“Why would Dmitri need that information, isn't he just a thug?” I ask as the zip tie finally gives. Pain throbs in my wrists and I have to bite my tongue to not make a sound.

“Dmitri was greedy. He wanted everything,” she snaps.

I'm tempted to charge at her with the dagger now, but my legs are too shaky to do anything yet. I need more time. “Is that why he had Tommaso killed?”

She stops and slowly turns to me. “That wasn't Dmitri. I made sure that Tommaso had deposited enough in the sperm bank and I made the decision to get rid of him. It wasn't a hard choice to make in the end. I'd still get my baby. You were actually supposed to die with him that night. But now I know it was always meant to be you.” She smiles at me like I’m the answer to all her prayers. “You surviving and this baby are a sign that it's finally my time to be a mother."

I want to scream at her how fucked up this is, but I choose my words carefully. "He's gone now, you don't have to keep doing this for him.”

Shaking her head at me like I’m a dumb child who doesn’t understand the grown-up talk, she sighs, “It’s still his legacy.That’s what he cared about the most. In the end, I get to have my baby and his name will live on.”

His name will never be heard again if I have anything to do with it. She tries to call the doctor once more and when it doesn’t go through she says, “We’ll have to go see Doctor Price ourselves. His house isn’t that far away. He’s always been discreet before I’m sure he’ll help now.”

No, I can't have her take me elsewhere. Staying here I have more of a chance of Noah finding me.

“Edward Price is gone. Dead. Just like everyone else who touched me. Noah saw to that. Which is why we should stay here. You’re right. Men do lie all the time. Noah’s been lying to me for months. I don’t think we can trust him, which is why we should hide out here until it’s safe to leave.”

I can’t tell what she’s thinking, whether she believes me or not. Afraid she’s about to call my bluff, I quickly ask, “Can I have that water now? I’m feeling lightheaded and the last thing I want is to pass out and hurt the baby.”

“Yes of course.” Her expression softens back into the motherly gaze she gave me earlier. “I’ll be right back, don’t go anywhere.”

Like I have anywhere to go, you psycho.

As soon as the basement door closes behind her I pull my arms to my front, rolling my wrists to get some life back in them.

Fuck, how did this all go so wrong? I lean my head back against the wall to gather myself for a moment.

After everything, I’m back here on the same old creaky frame and uncomfortably thin mattress. In the last memory I have of this room, I was being taken to have a baby and now I’m pretending I’m actually having one.

I refuse to die down here and this time I don’t need some dark knight to swoop in and save me. I can do this myself.

Using the bars for stability I pull myself up and head to the stairs. I’m still off balance from the sedative and I can’t riskbeing caught going up them so I wait at the bottom with my back pressed to the wall. It’s only a minute or so before Daniella comes back.

Her story is a tragic one. I'll give her that. But it doesn’t excuse anything she’s done. So many people are dead because of her.

I listen carefully to the sound of her heels clicking down the stairs. Every time one of the guards came down these steps I counted each heavy footfall.

Eight…nine…ten.

Nearly there. I place my hand over my mouth so she can’t hear my heavy breathing.

Eleven.

One more.

Twelve.

Pressing myself back as hard as I can to the wall I watch her pass me as she goes to the cell. It’s plainly obvious it’s empty, the lighting down here leaving little in the way of hiding spaces.

“Wynter?” she calls out and I rush up behind her, stabbing her in the back. Her shriek of pain bounces off the concrete walls.

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