Page 119 of Bratva Knight

Andreahadn’tbeenkidding.All day, I had guests try to sneak in and get a look at the prisoners. They wore the same thing: fancy suits that cost anywhere from $20,000 and up. They all had that rich, entitled arrogance. The one that said, “How dare you try to tell me what to do.” Some of them even tried to bribe me into letting them pass.

I did my job, keeping them away from the Arena and directing them back towards the main area. I walked the entire perimeter at least a hundred times, just walking in a circle over and over again, studying the structure and telling people to fuck off (but in a nice way).

I recognised some of the guests. A few corrupt politicians. Some governors. They were people I’d seen on the TV, people in charge of not only our country but dozens of others as well. It made me laugh. If the general public knew what these guys were up to in their spare time, all hell would break loose.

The Arena was located a short distance from any of the main buildings. It sat nestled in the wilderness, completely surrounded by nature. Only one footpath led back to civilization.

Despite being far from everything, it was teeming with people setting up for the first event scheduled tomorrow morning, coming in and out of different entrances and carrying loads of equipment.

I debated briefly trying to sneak in with some of those workers, but that would only get me so far. I needed some sort of excuse to go down into the dungeon where the prisoners were being held.

My salvation came in the form of a tiny, young woman pushing a huge cart up the footpath. On it were plates of food and bottles of water. She was wearing the teal blue uniform of the kitchen staff with a white apron tied around her waist. She had dark hair tied up in a ponytail, pale skin and a face full of freckles. She struggled with that cart, the wheels getting caught on the cobblestone pathway, making the whole thing rattle.

I approached her quickly, hoping my instincts were right. “Hello. Do you need some help?” For the first time in my life, luck seemed to be on my side. At that precise moment, a bottle of water tipped over the edge of the cart and plummeted towards the ground. I caught it, spun it in my hand and offered it to her in one smooth move.

She gasped in surprise and then laughed. “Oh! Thank you!” She was young and extremely timid. She gave me a shy smile before taking the water and putting it back in its spot. “I-I’ve told them so many times how hard it is dragging this thing all the way up here from the kitchens. I manage to drop something every time.”

I offered what I hoped was a friendly smile. “If you need some help taking it the rest of the way, I’d be happy to offer a hand.”

“Wha-really?”

“Of course.” I smiled again and it felt incredibly forced. She didn’t seem to notice though, too flustered with the attention. “Is this food for the prisoners?”

Her nose scrunched up. “I don’t like that word. We call them fighters.”

First slip up, Nikolai.

“Oh, yes, my apologies. It’s been a terribly long day. All I can say is I’m glad the sun is finally setting,” I laughed. “Here, let me help you with that.”

She protested slightly when I took her place at the back of the cart and began to push, but then she saw how easy it was for me and shrugged, walking beside me.

“I’m Daniella.”

“Damien.”

“It’s lovely to meet you, Damien. Is this your first time here? I’ve never seen you before.”

“Yes. First time.” The cart shook, the items wobbling slightly, but nothing fell out. “How about you?”

“Oh, no,” she laughed. “This is my third year.”

“Really? So you enjoy it?”

“The money, yes. It helps pay for my mother’s medical bills. She’s sick, and the only way we could afford the treatment was if I took this job. But everything else? Not really.” Was that how Talon got his workers? Targeting the desperate, people who had no other choice? It would guarantee their silence. Especially if it was people like Daniella, who had a loved one at stake.

She flashed her badge to the person standing guard in front of one of the entrances into the Arena. “Hey Jerry,” she greeted.

“Hey, Daniella.” He scanned the barcode under her picture. “Who’s this?”

“This is Damien. He’s helping me with the cart.”

Jerry laughed softly as he scanned my badge. “Still dropping things?”

“Yes,” she sighed. “At least this time it wasn’t one of the plates of food.” She turned to look at me. “Last time, I actually dropped a plate and the food went all over the ground. I had to go all the way back to the kitchen to grab another one. It was the worst.”

I honestly couldn’t fucking care less, but I smiled and laughed along with them.

“It was just a water bottle this time,” she told Jerry.

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