Page 64 of Rebellion

And she wished Colm could be that.

But, right now, she wasn’t safe. She couldn’t let go. And she had to keep herself locked down.

So when Colm walked over to her, she had her emotions tied down tight and was staring up at him numbly.

She was aware of a low throb in her back. Being tied up had strained it and trying to get out of the ropes had probably injured her further. Or maybe it was from getting up and down off the floor.

But there wasn’t time to worry about that now.

“Come, I’m taking you and Miller home,” he told her brusquely.

So, no hug for her.

You pushed him away, idiot.

She nodded numbly as they collected Miller, who was reluctant to leave Rogan. Something was playing in the back of her mind.

“Sofia! Sofia!” Oleg yelled as they left the room.

“Ignore him,” Colm barked, making her jump.

Pain radiated up her back.

Hold it in.

“Colm? Are you all right?” Miller asked, staring up at him.

“Sorry,” he rasped. “I’m... worked up.” He cleared his throat. “I need to get you both out of here. Just do as I say, okay? I can’t have anything else happen to you.”

Because Rogan would kill him.

She got it.

“I wasn’t going to reply to him,” she said quietly. “He’s dead to me.”

Miller shot her a look, but she ignored it. Sofia ignored everything until they got back to Rogan’s house. Well, she assumed it was, as she’d never actually been here before.

She was too stuck in her head to pay much attention to her surroundings.

Numbness was her friend.

“Sofia? Do you want a change of clothes?”

She glanced up at Miller. Then, at her surroundings. Huh. She seemed to be in a living room, sitting on a comfortable, dark green sofa.

When and how had she ended up sitting down here?

Okay, you have to get it together.

“No, thank you. I should go home.” She felt ill at the thought of going back to the estate. Especially with Aleksandr still in the hospital.

Shit.

She needed to call him.

This really seemed like something she should tell him in person, though.

First, she’d need to judge whether he was well enough to handle what she had to say.

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