Page 57 of Kings of Cruelty

“Amazing,” Sierra says with a more genuine smile. She elbows me in the side. “You’re lucky. This means I don’t have to go through the whole store to find something new that I like.” She frowns at me. “Do you think I can go home and get my collection there at some point?” Her words are cautious, and I know she’s remembering what I am to her: one of her captors.

I don’t want her thinking of me that way.

I don’t want her hollow-eyed and despondent.

“Yeah,” I say. “We can hire some movers to bring all your stuff over.”

She doesn’t really need more than what Konstantin has bought her, but I’m in this to make her happy.

Mindy returns with a pair of sandals. They’re blue, and they have a small heel and some extra decorative bits that I can’t make sense of.

“These are the most popular item in the new line,” Mindy says, holding the pair out to Sierra. “Try them on, see if you like the blue. There’s a gold variant too.”

Sierra takes them, heading over to a nearby bench and pulling on a weird-looking pair of ankle-high stocking things. She starts to slide the sandal onto her foot, but she frowns down at it.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

She pulls the sandal off, checking the size, and shakes her head. She looks baffled. “This is my size. I’m not sure why it’s not fitting.”

Mindy hurries to take the shoe from her. “I’m so sorry, Ms. Winters,” she says. “This one must run small. I’ll get you the next size up, if you’d like?” She looks like she really is upset, and she probably is. I bet she has a hefty commission on the line.

“Sure,” Sierra says. “Bring the gold in that other size too, please?”

“Right away,” Mindy says, hurrying off.

Sierra stares down at her feet. “That’s definitely my size,” she mutters. “And I really doubt the manufacturer labeled them wrong.” Tears well up in her eyes. “Fuck. My clothes are starting to be a little too tight, and now I can’t even manage the right sized shoes?”

I stare helplessly at her, not sure how to comfort her through something like this. “I…”

Mindy comes back with the pairs of shoes—one blue and one gold—and she looks in dismay at Sierra. “Ms. Winters?” she asks tentatively, glancing between us like she isn’t sure whether it’s my fault. “Can I get you some water?”

Sierra wipes at her eyes and shakes her head. “No. It’s…” She gnaws on her bottom lip for a moment before blurting out, “I’m pregnant.”

Mindy’s eyes go wide, and she looks even more uncomfortable. “I’m… Congratulations?” she tries, though she doesn’t sound sure that that’s the right answer.

Sierra nods. “Thank you. My feet…”

Mindy looks more sympathetic, and she nods. “Sometimes pregnant women say their feet get a little bigger. Not much,” she quickly adds when she sees Sierra’s expression.

“Is it… permanent?” Sierra asks, and she looks absolutely devastated.

Fuck.

Mindy shakes her head. “I don’t know. Sometimes women say they go back, and sometimes they don’t. I might have some more comfortable?—”

“I don’t need comfortable shoes!” Sierra interrupts, tears starting to spill down her cheeks.

Fuck.

The poor clerk looks likesheis going to cry.

“I’ve got it,” I tell Mindy, who flashes me a grateful look before fleeing back to the front desk.

I reallydon’thave it, but I somehow don’t think Sierra will want the clerk to see her break down.

“Oh, god,” Sierra whimpers. “Fuck.”

I also intuit that she isnotgoing to react well if I tell her “it’s just shoes,” so I don’t say that. Score one for Nikolai Bacurin.

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