Page 34 of Silent Betrayal

“Wow,” I exclaim as my fingers trail over the eagle on his left chest. “It’s beautiful, does it have a story behind it?”

“Well, this eagle is in honor of my time served in the American army, and the initials here,” he says pointing to a small C.M. in the eagle’s wing, “is in memory of my comrade Carlos Mendoza, who died on a mission we were on together.”

“I’m so sorry you lost him, Atlas. I didn’t even know you were in the army.”

“Yes,” he says with a nod. “From when I was eighteen to twenty-three.

“Did you enjoy it?”

“I did. I was a bit lost at the time. My parents had passed years before and my grandmother was taking care of me. But she was getting old, and I didn’t want to burden her anymore. I didn’t have any skills, so I thought joining the military was my bestchoice.”

My big giant Atlas was truly a softie on the inside.

“Your accent, it’s Russian, right?”

“Yes, I was born there. Moved here when I was sixteen to live with my grandmother.”

“Where is she now?” I ask carefully.

“She’s in heaven now. The daisies here,” he says, pointing to an intricate tattoo that goes up his entire right arm, “they represent her, so I’ll always remember how kind she was and how much she helped me.”

“You’re sweet,” I tell him with a smile as my fingers trace the designs.

“No, I’m not,” he says gruffly as he pulls his shirt back on. I frown at his covered chest, wishing I could still see it. “What about you? Do you have a tattoo or ever thought about getting one?”

“I don’t have any. I’ve never really thought about it before. I’d have to come up with something I’d want on me for the rest of my life.”

“You know, some people get tattoos to cover scars on their body. If you end up with any you want to cover, that’s an option for you.”

“I never thought of that. It’s a good idea… replace a bad memory with a good one.”

“Exactly,” he says, pulling my hand up to kiss my knuckles. “But don’t think you need to cover your scars, they tell you that you’re a survivor, and they are beautiful, because they are a part of you.” I blush and bite my lip, feeling strangely happy that he called me beautiful.

“Whose turn is it?” he asks. I shrug. Between his body and his words, I’m having trouble remembering anything.

“Hmmm…” he muses. “Have you thought about what you’d like to do after you’re healed and all of this is behind you?”

Does he mean him and the guys… after they’re behind me? I frown, trying to figure out what he means. He probably just means after my mom is in jail.

“Uhh… you mean after my mom is caught?” I ask carefully.

“Yes, you’ll be able to do anything you like. Have you given any thought to it?”

Is he trying to hint that I need an exit plan? That I’m only staying here until she’s sorted out and I’m safe?

“Not really… what, err, umm,” I stammer awkwardly, trying to figure out how to phrase my question. “What would you suggest?”

“Well, you’re great with math, so you could do something with that, maybe something in finance? But you are also good at science, so there’s that avenue. Of course, you could do anything you want. The world is your limit, Malishka.”

Is it? But what if I don’t want the world? What if everything I want is in this house?

Chapter fourteen

“What if she says they aren’t ready to come out?” I ask Gideon and Ben nervously.

“Mina, I’m sure they are, and if not, then you’ll just have to spend a little more time in bed while we all wait on you. Is that the worst thing in the world?” Ben asks as he squeezes my hand.

“Maybe you’ll be healed enough to start doing some course work for your GED,” Gideon suggests as he moves to my other side, shoving his hands in his pocket.

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