Page 60 of Silenced

And no, I’m not downplaying the fact I have zero say in what’s happening here but honestly, I’m better off than I was when I was on the run.

That’s the simple, damning,uncomfortabletruth because what that says about the state of my life is depressing.

Reaching for the envelope, I open the flap once I see my name on the front.

If a lot can be drawn from someone’s handwriting, Nikolai’s is as stark as his personality. His aggression leaks through into the pressure of his pen which has left indentations on the paper. His letters are sharp and angular but neat to the point of ridiculousness as he spells out my full name—not the abbreviated version, but Cassiopeia and all its many vowels.

Correctly, too.

He gets marks for that.

As I withdraw the piece of paper, it appears to be relatively normal—unless you look deeper, which I am, because I guess I have confirmation that he doesn’t just know ASL, hecanspeak English with a good degree of fluency.

Which means he’s either ignorant, arrogant, annoying, or all three.

The letters are the same, of course, but they’re written differently. A small ’t’ is shaped like a small cap ‘?.’ The same goes with the ‘?,’ ‘?,’ ‘?,’ and the ‘?.’ In fact, the ‘Y’ is more decorative too, ‘?.’

From my Russian classes back in college, I know the Cyrillic letters don’t naturally translate with their English counterparts, but it’s interesting that he’s made a merger with his mother tongue and this learned one.

W?en I found you in ??e ?o?el roo? w?ere Rundel lef? you, a ?an was on ??e ?rin? of s?ealing you away. Rundel’s ac?ions have lef? you with a ?oun?y on your ?ead—??e Al?anians see you as no??ing ?ore than a currency ?o repay his de??.

?ou don’? ?ave ?o ?elieve ?e, ?u? if you s?ep ?oward ??e window, you will see w?a? ?appens ?o ??ose w?o wis? you ?ar?…

W?en I ?ell you ??a? you are safe wi?? ?e, I ?ean every word, solnys??o.

I study the letter,rereading it twice before a scowl settles on my brow.

Yesterday might have been the strangest day of my life, but it looks like today will be even weirder.

And that weirdness has nothing to do with the fact that my ex-husband’s actions have once again put me in danger.

Hell, I’m almost surprised he didn’t try to sell me like I was a bag of oranges at the market.

Harvey, after all, has never been very good at managing his money, and with the drugs he buys and how he follows me around the country, I know his savings have to be as depleted as mine are.

So, it’s not the words on the note that have me frowning or the notion that I’m in more peril than I was before. Not their meaning, either. Well, not the first half, anyway.

You are safe with me.

He told me that again after dinner and my orgasm dessert.

Of course, there’s also the fact that Nikolai just confirmed my presence here has nothing to do with my husband.

Which means his reasons for keeping me remain entirely unknown.

Perplexed, I stagger to my feet and draw the comforter from the bed once I’m standing beside the overly high mattress.

Swaddled in the luxurious wrapping, I step over to the window and squint at how bright it is.

God, the sunlight feels good on my face though. Good enough that I don’t immediately focus on what’s happening in the courtyard.

Instead, I just bask until, eventually, my eyes stop watering and I can look into the distance.

If he meant to reassure me, he hasn’t.

This estate is in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by thousands of orange trees that hide the house from the road.

It’s also massive.

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