Page 89 of Silenced

But the very prospect has my other hand balling into a fist.

Other men looking at her?

Other men cravingmy little sun?

She’s asked me the same question and I answered in the affirmative so as not to break her—hope is as vital to the spirit as oxygen is to mankind.

Butblyad,can I let her out?

When danger flutters around her like a swarm of wasps?

Instead of replying because I genuinely don’t know what to tell him, I point at my laptop where the channel she’d been binge-watching takes up the screen. “Who’s this?We Cream for Ice Scream.”

“It’s her vlog,” Dmitri says, his tone heavy with disappointment.

I want to snarl at him that he has no right to be disappointed in me, that I earned this,her,that I deserve to take what I believe belongs to me…

But I don’t.

“Her vlog?” I inquire instead.

“She’s a food journalist. She visits restaurants, cafes, and bakeries, establishments like that, then highlights a dish of theirs in a video and on her blog. She’s put a lot of people in NYC on the map.”

I have no idea why his words make me sign, “I’m not Rundel.”

He should joke and tell me, ‘Of course, you’re not,Otets.’

He doesn’t.

His sigh is heavy, redolent with his unease. “If you say so.”

22

CASSIE

LATER THAT AFTERNOON

I knowI’m going to regret slipping into the bathroom and starting the bath, so I go for broke and shove a shit ton of products into the water because: “It’s go big or go home.”

The faint tang of rebelliousness sums me up at the moment, and I have to wonder if the very reason for my unusual behavior presented itself this afternoon at roughly three PM—my period.

Combined with the fact that his doctor said he could release my hands from the bandages today, so I finally have enough freedom of movement to turn the damn faucets, as well as our deal for private time in the bathroom, my desire for a bath was cemented into place.

In fact, with that agreement, this is technically my right and if he wants to argue, then he can stand in front of the vanity and bicker with his reflection.

I’m not in the mood for his shit today.

With a huff once the water level is high enough, I step into the tub.

I can’t help but wonder if he’s got cameras in the bedroom because the second I’m lying flat in the massive bathtub, the outer door opens. In the quiet, the click of the lock is overly loud and I hate that it makes me flinch.

Still, I remain silent because Nikolai has weaponized it to a fine art, and I’m a quick learner so I wait.

And wait.

And wait…

Then earn myself a grunt.

---