Page 194 of Inferno

He runs his hands across his neat stubble.

“Damn. I’ve never been this hard at breakfast before.”

Good.

“Eat. Before I throw it all off the table and spread you out on it instead.”

Chewing on my lip, knowing not to push it with him, I take a pancake and a spoonful of strawberries, pouring the chocolate sauce over the top.

“Thank you,” I tell him as I look up.

“No need to thank me. We’re here to talk, the food is a distraction.”

I look down, and suddenly, the crashing impact of my reality settles over me.

“How do you want to do this? Me just talk, or do you have questions?”

“Eat first. Then yes, tell me what you deem relevant for me to know. And then if I do have questions, I’ll ask them.”

I nod and cut a chunk out of the pancake. It’s yummy, but my appetite has gone.

So I force it in as quickly as I can, washing it down with the milkshake.

I take a deep breath and hold my hands under the table.

“Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.”

I blow out a breath and start from the top.

“I was taken by Vlad and his brother on my eighteenth birthday. I watched them murder my mom and kidnap my father. We were married that month. He kept me hidden from everyone for the first month, until Drago found me. He managed to cut a deal to get me out of that captivity, but honestly, even if I was out of a locked room, I was still in a cage. I was a good fighter. So he made me a better one. A useful asset to Vlad. If I did that, I kept my father alive. While Drago and I tried to find a way to escape.”

My hands start to shake. I’ve never really grieved my father’s death. I never get a chance to stop and reflect on the past.

My only thought every day is to simply survive and fight to find a way out.

“So, in Italy. I was sent on a mission with my handler, Misha. He was a complete asshole. Our job was to take and interrogate whoever Enzo was meeting. And then kill them. Vlad wanted to know what Enzo was doing and what he knew.”

Declan nods, fiddling with the rings on his fingers.

“But, Misha recognized you from the hotel. He knew more than I thought about my movements. He threatened to tell Vlad about us, and I couldn’t risk that.” I run my hand over the tattoos on my arm.

“I killed him. And that knife I planted, that was the knife I used. It was a panicked decision between me and Drago. I didn’t want to, but ultimately I had to save myself and make it lookbelievable to Vlad that you had killed Misha. Otherwise, my life would have been over, Declan. And maybe yours too.”

I can’t look at him.

“Charlotte. Look at me.”

I shake my head.

“Now.” His tone is firm, and I snap my head up.

“I would do anything to save my father’s life. Anything. I understand. If he were still here and I was in your situation, I would have done the same thing.”

I blink at him, processing his words.

“I’m sorry my actions stopped you,” I say quietly, the weight of my guilt hurting.

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