Page 80 of Hero Worship

“I have to go to the bathroom,” I mumbled into Ash’s chest.

“Now?” He injected some irritation into the word, enough that it felt real. Maybe it was. Maybe he really was going to sell me to Roche.

No, he wasn’t. Ash would never. That was the drugs talking… I hoped.

I nodded weakly.

Ash sighed. “Why is it our pets have such small bladders? Can you direct him to the nearest bathroom?”

“Ah, I can do better.” Roche snapped his fingers. “Let me get him an escort.”

“No,” I said too quickly, and I cringed inwardly as Roche stiffened. “I mean…”

“He’s shy,” Ash said. “The bathroom stuff. Sometimes it can trigger his dysphoria if people are around. Even I don’t get to hang out in the bathroom.”

Roche’s responding hum sounded almost sympathetic. “I can understand. Very well. If you think he’s fit to make it on his own, it’s just down the hall to the right.”

“Don’t get lost, precious,” Ash said as I unattached myself from his side.

“I won’t,” I promised.

The hallway tilted and swayed as I made my way past the bathroom, letting my footsteps weave slightly in case anyone was watching. Years of training with Papa Yuri kicked in as I cataloged cameras and escape routes, though the Xanax made everything feel like it was happening underwater.

Roche's office wasn't hard to find. Double doors of rich mahogany stood partially open, warm lamplight spilling into the hallway. My heart pounded as I slipped inside, the Adderall making every sensation sharp despite the Xanax fog.

Their laptop sat on an antique desk right in the center of the office. My fingers trembled as I pulled the USB from where I had hidden it in my dress. Thirty seconds. That was all Xavier needed. Just thirty seconds of access to crack Roche's security. Then he’d have access to all of Roche’s dirty little secrets, and his client list for Nikolai. Though that wasn’t the only thing we wanted it for. Xander planned to make a copy for himself, just in case.

I inserted the device with shaking hands, watching the progress bar creep forward. Twenty-five seconds. Twenty. Fifteen.

My phone buzzed. Xavier confirming the upload had started. Ten seconds left.

"What are you doing in here?"

My blood turned to ice. Misha stood in the doorway, his designer clothes hanging loose on his too thin frame. Even through my drug haze, I could see how dilated his pupils were, how wrong his movements looked as he swayed slightly.

Five seconds. Just five more seconds.

"I was looking for the bathroom," I said, trying to match his dreamy tone.

The progress bar hit one hundred percent. Done. My phone vibrated again:Got it. Get out.

"This isn't the bathroom." Misha's voice was slurred but his eyes had focused slightly, watching me with something that might have been suspicion. Or hope. It was impossible to tell which. "You shouldn't be here. They see everything."

I pulled the USB free, tucking it away as I turned to face him fully. Up close, I could see the track marks on his arms where precise needles had turned him into Roche's perfect doll.

“You shouldn’t be in here,” Misha said again, but this time when he said it, there was something else in his voice. He turnedhis head, glancing down the hall. “The cameras… They’ll catch you. Hurt you.”

“I got lost,” I lied.

He swayed slightly, but his eyes had focused on me with surprising clarity. “You’re not as drugged as you’re pretending to be,” he observed.

I stood up straighter and swallowed. “Please,” I whispered. “Please, don’t say anything.”

“I remember how to fake it too,” Misha said in a dreamy tone. “I tried that for a while. I thought if I pretended, if I was good and didn’t fight back, maybe…”

My heart broke at the resignation in his voice, at the way he wrapped his arms around his body and squeezed. “We’re here to help,” I promised. “We’re going to get you out. Take you somewhere safe.”

He shook his head. “Nowhere is safe. They’ll find me.”

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