Page 86 of Ruinous Need
I shut my eyes and will my brain to relax. The air is so cold it burns when I inhale, but I’ve learned to get used to it. I open my eyes and watch the cloud of my breath puff through the air.
Still breathing. That means there’s still a chance.
My muscles hurt like hell from the physical labour at first, but after almost a month, my body has adjusted to the suffering. And compared to digging ditches, kneeling in the snow with a gun to my head feels like a tropical vacation.
The guard shoves me forward with a kick, looking for some ultimate humiliation. His buddies look on with malice. “Final words, Viktor?”
Days of torture have increased my pain tolerance and endurance. Some people would wear down in this situation. Not me.
I’ve got something to live for.
Because I don’t believe Semyon.
A photo of Lisette in a wedding dress proves nothing.
If it’s real — if she truly wants to marry him — I’ll let her go. But I need to ask her in person.
The only thing standing in my way is these guards. And I’m pretty sure I can deal with them.
I flex my thigh muscles against the ground and shift from side to side as though I’m preparing to speak. The guards haven’t noticed anything different, but I think I’m going to be a danger to them, even in my half-starved state. I clench my arms. Only one way to find out.
I jump to my feet and shove the barrel of the gun to the side at the same time. The guard holding it fires, but he’s too slow.
The gun is not pointed towards me anymore. It’s pointed towards his friend. He cries out, falling to the ground with a bullet lodged in his shoulder.
I wrench the gun back into my hands and turn it around to shoot the first guard before I have time to think about it.
Now there’s just me and the one guard. We eye each other across the icy ground.
With the same rifles, we’re an even match. It’s a matter of who fires first and most accurately.
I’ve just lined up the shot for his head, and I’m squeezing the trigger when he raises his hands and sets the rifle down slowly.
“You’ll need help to get back to New York before the wedding,” he says, keeping his voice even. “Would you spare my life in exchange?”
Smart man. I fix him with a stare. “Deal.”
Then, I walk to his friend with the shoulder injury and shoot him in the head.
CHAPTER 38
LISETTE
THE WEDDING BELLS chime and I am marched down the aisle, Daria on one side and Semyon’s terrifyingly massive guard on the other.
I keep my head high and will myself not to cry. This is a performance. I just have to go through the motions, say two tiny words, and then it’s done. My family will be safe.
The doom won’t be hanging over me anymore. Instead, it will be my entire life.
There are hundreds, maybe even thousands of people here. Men in dark suits. Women in elaborate floral dresses and headpieces. Children who can’t sit still in their seats.
A toddler looks up at me from the edge of a row with wide eyes, but I can’t even summon a smile. She cries against her mother’s chest at the sight of the bride being marched down the aisle by armed guards.
I guess everyone wants to get on the Pakhan’s good side and show loyalty after the failed coup. I wonder if some of them are the people who swore allegiance to Viktor when he was planning his takeover.
As I ascend the steps to the altar, careful not to trip over thelong train, it really feels like I’m a sacrifice. My parents look up at me with tears in their eyes.
Sammy looks confused about what’s happening, but waves when he sees me, tugging on Mom’s sleeve and pointing. I do a small wave back, trying not to show the cuffs around my wrist beneath the long sleeves of the dress.
