Thankfully, Matvei doesn’t say another word. He pushes himself up from the couch and folds the knife before sliding it into his pocket.
Just as quietly as he entered, he’s gone again.
I can’t even pick up the book and try to continue reading. All I can think about is Matvei hurting Dad and how it’ll be my fault. But that doesn’t sit right with me either. If that knife is so dangerous, why does he keep leaving it around for Nikolas to find? Why doesn’t he put it somewhere safer—like up his ass, for instance?
I feel helpless. I bring my knees to my chest, fighting off the sobs that threaten to break free. I have to keep it together. I can’t fall apart right now. I still have so much more work to do before Dad’s debt is paid off, and on top of that, I can’t leave Nikolas all by himself here. If he’s willing to threaten me with violence, what will he do to the small child that doesn’t know right from wrong?
If he’s been kidnapped from his parents, then Nikolas is in just as much danger as me and Dad.
I can’t be alone right now. I put the textbook away and hurry upstairs to find Nikolas pouting in his room. He lies in bed with his back facing me, but I can tell by the way that he’s breathing that he just got done crying. I take a seat beside him and rub his shoulder, offering him some kind of comfort.
“You okay, Nikolas?” I ask softly. He shakes his head no and sniffles. “What happened?”
“He yelled at me,” he says in the tiniest, saddest little voice. He doesn’t have to name Matvei for me to know who’s responsible here. My heart breaks for him all over again. He must be so scared, so terrified of what Matvei could do to him. What he’s already done to him.
“I’m sorry he yelled at you,” I say.
“Mommy and Daddy never yelled at me,” he murmurs.
Tentatively, I guide him into my arms, rubbing his back as he continues to sniffle. “Where are your mommy and daddy now?” I ask cautiously. Immediately, I regret the question. I’ve been avoiding it since the moment I stepped foot in the mansion. Asking now was a bad idea.
Nikolas breaks down into tears again, sobbing so hard that his small frame practically vibrates. The gravity of the situation settles down on me all at once. None of us are safe. All of us have been traumatized by Matvei and his men in one way or another.
Dad has been beaten.
Nikolas has been kidnapped.
I’ve been sexually threatened and told that my father would be killed right in front of me.
I have to stop this. I’m the only person with access to Matvei’s house all day. If I can find any evidence that proves that Matvei is guilty of the many crimes that seem to follow him around like a bad scent, I can get him and his men locked away forever. Then Niko can be reunited with his real family, and my dad and I will be free.
And there’s only one way to make that happen: the laptop.
During certain hours of the day, right before Matvei leaves his office for the day, I’ve seen him typing away on the laptop. My gut tells me that if I want some dirt on him, proof that he’s a criminal, I can probably find it hidden away on the computer. I just have to figure out a way to get in there and grab it from his desk.
As Nikolas stops crying and eventually falls asleep in my arms, I start to formulate a plan. If I want this to work, I’m going to need his help. I swallow hard and look down at the boy.
He’s my only chance of saving us all.
The following afternoon, I kneel in front of Niko and run my hand over his cheek, looking into his big, round eyes. “Niko, I just thought of a really cool game we can play.”
He tilts his head to the side like a confused puppy but says nothing.
“It doesn’t have a name yet,” I continue. “but it’s really easy to win. All you have to do is grab the laptop from Matvei’s office and bring it back to me.”
I spent all last night lying in bed trying to figure out a plan on how to get that laptop from Matvei’s office. There’s no way in hell he’d