to pump a bullet into my brain? Still shaking, I crouched down on the floor, picking up the largest broken pieces of the cup.
Think and breathe, Chloe. You have to escape.
How? How was I going to do that?
“Beautiful women are recruited by the Bratva all the time in order to secure information. Do you know what happens to them afterwards, Chloe? They are taken by every male in vile and brutal ways. When their hungers are satisfied, one of them is assigned to slit her throat.”
“I’m not Russian!” I snapped, yanking a ceramic piece into my hand. “I’m from freaking North Carolina. I’ve never even been lucky enough to travel outside of the country, much less live in Russia. What I told you about my parents is true. I have a brother who’s a drug addict. I don’t even know if he’d dead or alive. He stole from my parents and I was stupid enough to try and defend him. That’s why they tossed me out. I lied about my age to get a job cocktailing to try and save money for college. That took me over two years, two fucking years of doing nothing but working like a dog. Coming to Waltham was a dream come true. Don’t you understand? Then it was taken away because you stopped into my diner.”
The light in his eyes changed, hate shifting to something else I couldn’t read. But he was still so cold. When he moved toward me, I shrank away, finally realizing I’d sliced open a portion of my hand.
“Damn it,” he hissed, issuing several other words in Russian.
Jesus. I held my wrist, staring down the crimson strings dripping through my fingers.
He crouched down beside me, sliding his hand underneath mine. “I believe you. I’m sorry, Chloe. That was reprehensible. Now, come. Let me help you.”
His voice was so soft, so caring.
Bullshit.
“Stay away from me, Nikolai. I can do this by myself. That’s all I’ve had to depend on for years.” I was angry and frustrated, still loathing my heart’s betrayal as well as my body’s frailty. No man had ever pushed me to such an emotional state. I’d protected myself on purpose. I certainly knew why.
“Chloe, you’re bleeding. I need to check you didn’t slice an artery.”
His voice remained soothing, as if the man gave a damn. I’d heard what he planned on doing to me. I knew. God! Why couldn’t I stop crying? “Just let me alone. I assure you that I’ll be fine.”
“I can’t do that. I won’t do that. This is my fault. Please.”
Blood pooled in the palm of my hand, tears continuing to prickle the back of my eyes. Even my throat remained constricted from his powerful hold. But even worse, I wanted him to wrap his arms around me and tell me that everything was going to be okay. Jesus.
Grow up, sunshine, or you will die.
I allowed him to help me to my feet, pulling me toward the sink. He carefully took the broken piece out of my hand then turned on the water.
I couldn’t look at him, still reeling from what he’d believed and the horrible way he’d reacted.
“This is going to sting,” he said in an even more calming tone.
At this point, I didn’t care. He remained gentle as he eased my hand under the water. The sting was biting but I gritted my teeth. The sight of blood running down the drain was just as chilling as his accusations. I could taste it, coppery and slick. Nauseous, I did everything I could to calm my breathing, yet my heartbeat was pumping into my ears.
“You were lucky. You missed the artery by only centimeters. I also don’t see any shards. But wrap the towel around it as tightly as you can stand and keep the pressure. We need to make certain it stops bleeding.”
I did as he instructed, taking the towel from his hand, turning away before he noticed how badly my hands were shaking. When my body swayed, he wrapped his arm around my waist, keeping me steady.
“Take your time,” he murmured.
After taking several shallow breaths, I shifted forward, determined to find my resolve. He wasn’t going to break me. I’d done nothing to him.
“I need to ask you a few questions. Are you up for that?”
When I didn’t answer right away, he pressed his hand against my shoulder, squeezing in another attempt at saying he was sorry. “Fine.” I pulled away, moving to the table and sitting down. “Just don’t touch