Page 48 of Stolen Empire
They're too wet to be useful and I don't know where his wash machine is.
"The guest room is down the hall," he says, gesturing toward the darkened corridor.
"Second door on the right. There are clean sheets. Towels in the bathroom."
I nod numbly.
He watches me for a moment, then turns and walks toward his bedroom without another word.
The door closes behind him.
I stand alone in the kitchen, my body still humming, my mind reeling.
What have I done? And what would my mother think of me?
I've made a deal with the devil. And now I have to see it through.
10
DIMITRI
Iwake before dawn.
The bed beside me is empty, which tells me everything I need to know.
Katya chose the guest room.
Probably the smart choice.
If she had climbed in beside me, I would've taken her again and again, and that would complicate things.
This morning, the mission returns to the front of my mind where it belongs.
I have to sniff out the man who put a hit on my head within the Radich crew, and Katya is going to help.
I shower quickly, dress in the same clothes I wear to the track every day—dark jeans, boots, a plain shirt that doesn't draw attention.
When I pace into the kitchen, she's already awake, sitting at the table with her knees pulled to her chest.
She still wears my shirt and boxers.
Her hair is tangled from sleep, her face pale.
She doesn’t look at me when I enter.
Her gaze stays pinned on the bowl of cereal in front of her, half eaten and growing warm.
"Get dressed," I tell her, knowing she only has the same filthy clothing she took off yesterday.
I'll have to buy a few things for her at some point. "We have work to do."
Her eyes flick up, seeming wary. "What work?"
"The work you agreed to."
I pour coffee into two mugs, set one in front of her.
"You are mine now. That means you do what I say, when I say it, until this job is over, at which point you become your own again."
