Page 86 of Stolen Empire
But there is none and I feel trapped.
Just how far am I willing to go for Dimitri?
It's not like we mean anything to each other, right?
I could cut and run right now.
I have my mother's pendant.
I could take this money Daniil paid me and get a bus out of town, go back to Perm.
"Do it," he says.
"I told you I don’t use drugs."
If my heart doesn't explode in the next five seconds, I'll be shocked.
It's racing so fast, I'm getting dizzy.
"And I told you this is not optional."
He reaches behind his back, pulling out a gun.
He doesn’t aim it at me.
He just sets it on the table beside the mirror.
"Do it. Or I will assume you are lying about everything else too."
My blood turns cold.
The gun sits there between us while I'm ready to piss myself.
I look around the room.
Two other men are seated near the door.
They're watching us.
Watching me.
There's no fucking way out of this.
It's crossed beyond how I can help Dimitri and I'm firmly in the "save my own life" territory.
He's literally going to kill me if I don't snort this blow.
I lean forward, my hands braced on the table.
I can feel Daniil's eyes on me, waiting. I pick up the mirror, bring it closer.
"I need a tube," I say, hating how my voice shakes.
I'm lucky the damn mirror doesn't shake right out of my grasp.
Daniil hands me a rolled-up bill.
I take it, but my fingers are numb.
