Page 126 of Little Deer
RORI
I sitin the seat across fromTatiana–we both know that’s not her name, but I’ll roll with it for now–watching her carefully. I don’t trust her. I didn’t back when we first met, and I definitely don’t now. The only thing I’m happy about is that Sienna and the others are safe. Tatiana is unpredictable. One minute she’s almost sane, then the next she’s a whole other person.
Exactly why she is who she is, and why she’s one of the best.
“Oh, don’t look at me like that,” she huffs, rolling her eyes at me. “I’m not going to kill you.”
“No?” Like fuck do I believe that. I’ve accepted that I might not make it off this plane alive. While we know each other, that doesn’t mean she’s not going to take her revenge.
“Oh, I thought about it. I was pretty pissed that I got dragged into all of this again.” She waves her hand dismissively. “I’ve had time to think about it, though, and I suppose it can’t be helped. Things were going to come to a head at some point. And once they started digging, I would have had to make them stop, andwell, we both know how those things end up.” She smiles, and while it looks friendly enough, it’s cold, sharp, and the threat under it is very real.
“So now what? You take me back to Timur, and he just marries me off?”
She scoffs. “You really think it’s going to be that simple? You fucking broke the rules, Rori. No matter your reasons, Timur won’t give a damn. You’ll be lucky if you even get to the altar. I believe he mentioned he was inviting your father to the ceremony.” The pointed look sends a chill through me.
Dread settles low in my gut. Timur won’t just call in my father. He’s done it to make a point. He’ll either have my father kill me, or he’ll mutilate me before he gives me to his son. I don’t know anything about Simeon Belov, but being related to Timur, he’s probably just as brutal and violent.
I’ll be lucky to survive the wedding night.
“Unless, of course, you’re willing to make up for all this,” Tatiana adds with a sly smile.
I stiffen. “What?” Helping Tatiana is just as bad. Being indebted to her is like waiting for the executioner’s axe to fall. That terrible dread of the anticipation of what’s to come, knowing that you’re going to be dead anyway.
“I have something I need to do, and you’re going to help me.”
“Help you?”
She shoots me an annoyed look. “Yes, help me. In exchange, you can go back and live your life. Clearly, you want that giant you couldn’t keep your eyes off of. And the one you bargained your life for when he almost walked in on us in your room that first night.”
My gut clenches at the memory. Alonzo has no idea how close he came to dying that night. I couldn’t let it happen. Despite everything, I care about him, even if he is a giant asshole who broke my heart.
Still, looking at Tatiana, I don’t have a choice. “What do you need me to do?”
“I need you to kill someone for me.”
“Who?”
She shrugs. “I’ll tell you when I’m ready. For now, you best get some sleep because we don’t have time to waste when we hit the ground.” She pulls out a laptop, clicks a few buttons and then rolls her eyes before looking at me. “There’s not much between those gigantic ears of his are there?”
“What?” I stare at the screen she turns to me in shock. I see a red dot moving. I look at her in confusion.
“You really didn’t think that he wouldn’t come after you, did you?” She scoffs. “Both of you are fucking clueless. I knew the minute he was in your room, arguing that he wanted to talk to you and sort shit out that he was going to be a problem.”
“What did you do?” Fear grips my heart.
She gives me a sly smile. “I ensured that he won’t fuck up my plans. I put a small tracker in your dog’s collar, and then one in his shoes while I was walking around. If he gets in my way, Rori, I’ll know exactly where to find him so I can gut him.”
The cold mask slips over her face, and I try to suppress my shiver and the fear I feel.
Alonzo, you idiot. What the hell do you think you’re doing?
Tatiana’s phone starts to ring, and the cold mask is gone and replaced by pure excitement. It’s so quick, that I can only stare at her. When she answers, she purrs, “Pet, if I knew you would be trying to see me again so soon, I’d have given you better clues to get my number sooner.”
What the fuck?
I don’t know who’s on the other line, but their voice carries loud enough that I can hear the fury.
“Oh, don’t worry, I’ll be sure to give you back your plane all in one piece. I just had to borrow it. I’ll make sure to leave you alittle present before I walk off it.” More yelling. “I’m sure you’ll try to stop me, but Pet, I already told you, I took what I wanted from you and it will have to tide me over until I can have the real thing again. Don’t miss me too much. I’ll make sure to send you a few more pictures to tide you over. Kisses.”
