Chapter 14 - Angelika #2
Maybe I’m just making excuses for him, and he’s happy to be rid of me and has no intention of letting me slip back into his life, especially for something as dangerous as this.
In the afternoon, just after two, I’m relieved to pass out for a few hours. Thank goodness, because it is the only moment of peace I feel, until I wake up at five thirty and the anxiety kicks right back in. At least I’m not tired on top of everything else now.
The first thing I do is grab my phone.
But Diomid is still ignoring me.
By eight that night, sitting around the dinner table with my family, I’ve accepted that he isn’t going to reply to me, and there is nothing I can do to help those girls unless I talk to Jaroslav, and I have a feeling he will have a raging fit if I even suggest getting involved.
So, after dinner, I drag myself up to shower with a heart heavier than I can deal with.
The house is always quiet after dinner. Everyone retreats to their own space, relaxing and letting go of the day’s stress.
Standing under the hot spray of the shower, I’m trying not to cry. At the end of the day, what does it matter if I get into trouble? Jaroslav has to help those girls. Someone has to. I can’t do it alone. I wouldn’t even know where to start.
I also know, though, that if Jaroslav realizes I can’t let this go, he’s going to put me into a more intense lockdown than ever before.
But it doesn’t matter.
Those girls matter.
I was one of them. I could be dead right now if it weren’t for that one person who dared to save me.
With my mind made up, I decide to ask my brothers for help. Climbing out of the shower, I wrap the towel around me and hurry into my bedroom to get dressed again.
A hand clamps over my mouth, and someone drags me to the corner with my back pressed into their chest. I scream silently into the hand, kicking my legs out, panicked, frantic.
“Angel, stop that,” he whispers harshly. “You’ll wake everyone up, dammit.”
Diomid releases me, and I spin to glare at him, pressing my hand over my racing heart.
“Dammit, Diomid. Don’t ever do that again,” I hiss, a harsh whisper, my voice low.
I clutch the towel tighter around myself, realizing how naked I am.
He glances over me and suddenly doesn’t know where to look.
“Get dressed. We have to talk,” he mutters.
Hurrying over to my cupboard, I grab a pair of black jeans and a t-shirt. Nervously, I glance over my shoulder at him. “Turn around,” I demand.
He scoffs, and I know what he’s thinking. He’s seen it all already. But that’s not the point.
He turns, and I drop the towel, then almost trip over my clothes trying to pull them on as fast as I can while I hop unbalanced on one foot.
Dressed, my heart still racing, I tell Diomid I’m done.
“Why didn’t you reply to me?” I blurt out.
“Because, what you’ve asked me to do…. I had to think about it. I was already aware of the auction, and I had a plan in place. But I didn’t know if it was a good idea to bring you with me or not.” His honestly takes me by surprise.
“You could have told me that, instead of leaving me to worry.”
“You would have driven me crazy by arguing nonstop, trying to convince me.” He pulls his mouth tight and raises his brows at me.
I nod, true. I would have.
“So, why are you here then?” I fold my arms across my chest.
“Why do you want to go back there, Angel?” he asks.
My heart clenches. I swallow hard. “I need to help them. I think it will give me closure. I never really dealt with the trauma of what I saw there—of what I went through. I need this, Diomid. I need those men to pay, and I need to stop it from ever happening to anyone else.”
“If we take them down, there will be more. It never ends, Angel.”
“I know, but at least these people will be stopped. We can make a difference. Even if it’s small in the bigger scheme of things,” I sigh.
“If I take you with me, do you understand the type of danger I’m putting you in?” he asks, his voice low and serious.
“I do,” I say, my eyes widening with hope.
“Angel, I’m serious. Do you understand that if it goes wrong, they could take you again and sell you. That’s the truth of it.”
Biting at my lip, I nod again. Slower.
“Yes, I know that, but it’s worth it if I can stop them.”
“Do you promise to do exactly as I say. Every single thing I say. No diverting from the plan or making your own rules or anything other than what I say.”
“You’ll take me with you?” I whisper, relieved.
“Promise me, Angel. And understand that this is the most serious promise you’ve ever made in your life.”
His cool, grey eyes pierce into me, and he reaches out to cup his hand beneath my chin, pulling my face onto his. He doesn’t look away, and it makes my heart race.
“I promise,” I whisper.
His face clouds with worry.
“Alright, you can come with me then,” he sighs. “You’ll need to change, though. I need you to blend in and look like one of the girls hired to serve drinks.”
“I can do that. Something sexy? Like a little black dress?”
“Yes, and high heels. But choose a pair that you can move easily in. If things go south, you might need to kick them off and run. Fuck sake. I can’t believe I’m doing this. I already feel like I’m making a mistake here.”
I grab his face in both my hands and force him to look at me.
“I need this, Diomid. And I will be in such massive debt to you for all your help. I really, really promise you. I will do exactly as you say. You don’t have to worry.”
He scoffs.
“Of course I have to worry, Angel. I have to keep you safe.”
I bite my lip, noticing the tenderness in his eyes. He blinks it away and lets out a harsh sigh. “Come on, get ready. We need to get going.”