“You think it was Biba?”
“I know it was,” she says hoarsely, emotions choking back her voice. “He threatened to hurt them if I ran. This is a warning, and I’m scared to death of what he’ll do next. I didn’t even want to run because of this exact reason, but they made me. They said they’d rather die than let him take me, but how am I supposed to live with that?”
She’s inadvertently given me a world of information, her distress hampering her inner filter. I’m not sure what to make of it, though. Biba warned her not to run? Did he do that before or after she stole from him? How does he know her well enough tofind her mother? They had to have had contact prior to the theft—maybe even an ongoing connection. And if he wanted to use Danika’s mom to draw her out, why not kidnap her mother?
I did a basic background search on Danika already, but I think I need to dive a little deeper into her family. With her Slavic last name, her father might even work for Biba—there’s no telling how she might be connected to the man. The city hasn’t digitized the records I want to access, and working hours are almost over, so I need to hurry if I’m going to get this done today.
“Here’s what’s going to happen,” I tell her in a calm but firm voice. “We’re going to find a safe place for your family to stay while we sort this out. I need to look into a few things to get that all sorted, though.”
“What kind of things?” she asks, her anxiety creasing her forehead.
I smooth the skin with the caress of my thumb. “Nothing you need to worry about, but I need to know that if I leave, you’ll still be here when I get back.”
Once Biba knows I’m involved, I won’t want to leave her unprotected, but at this point, he has no clue where to find her. She should be safe, so long as she stays put.
She nods, and while I can sense she’s scared, I think she’s telling me the truth. I suppose I’ll find out when I get back.
I lean in and allow myself a brief inhale of her sweet scent, then murmur, “I’ll be back soon.”
CHAPTER 14
DANIKA
I givemyself over to the tears for the first time since my life careened off the tracks and detoured straight into a ravine. I haven’t had the luxury of letting myself fall apart. With Tommy gone and my mother in danger, I can’t fight back the emotions any longer.
I cry deep, uncontrollable sobs that leave me exhausted on the sofa, which is where Tommy finds me fast asleep when he returns home.
“Wake up, Danika. You have some explaining to do.”
The words slowly filter into my consciousness. “Huh? What are you talking about?” I sit up and rub my eyes, trying to get my bearings.
Tommy stands over me, arms crossed stiffly. “I’ve done some digging, and it doesn’t take a genius to connect the dots.”
“What do you mean?” I’m finally feeling awake but still clueless.
“I’m talking about you. Danika Dobrev. That’s your mother’s maiden name. It’s what’s on your birth certificate because your father is listed as John Doe.” He cocks his head to the side. “You said you stole something, but after seeing your birth certificate, there’s another much more plausible explanation for Biba’swillingness to pay such a huge amount of money for you, but I don’t want to believe it. Tell me I’m wrong, Danika. Tell me you’re not Biba’s daughter.”
His words are eerily calm like the glassy surface of a dark lake concealing a terrible monster below. Tommy’s not a monster, is he? He said he wanted to keep me safe. Would his opinion change if he knew the truth? I’m terrified to find out.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I pull my knees to my chest as if they’re a shield. It’s laughable because I’m at this man’s mercy in every way.
He stalks closer, eyes narrowing as he towers over me. “I’ll ask you one more fucking time.” His savage words slash at me as he holds his phone out. “And I want the truth, or I’ll call Biba myself right goddamn now. Are you his fucking daughter?”
Desperation is quicksand tugging at my body, its unrelenting weight pressing against my lungs and blurring my vision. I’m terrified to tell him the truth, yet I have no choice. I see it in his eyes. He’ll do it. He’ll hand me over in a heartbeat if he thinks I’m lying to him. My only hope is that telling the truth doesn’t end in the same fate.
“Yes.” The single word is nothing but a whisp of air. A shameful, ugly exhalation.
Tommy waits as I collect myself to explain.
“Biba’s technically my father, but he’s never played any role in my life. As you probably know, he has two sons with his wife. My mom and I were his dirty little secret. He walked away not long after I was born, refusing to acknowledge us even in private. And now?” Tears burn the back of my eyes. “Now that he’s found a use for me, he seems to think he owns me.”
“A use for you?” Tommy asks with a sneer.
“He summoned me five days ago to inform me he’d arranged my marriage to some terrifying man named The Reaper.” I shake my head. “I can’t let that happen, Tommy. I won’t do it.Please,please, don’t turn me over to him.” My voice is reed-thin, emotion clogging my throat.
Tommy takes an unsteady step backward. “When you said you stole something from him, you meant yourself.” The words are a soft realization.
“At first, it was the easiest way to explain why I was hiding, but once I realized you knew him, I was scared you’d turn me over … or worse.”
