I nod while reaching for the deli meat. “Beef or chicken?”
“Both.”
“Cheddar? Triangles?”
She sighs. “You know me too well.”
Once her sandwiches are prepared to her liking and cut into triangles, I carry them to the table. Pavel retrieves the tray of tea. I try not to acknowledge him as he sets the tray on the table and takes a seat opposite me.
Willow squints at me and then glances at Pavel. Curiosity slips into her eyes. She gives me a nosy glance when her stomach rumbles. And then she forgets her curiosity in favor of grabbing a sandwich.
She eats quietly for a while. I watch her languid motions, noticing the slight tremble in her hand as she reaches for various items—teacup, sandwich, napkin. She lifts each one in that order until she’s done eating.
Then she reclines and rests her hands in her lap. “Fuck.”
“They didn’t feed you,” I pointed out.
“No. But plenty of touching.”
My anger flares up. “Did anyone…?” I can’t finish the sentence. I can’t even picture it.
The way my lungs shrivel up at the idea of anyone treating Willow like I was treated in the past makes me want to burn this city to the ground.
“No,” she replies. Relief floods me as I deflate in my chair. “Just handsy.”
“Like my old boss?”
“Yep.” She nods while tucking her hair behind her ears. Her eyes are downcast, still dim.
And then she frowns. “But one of them said something weird.”
I perk up. “What did he say?”
“That he would purchase me if he could.”
I practically spit daggers when I retort, “What a fucking hero.”
“Right?” She shakes her head. “But that wasn’t even the weird part. It was about how Zoya—”
Pavel leans forward. “She’s alive?”
Willow nods while reaching for her teacup. “For now.”
I rest my hand over my heart. More relief. It’s such a welcome feeling that I don’t even care to ask for details. The weight on my back lightens a bit. I bow my head. I scrub my forehead. “Thank fucking God.”
“I wouldn’t be thanking anybody yet, Liya,” Willow whispers. “She’s alive, but she’s being forced to marry Cardona.”
My head pops up as the weight grows heavy again. “Excuse me?”
“I…” Willow closes her eyes. “I haven’t seen her since we were separated. She was so…” Her eyes fill with tears as her lower lip curls. “She was soquiet. She didn’t even fight them.”
I suck air into my lungs. I sit up a little straighter. I don’t like where this is going, and I don’t want to ask.
But I have to know.
My throat is so dry that it physically hurts to swallow. “What did they do to her?”
“They took her away,” Willow recalls with a shiver. “Just away. I don’t know where.”