“Wait, please.” I’m not ready for this.
“We need to go now, Miss Sidorov.”
“Please, I just need to talk to my father.”
“Anastasia, please go with th—” Dad starts, but I interrupt him by grabbing his arm.
“No. I need to know what you plan to do.” I need to knowsomething.Anything. “Surely, this Desmier doesn’t seriously mean to just take me and keep me. Right?”
I can’t imagine that happening. Not with so many powerful people around me who should be able to fix this. People like my father. But Dad just stares back at me.
“My love, Desmier has the marriage contract.”
“But that contract was for me marrying Viktor.”
He releases a heavy sigh, and his expression turns as soft and caring as when Mom died. “The contract was for you to marry the eldest Volkova son. That’s Desmier.”
My heart triple beats. “But surely, you can revoke it. You made the contract. There must be some law or something that can help us.”
“No, there’s nothing.” He rests his large hands on my shoulders. “Look, Anastasia… there are some things you don’t understand.”
Dad glances at Jayce, and a moment of understanding appears to pass between them. Then something hits my mind. It’s a sort of realization I didn’t sense before because I was too deep in my shock to notice anything else.
It’s how Dad looks. Or rather, how he doesn’t look.
Dad wasn’t surprised or shocked like everyone else when he saw Desmier.
He didn’t even argue when the order was issued to take me to Desmier’s house. He was completely compliant.
The overprotective father I knew would never hand-deliver me to people he doesn’t know. Men he doesn’t know.Dangerousmen with guns.
Dad wouldn’t even let me go to the mall or Lorelai’s house, or, fuck, the heavily guarded college campus, without a bodyguard.
Yet here he is, sending me off without any of our guards, telling me he can’t help me.
It’s like he knew. Knew these people, knew I’d be taken.
Jesus Christ. Did he?
My heart jumps, then gallops, and I wish I could run away with it.
I search Dad’s eyes. But I find nothing to tell me I’m wrong.
“What do you mean, there are things I don’t understand?” I hate that my voice shakes.
His head drops for a moment. When he returns his eyes to mine, he looks weak and drained, opposite of the man I know him to be.
“Desmier Volkova has certain powers not even I can work my way around.”
“Oh my God. You knew this would happen today. Didn’t you?”
His eyes hold mine in place, and I feel in my soul that everything he says next is going to hurt me.
“I’m sorry, my girl. My hands are tied.”
Now my heart pounds like it’s trying to break through my ribs. “But you’re the Senior Enforcer.” My voice is high and pleading and desperate. I grab his jacket, pull on the lapels.
He loosens my hands. “Anastasia, please calm down.”