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Their reaction angers me.
You can kill innocent people, but you get all tongue tied at even the mere thought of going after a single man?
Cowards.
“He did,” Castor nods. “And he did it so that he could pawn Sophia off on the Barinovs. He knew that none of you would dare cross him. He knew that you would listen to your warrior princess, even if she was being turned into a puppet by those we were at war against. He was ready to bend the knee and beg for peace. He was ready to play you for fools!”
“We didn’t know!” Someone shouts, and the room grunts in agreement.
“And Retsos tried his best to make sure you never would. But Sophia is strong. She’s smart. She was able to see a way out, and she took it. For my sake. For your sake. For our sake!”
A rally cry bursts up as men stomp on the floor and smack the wooden counter. The whole bar seems to shake, until Spyros lifts his hand, and slowly, all eyes turn to him.
“So, Leonid Barinov didn’t steal you, Sophia? Because that’s what I heard. Was it a lie? Is it true that Retsos gave you to him?”
I can’t stay silent anymore.
Even with all of the fear and fury and uncertainty whirling around inside of me, I know what needs to be done.
Stepping forward, I finally address the troops.
“Leonid Barinov saved me,” I boldly announce.
Even I’m shocked that it’s the first thing I decide to say to my men. They hate the Russians. It’s ingrained in them from birth.
I’m not surprised when an angry grumble lifts up from nearly every mouth in the room.
But I’m not as afraid of these men anymore. How could I be? Of all the monsters in this world, they’re scared of the most pathetic one.
“Thales Retsos wanted to betray the Oikos for his own selfish motives. He wanted to loot our treasures. Burn our empire. Erase our history.” My voice is shaky as I try to project my message loud and far. No matter how hard it is, I don’t stop. I can’t. There is no going back now.
“He’s an untouchable!” someone dares mutter between my words.
“No one is untouchable,” I sneer, a wave of red-hot fury taking over the conflicting hurricane raging inside of me. “But if none of you have the guts to touch the untouchable, then I will do it for you. He deserves to die.”
“Sophia…” Spyros starts, but I shut him up with a glare.
“Give me your gun,” I demand, reaching out my hand. My whole body is shaking, but somehow my arm remains steady.
After a moment of hesitation, Spyros reaches under his belt and pulls out a Glock. Keeping his dark eyes trained on mine, he steps forward and hands it to me.
“There are some lines that cannot be crossed,” he pleads with me, before stepping back into the crowd.
His reminder sets a nuclear bomb off inside of me.
“You cowards!” I shout to the room full of vicious killers. “There are some lines that cannot be crossed?! Are you fucking kidding me?!” My voice is still shaky, but it’s from rage now. “You can climb out of the underworld and massacre innocent people, but you can’t find the guts to kill a single traitor? Why? Because my father made the mistake of giving him a title? Untouchable is just a word, an illusion. Let me show you just how easily I can shatter it.”
Cocking Spyros’ Glock, I turn around and march right out of that fucking door.
“Sophia, wait!” Spyros shouts out, but his words are quickly engulfed by the shocked exclamations that flood the bar.
“Don’t talk to me unless it’s to pledge fealty!” I shout back, turning around to find that Castor is following me out into the alleyway.
Before Spyros can respond to me, Castor slams the door shut.
My giant protector lets me fume for a moment as he gingerly slips his shirt back on.
“You did well in there, Sophia,” he says, leaning back against the door so that no one else can join us.
