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“That’s all I really know.”
“Great,” I say, looking back at Sage. “Go ahead and shoot him. Get up here and aim for his head. It’s quicker that way.”
Sage shuffles up to me as Johnny starts begging for his life. His words aren’t terribly convincing, though, and I suspect he doesn’t really think Sage is going to shoot him.
“One in six chance,” I whisper to Sage. “Just aim and pull the trigger.”
She looks at the gun in her hand like it’s made of snakes and spiders. “Is this another one of your rigged games?”
“You saw me put the bullet in. There’s only one. Give it a spin if you’re unsure,” I reply.
She holds the gun up, squinting her eyes as she aims for Johnny’s head. He’s screaming now, but it’s not going to do himany good. Sage wants to prove that she can do it, and part of her actually believes that she won’t hit the lucky round.
One in six chance.
After everything I’ve done, does she really think this game isn’t also rigged?
16
Sage
The shockwave travels through my entire body, knocking the breath out of my lungs and making my stomach hurt. It’s like when you expect another step at the bottom of the stairs and land sooner and harder than you wanted to.
I almost drop the gun because I’m so surprised by the sudden bang and jump in my hand, but I know that would only make me look weaker in Viktor’s eyes. I have to prove myself if I’m to be included in anything like this in the future.
My heart slams in my chest as I lower the gun. My vision is too hazy now to see what I’ve done, but there’s an awful lot of red on the wall behind Johnny. Did I really murder someone? Can I be held liable when it was Viktor who put the gun in my hand?
Panic crawls up my throat, but I swallow it back down, taking a long breath and holding it as I turn around to and hold the gun out to Viktor. “I thought you said there was only a one in six chance.”
A wicked smile plays on his lips as he takes the gun from me. “Anything can happen when you’re gambling, darling.”
I know he tricked me into killing Johnny, but ultimately, I’m the one who pulled the trigger. I don’t think Johnny really deserved it, but I also don’t know him, nor do I have much sympathy for people who knowingly work for a Bratva boss.
Viktor puts his hand on my shoulder and walks me back to the iron door, opening it and escorting me out. All is quiet as we ride the elevator back up to the main floor, but I can’t get the sound of the gunshot out of my head.
With that one big bang, my life is forever changed. I have blood on my hands, and my initiation in the Bratva is complete.
17
Sage
“You did good yesterday,” Viktor says, pouring milk into a bowl of chocolate puff cereal on the counter.
I take a bite of my toast, blinking in the sunlight that cascades over the kitchen island. I’m more surprised that he’s eating children’s cereal than the fact that he’s so chipper after yesterday. He didn’t seem too happy when we went to bed last night.
Maybe it was the lack of sex, but that’s been off the table since our wedding was crashed. I’m not sure when I’ll be ready to be intimate again, but it’s certainly not now. I’m still rubbing the crust out of my eyes, and I’m sitting on a stool in a pair of simple cotton panties and an oversized t-shirt.
Viktor carries his bowl over to the island, sitting down next to me and squeezing my thigh. “You sure you don’t want any cereal?”
I wrinkle my nose. “I don’t eat dessert in the morning.”
He looks genuinely surprised, pulling his head back and motioning to his overfilled bowl of what might as well be candy. “This is breakfast food. I thought all Americans ate this stuff.”
I laugh, shaking my head. “No, Viktor, we don’t. I mean, a lot of people do when they’re kids, but these days I feel like people have gotten wiser to it. It’s all just a bunch of sugar.”
He frowns, getting up from his stool and going back to the counter. He returns with the box, his bright eyes scanning the back of it with keen interest. He looks more engrossed than he did when I pulled the trigger on Johnny yesterday.
Talking about breakfast is more engaging to him than murder. I shouldn’t be surprised at this point, but he always takes things just a little further than I think he will.
