Page 20 of Savage Little Secret

“It doesn’t matter. You don’t get information anymore,” Dmitri mutters, his voice sounding quieter than before.

Honestly, he sounds exhausted and defeated. It’s hard to hear him like this, and it hurts even more knowing that I’m the cause.

“Just let me explain everything,” I plead with him as he walks to the other side of the room to the dresser.

“Stop talking, Cara,” Dmitri replies through gritted teeth. He grabs a t-shirt and sweatpants that are too large for me and tosses them on the bed.

My eyes start to burn again. He’s never treated me so coldly before.

“I can’t change,” I say quietly.

“What?” Dmitri snaps as he turns to me, annoyance written all over his face.

“I can’t change clothes like this,” I tell him as I gesture to the zip tie. I’m surprised that he’s even doing all of this for me. I thought that he would leave me in here to rot, but maybe there is a sliver of him that still somewhat cares for me.

Dmitri stares at the zip tie for a beat, jaw ticking before reaching into his back pocket and pulling out a pocketknife.

I freeze as he approaches me, my heels sinking into the mattress.

Dmitri kneels on the bed next to me and snaps the zip tie off my wrist. His hand immediately clamps down on me, though, and tugs me toward the edge of the bed. “Sit. Don’t move.”

I do as he says, not wanting to cross any lines. My legs hang off the bed as I place my hands in my lap, watching him grab the large t-shirt off the bed.

“Shirt now,” Dmitri says as he stands in front of me, his expression cold and emotionless.

My hands shake as I peel my shirt off. Humiliation burns hotter than fear. I lift my eyes to his as they start to water, feeling so small and insignificant in front of him. I hate feeling this way.

I’ve spent too much of my life already feeling like nothing.

Dmitri grabs my old shirt and hands me the new one. “Put it on. I don’t have all night.”

Because I’m not worth his time anymore.

I tug the shirt on, being swallowed by the excess fabric. “There was a point when I wanted to stop helping my father. I wanted to choose you instead.”

Dmitri doesn’t say anything. He merely jerks his chin toward my pants.

With a defeated sigh, I slide off my pants and hand them to him. Before I put on the oversized sweatpants, I try to get to him again. “But I was trapped. You don’t understand how stuck I was.”

“Everyone has a choice,” Dmitri replies as he gathers my old clothes in his hands. “You could’ve told me the truth.”

“And if I did, would you have locked me up like this? Treated me like you don’t know me?” I question him, my frustration breaking through my sorrow.

Dmitri’s eyes darken. “I don’t know you. Not really. I know the story you sold me.”

“Well, the shitty family part is still true,” I reply as my eyes meet his. “No, I didn’t have a criminal ex-boyfriend. My father wouldn’t let me date, and even when I was in college, I was too scared to get serious with anyone in case he found out.”

Dmitri looks away from me and steps back, his eyes clouded. “He obviously tolerates you enough to take on big missions. I’m not an easy target.”

“I had no choice but to do what he wanted.”

“Well, you accomplished your goal and made him proud, huh?” Dmitri says with spite in his voice.

“The opposite,” I reply. “I’m never good enough for my father. I never will be, so I’m done trying to please him.”

“You’re not loyal to your own family,” Dmitri scoffs as he shakes his head at me. “And you want me to believe you’d be loyal to me? Really, sweetheart?”

Sweetheart not milaya. He makes the simple term of endearment in English sound like an insult.