Page 33 of The Harbinger

My heart quieted, and I pushed away from the door, stepping into the opulent bathroom with a faux candle chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

Two columns accentuated the deep Jacuzzi tub, which sat in a recess surrounded by windows overlooking a wide, never-ending forest. Goosebumps rippled, and I rubbed my hands up and down my arms as I stared into the isolation before me.

Why were we so far away from anything?

“Tell me again what you know of Nina.”

My entire soul lurched from my chest when his voice boomed behind me, causing my feet to levitate for a fraction of a second with a spin.

“You scared the crap out of me.”

Sacha stood with his hands in his pockets, the bottom of his suit jacket bunching at the wrists with a peremptory stance.

How did he open the door without me hearing him?

“What was the question?”

“Nina.”

“Oh. Right.” I tucked my shaking hand behind me. “I told you quite literally everything I know.”

He took one step forward, and I skirted off to the left towards the dual vanity sinks, keeping a healthy distance between us.

“And what if I told you I didn’t believe you?”

“What more do you want me to say?”

One. Two. Three.

My stomach twisted as his icy gaze darted down to my uncontrollable tic.

“Start with the truth.”

I tossed my hands out to my sides. “I have been honest—”

In a blink, Sacha had moved three steps across the bathroom and had me by the throat, my butt against the vanity.

A screech leaped from my mouth, my hands wrapping around his wrist in false bravado. “Would you like to see what I do with people who lie to me?”

“I’m not lying.” His pointer finger pressed into my cheek beside my ear, locking my jaw tight. “I’m not. Please.”

Sacha’s features froze, never giving away his true intentions. “You wouldn’t lie to me, would you,milaya?”

I shook my head again. My heart raced, the blood whooshing in my ears like a roaring water being squeezed through a small tunnel. Any more pressure, and I was sure to burst. “N-no.”

“Then tell me who sent you and what they did with Nina?”

I swallowed, my heart clenching in my chest. His eyes darted across my face as if reading the answers entrenched in the hollowness of my cheeks or the darkness beneath my eyes.

“No one—”

His grip tightened, and my feet left the floor. “Think before you speak.”

“No one sent me,” I choked out, my tongue pressed against my molars as he squeezed. My chin jutted upward. “I can’t breathe.”

My nails dug into his wrists when he pressed harder, his breath warming my cheek. “If I find out you’re lying to me, I’ll make your previous experience with torture feel like a melting snowflake on your button nose. Understand?”

He tapped my nose before releasing my throat. He stepped backward, adjusting his suit jacket back to perfection.