Page 14 of Trapping His Angel
“Oh, I forgot.” Valentina’s eyes were saddened. “Yes. She’s the Pakhan’s wife, and there’s a legend that she used to kill people all the time.”
“What?” I was shocked. How could she get away with killing people?
“Yeah.” Valentina nodded as we headed out the back door. “She really enjoyed cutting off penises.”
I choked on my spit. “What the hell was she doing with them?”
“Putting them in my collection, of course,” a sweet voice interrupted our conversation.
I laid my eyes on the Pakhan’s wife, Tiffany Petrov. She was wearing an enormous hat to protect her from the sun. Her darkskin was covered, like she didn’t want to burn. I hadn’t even thought of sunscreen coming out here.
She looked like the lady of the place, surrounded by curious looking plants. Something told me they differed from any I’d ever seen before.
“We weren’t talking poorly about you, by any means,” I broke the silence.
“Oh, I know. It’s not surprising, truly, when I have such a reputation.” She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.
“Can I help you with your planting?” I looked around to see she had some new plants she was adding to her garden.
“Oh heavens, no,” she giggled, adjusting her gloves. “You’d need to be certified, in order to touch these plants.”
I tilted my head, intrigued. “Why?”
“Because of the poison. If you don’t handle them correctly, you might die.” She spoke of my death so sweetly.
“Oh.” I mean, what more could I say? Clearly, she was a psychopath.
Tiffany lifted her face to the sun, grinning to herself like she knew something the rest of the world didn’t. I guessed it was easy living in delulu land. But in the real world that I was living in, I couldn’t trust any of these people.
I knew nothing about them. Nothing about myself. Who was I? Why was I so comfortable with Valentina, almost instinctively knowing that she was my sister? I didn’t have any of the answers.
My mind was blank.
“You should take her shopping, Valentina,” Tiffany’s voice rang out, as she kneeled by her plants, carefully tending to a row of delicate flowers. She didn’t even glance up as she continued, “She can hardly go to parties looking like that.”
I stiffened, the sharpness of her words cutting deeper than they should have. “Parties?” The word escaped me, sharper than I intended. I couldn’t hide the disbelief in my tone. Parties werethe last thing on my mind. I wasn’t here for fun or luxury. Like the other women, I was being held for ransom. Right?
Valentina turned to me, with a look I couldn’t quite place. It wasn’t exactly pity; it felt more like resignation. “I mean, what else are you going to do?” she breathed, as if the answer should have been obvious.
What else? The question made sense in a twisted way, but it didn’t sit right with me. I couldn’t imagine throwing on a designer dress and pretending this situation was anything other than a nightmare. The very idea of attending a party felt absurd. “I’d rather just go back to my room and sleep,” I admitted, my voice quieter now. Not that I really slept. I hadn’t managed a full night without the lights on since… well, since I’d arrived here.
Valentina hummed in acknowledgment, her gaze skimming over the sprawling garden ahead of us. “It’s not healthy to isolate yourself,” she said after a moment. “At least get out and breathe some fresh air.”
Why does the air feel like it’s pressing the life out of me? Maybe I should just let it?
I shook off that intrusive thought. “I’m out now,” I pointed out, gesturing to the expansive garden around us. It stretched farther than I’d expected, a lush maze of greenery and blooms, that seemed completely out of place on this property. “Maybe I’ll find a library or something. Something quiet. That’s more my speed.”
Tiffany scoffed from her place among the flowers, waving a small spade dismissively in the air. “A library,” she muttered, almost to herself. “She’d rather read than live.”
Her words stung, but I bit back a retort. I would not argue with someone who seemed far more interested in her hydrangeas, than in the reality of our situation. Instead, I turned my attention back to Valentina as we walked, falling into step beside her.
“I didn’t expect the garden to be this big,” I admitted, tryingto shift the conversation away from Tiffany’s barbs. “It’s… beautiful. In a strange way.”
Valentina glanced around, her expression softening. “It is,” she agreed. “It’s one of the few places here that feels… alive. Tiffany practically lives out here.”
“That explains the attitude,” I muttered under my breath, earning a small laugh from Valentina.
“She’s not so bad once you get to know her,” she said, though the half-heartedness of her tone suggested even she didn’t fully believe it. “She’s just… used to this world. She doesn’t see things the way you and I might.”