“I have no misconceptions of who he is, but don’t pretend you’re a saint. You work for my papa. If you want to discuss my fear of blood and where it began, you should talk to him.” “Your papa has never mistreated you.” “That doesn’t mean he hasn’t hurt others.” A bitter breath passed his lips. “Are you taking D’yavol’s side?” “Tm not taking sides. I find you all a bit despicable.” The dry humor was supposed to lighten the mood, but Ivan didn’t find it funny. Unable to handle the grave tension rolling off him, I announced, “Maybe I could find a key to your cell.” I wondered if Ronan had a doggy guard around here with the key in its mouth like in Pirates of the Caribbean. “T would ask if he has touched you, but I already know the answer. Out of all the men in Moscow, you had to go and fuck him?” His words chafed me raw. Had he watched the video? The thought made me sick, so in an effort to hold down the nausea, I ignored the statement. “Maybe with the right leverage, we can pop this door right off.” I glanced around in an attempt to find something useful. “How could you not see through him, Mila? I thought you were smarter than that.” A girl could only be called an idiot so many times. I halted my search as heat ran up my neck. “You know what? Maybe I wouldn’t have been so stupid if you and Papa didn’t shelter me my entire life.” Sarcasm took over. “I’m sure college has a course called ‘How to Not Fuck Mobsters.’ If only I was allowed to attend...” “This is not a joke.” “Pm not laughing. I might have made a mistake, but so did you and my papa by not telling me the truth. If someone hadn’t killed that boy, none of this would be happening.” “You are just going to believe everything D’yavol tells you?” “My only other option is to believe someone who’s lied to me for years. The pickings are looking a little slim. Is there a third party nearby I can ask?” “There is no need for a third party. You should stand with your papa. With me.” He practically seethed. The thing was, I wanted to be loyal. I wanted an easy route to take; to believe my papa was the lesser of two evils. But now, all I could see when I