It's certainly not with the bratva.
I'm pretty certain that she's not harboring a weapon or my missing key, which strikes me as odd. How did she plan to get into the compound? Was she going to waltz her way in through the front door?
"Where's the key?" I flip her over and climb off her body. I need to know without a doubt that she hasn't stashed the key.
She huffs and ignores me while fixing her dress.
Does she believe the silent treatment is going to save her?
"Answer me!" I snarl. It must be on her.
Lucy shivers and points her foot at me, resting her shoe on my thigh.
I overlooked her shoes. I remove her black shoes. They're thick and heavy, clunky with a two-inch thick heal.
Flipping the shoe over, the sole has thick threads and a slight outline in the center. I pop open the hidden compartment, and inside is a silver metallic object, hidden from plain view.
The key.
I retrieve the key to the compound, snap her shoe compartment shut and drop the shoe onto the mattress.
I wanted to be wrong.
With my left hand folded around the key, I yank Lucy's arm and lift her from the bed, dragging her out of the bedroom.
"Where are you taking me?" Her breathing hitches. Her green eyes are wide, and her voice quivers with fear. "I'm sorry. I gave it back. Can I please leave?"
Grumbling under my breath, I'm rough as I escort her out into the hallway and down the stairs.
Luka is right behind me. He hasn't said a word. He's taking it all in, and I half-expect him to chastise me for trusting her.
But I've seen my errors, and I'm trying to make amends. I will be in Mikhail's debt for letting the girl slip onto the property and have possession of the compound's key to the front door.
The locks will have to be changed, and I will be questioned after interrogating Lucy if I’m lucky enough to conduct the entire interrogation. Any number of Mikhail's men might intercede because I'm too close to Lucy.
I can't let my doubts cloud my judgment.
Lucy is the enemy.
She's not just a cute girl I met at the club. She set me up and betrayed me. I don't forgive easily, especially when it involves loyalty and trust. I don't like being duped and made to look like a fool.
I grip her arm and drag her down through the main corridor. Luka opens the door to the prison basement and flips on the light while I escort her down the stone staircase.
"Where are you taking me?" Lucy squirms in my grasp, attempting to break free, but my hold is too tight for her to run. "You can't do this!"
"You did this. Your imprisonment is entirely your doing," I say. We reach the bottom of the stairs. The floor is concrete, and the air is chilly.
Luka unlocks one of the metal cages, a prison cell, and I shove Lucy inside.
"Please, don't do this!" she shrieks and spins around, but I slam the door shut before she can escape.
The metal bars keep her confined to the cell. Her fingers grip the metal, wrapping around the bars. She can't break free, even if she tries.
"Please," her voice falters, and she might cry.
"You should have thought about that before you decided to steal the key and trespass. Are you going to tell us what you're after?"
Does she intend to kill Mikhail? She doesn't strike me as an assassin, but she could be playing the innocent victim. However, I didn't find a weapon of any kind hidden on her.
Luka clears his throat and nods for me to follow him upstairs to talk in private.
I back away from the cell. She's not going anywhere, not while locked inside the cage.
"Wait!" Lucy shrieks. Her eyes are wide, and her breathing increases, louder. Adrenaline courses through her veins. She's afraid, but I'm not sure if it's from her confinement or something else that has her concerned.
I don't indulge her. Instead, I follow Luka up the stone stairwell and out of sight.
Lucy is left alone. There is no way for her to escape, and the prison cell isn't exactly classy. There's not so much as a cot. It's bare.
We don't keep prisoners long. We interrogate and kill them after we get the information that we require.
I shut the door to the prison, making sure that Lucy can't overhear our conversation. I fold my arms across my chest. "What'd you want to discuss?" I ask. Coming upstairs hadn't been my idea. I wanted to get to the bottom of business and learn what Lucy knows.
"You should talk to Mikhail."