I can hear him breathing, wet and eager, but he stays planted where he is. The fear in the room marinates and condenses. He’s savoring this, the sick f**k. Our whimpers and terrors… it’s all foreplay to him. “You know how long I’ve waited for this?” he says. “Months. Months of planning while I sat in that f*****g jail cell. I might’ve gone crazy in there with the planning if Aleksei hadn’t come along and gotten me out.” His boots squeak on the floor as he starts to saunter, following the same circuit Aleksei did. “You ruined my life, you f*****g sluts.” “We ruined your life?” Yasmin is crackling with fury even through her tears. “You beat me. You stalked me. You—” “Shut the f**k up!” he bellows. “I’m not talking to you yet, Yas. We’ll have our reunion soon enough. Right now, I’m having

