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It was that thought, and the s he evoked inside of lanced up at Arlo and saw the way his eyes becaone Then again, my body betrayed me and how he made me feel at every turn

And then the time flowed so sea myself The hours passed as we ate all the Russian foods and talked about all the wonderful things

We didn’t order from menus in the traditional sense, but instead the chef created dishes for us, and everything I tried was delicious and totally new to s Then there was borscht—beet soup I had a special fondness for the pirozhki, which was baked bread stuffed with meat, mushrooms, rice, and onions This was all eaten between sips of vodka and incredible conversation with the only person who had ever ot all about the weirdness that had coot about all my probles I was running from

It all felt so… normal

By the time we had desserts—yes, plural—I was satiated and full and didn’t think I’d ever smiled as much My cheeks hurt, and lanced around and realized we’d been here for so long, lost in just enjoying each other’s co it was literally Arlo and me

I leaned back in the booth and just stared at hiely in my chest I could have blamed the alcohol for the heat inBut that wasn’t the truth

I was falling for round rushed up to greet me painfully Not even if it killed me in the end

“Tonight onderful Thank you” His sreat time” It was the sad truth, but one I owned

“I’ll have to make sure you experience so many wonderful times that it’ll take away all the bad ones”

My throat tightened with emotions I didn’t—shouldn't—think too hard on

I didn’t knohat to say, but even if I found words to convey how he ust of chilled air rushing into the restaurant that made its way to our table would’ve cut me off

I lazily glanced toward it, wondering as coht by now My heart lodged infull attention of my sudden shift in demeanor

I glanced over at hilanced at who’d just entered Leonid

He had two barely legal women on either side of hi became shallow It was the familiar dread I felt when I kneas in the company of someone truly evil His cold, dead eyes slid over to rinned slowly I’d barely had any interaction with this man, only the small “interviee’d done before I waitressed at his bar But as I looked into the visage of evil itself, I kneithout a doubt Arlo had been right

Thisto get his way

The next few minutes happened in slow rew taut when Leonid walked past our table, but his expression was surprisingly stoic, as if he was s even if his body reacted on its own Leonid only gave Arlo a ht back on me I didn’t miss how he curled his hands around the woht winces that covered their perfectly made-up faces

The way he raked his gaze up and down my body made me feel dirty, like a barrel of oil had been spilled on et it off My skin felt itchy, prickly, the urge to scratch, to tear it off alnore And just before he walked out of our sight, he winked at me as if it was a promise of as to come

“I think I want to go now,” I said softly as soon as ere alone again

Arlo said nothing as he paid our bill and helpedpalainst the ser seat, he crouched on his haunches, surprising avesafe Because I knew these hands had killed so many