The Mafia's Forced Bride
Standing behind her, one hand resting light on the top of her head, the other holding a small pistol pressed to the base of her skull, is Natasha.
She is not the same girl we pulled out of the silo two days prior. The dazed, skittish act is gone, the soft, tired smile she gave Mikhail when they were reunited nowhere to be seen. Her posture is straight, confident, her finger steady on the trigger, her eyes cold and sharp as shards of glass. The lily shaped birthmark behind her ear is still there, bright against her pale skin, but now it looks like what it is. A fake. A prop.
The first twist hits Mikhail so hard he staggers back half a step, his gun clattering to the floor. He stares at her li