“Better follow, little lamb.” Kek nodded toward him.
My attention went to her, my mixed emotions about her evident on my face.
“You’ll have plenty of time to try and kick my perky demon ass later.” A grin hinted on her mouth. “And I might even let you.”
I could feel Kek’s cheeky attitude chipping away at my anger, which annoyed me more.
My lesson was learned. Everyone wanted me for something. I was a commodity, not a person. I couldn’t let my walls down again.
There was no one I could trust.
Following Mykel through the hallways with two guards riding my ass, my mind absorbed every detail we went by. No windows. Stone and cement walls with water pipes. Electrical wires lined the ceilings like a motorway. Fire bulbs flickered everywhere, trying to keep things bright, though the panic of being underground rubbed the base of my spine, clenching at my chest like hands. Fortunately, or unfortunately, my mind and body were too tired and loopy to really let my anxiety take over.
After living in Halálház, being underground would always trigger my panic button.
Dodging around figures through the wide hallways, I was overwhelmed by the size of the place. It had the same feel as Sarkis’s base, but from what I could see, Povstat was about ten times bigger and occupied with everyday life.
The hallways were like busy roadways, and every room was filled. I saw what looked to be classrooms, offices, and training rooms, four of which we had passed so far. We went by a small cafe stand, large dining/kitchen hall, clinic, pharmacy, and food store. This place was a full underground city. Life moved through like it had been here forever, but at the same time, it felt as if at any time it could be abandoned and left. There were no signs over the shops, all the food stands were makeshift and temporary, the offices bare of anything besides tables and chairs.
Mykel stepped into an elevator, one of his guards rushing me in after him, the doors closing quickly behind the four of us. I noticed others waiting for the lift, but no one stepped on with us.
“Won’t mix with the common folk?” I peered at my uncle, his face expressionless. His other guard hit the top button.
Three levels in this place.
“I was attacked by someone I thought of as a comrade in the elevator. After torturing him, we found out he was a spy. Our security changed after that.” He kept his head facing front, his voice detached. “It is not about ego, but about keeping the leader of Povstat safe. Without me, this place crumbles.”
I crossed my arms, staring at my boots.
“The sleeping/living quarters are the bottom level. The one we just left is called a falu.” The Village. “My office and security barracks are the top level.”
The moment we reached the highest floor and the doors opened, it was as if someone placed a dozen bricks on my shoulders, clawing at every last bit of energy I had.
“Whoa!” Mykel and his guards grabbed me, my legs caving underneath me, bile burning up my throat. “Brexley?”
All I wanted to do was close my eyes and sleep. Each step felt like I was pouring lead into my muscles.
“I’m okay.” I forced my legs to support me, my hand clutching the rail in the elevator, trying to stop the spinning in my head. “Must still be from the chloroform.”
Mykel held out his arm. “Let me help you.”
“No.” He may have been my uncle, but I didn’t know him, and I learned from the man who had been my guardian for years to never show weakness. And don’t trust anyone.
“I’m fine.” I cleared my throat and rolled my shoulders back. “Got a little dizzy.”
I wanted to vomit. I wanted to cry. I really wanted to sleep. Instead, I lifted my chin and walked out of the elevator, trying to fight against the notion I was going to pass out.
What the hell was going on?
It was palpable, as if hundreds of mouths were latching on to me, chewing and nibbling, sucking the energy from my skin. Stubbornly I rammed against it, not willing to be fragile in front of anyone.
Mykel escorted me into his office, which was basic with a desk and three chairs. It had no cupboards or cabinets to keep files that I could see. Again, a place he could leave if found and not worry about the enemy finding anything worth the effort. I didn’t doubt every secret plan or document he had was somewhere in a portable briefcase or something he could grab and run with.
“Please.” Mykel motioned to the chair opposite his desk. “Have a seat.” His attention went to one of his guards. “Please have Oskar bring in tea and something to eat for Brexley.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I’m fine.” It was an automatic response. I collapsed onto the seat, my legs shaking.
Mykel ignored me, flicking his head for his guards to leave and do his bidding. Once they closed the door, he sat in his chair, gazing at me for several moments, sadness flickering in his eyes.
“You look so much like him.” He shook his head. “But you have your mother’s eye color and her beauty.” Mykel’s eyes were the same warm honey-brown as my father’s.
“You knew my mother?” I had my father’s almond-shaped eyes from his Russian roots, but the color of my irises, the pigment of night, so dark you almost couldn’t see my pupils, were hers.
“Only in a picture your father carried.”
My father had one worn and blurry picture of my mother, always keeping it in his pocket next to his heart. I used to stare at it for hours, trying to see if I could find anything I had in common with her. But it was too worn and faraway to pick up any real details. I really had no clear image of what my mother looked like. My father would share only vague descriptions. It seemed she was elusive to even my father’s closest friends and family.
“Well, seeing you was like a stab in my gut,” my mouth said before I could think about it. Exhaustion did that to me.
Mykel flinched, his head dipping. “I can imagine.”
Sucking in all the strength I could, I leaned forward in my seat.
“I know you didn’t kidnap me because you thought after five years of my father being dead, this was a good time to start playing uncle to an orphan.” I clapped my hands on my lap. “So, let’s cut the bullshit and get to the real reason I’m here and how you want to use me.”
“Use you?”
“Everyone has so far.” I tilted my head. “I’m not going to believe you are any different. You said so earlier.”
He leaned back in his chair, an amused expression in his eyes, a smile twitching under his beard. “Blunt and to the point.” He dipped his head.
“We don’t have the luxury in this country to be anything else.”
Mykel’s eyebrows danced up his forehead, his head bobbing.
“Definitely your father’s daughter.” He tapped his lips. “Benet always wanted to cut the bullshit, act instead of talk. It’s a Kovacs trait, but I’ve had to learn to curb my impulses. I would not have gotten this far if I hadn’t taken time to research my enemy and plan for every outcome.”
That was why Andris and my father worked well together. One was the planner, the other ready to put those plans in action.
“Are you studying me then?” I challenged.
“As you are me.” He laid his wrists down on the armrests. “Like you said, I didn’t take you because I was ready to raise a full-grown child now.”