{NIKOLAI}
I knew something was wrong even before I opened Dasha's security feed the next morning.
She was quiet last night. Too quiet. Each time I walked near her cabin, there was only silence. I ignored the urge to look in on her, either in person or on camera, since feeding her dinner Wednesday night. The tape placed on the door was intact, which meant she hadn't escaped. That was all that mattered.
But I could resist the temptation no longer. When the security feed finally filled my laptop, my muscles locked in surprise. Dasha was wrapped in a thick blanket. Good Lord! Who had dared to go against me and give her this?
My chest heaved with hot breaths as I watched her, curled up in a tiny ball on the floor of the cage, sleeping. She did not deserve this comfort, this luxury. In Sakharov's dungeon, I shivered and struggled on the cold stone ground without blankets or pillows. She should endure the same... or worse.
An eye for an eye is not enough.
