forty-two. He served a long sentence and had a reputation
for being able to understand where the weak points of others were.
In his first days in prison, he had tried physical aggression.
This had brought him nothing but new punishments.
Then he had realized that words sometimes work better.
Humiliation does not leave bruises.
But it can destroy authority.
That was his plan with Ralitsa.
But she wasn’t ashamed.
And that messed everything up.
Finally, Ivo took a step back.
Then another one.
Not because he admitted that he had lost.
But because he saw that the audience was no longer on his side.
“All right, little one,” he hissed. “I’ll be back.”
“Thank you for choosing to obey the order,” Ralitsa said.
This sentence made him angry more than any insult.
Because it didn’t make the victory look like a victory.
He
