“Please, just give me some time.”
I don't wait for his response. I walk away from him and climb the stairs to the guest room.
The moment the door clicks shut, I slide down to the floor and let my emotions burst out of me. Tears for the man I thought I loved. For the fairy tale I believed in. For my parents and their secrets and the lies they built to protect me from a truth they never told me.
I cry until my throat is raw and my eyes are swollen and there's nothing left inside me but a hollow, aching emptiness.
I don’t feel safe.
When the tears finally stop, I just sit there in the gray morning light, staring at nothing.
I feel caged and numb and fuck… I need to get away from here.
Away from him.
From the lies.
From the danger.
But how do I get out of here?
"If you ever need anything. Anything at all. Call me."
Andrei.
I dig through the pockets of my jeans which are on the edge of the bed and find the piece of paper. My hands shake as I unfold it and stare at the numbers scrawled in blue ink.
Nikolai took my phone. But there's a landline in the kitchen.
I unlock the door and listen, and when I’m sure Nikolai isn’t outside my door, I slip from my room.
I hear his voice down the hallway in his study. He’s on the phone, speaking Russian and talking fast.
Moving as quietly as possible, I hurry along the landing and sneak down the stairs to the kitchen.
The phone is across the room on the wall. Standing in front of it, I pause. My mind is spinning with everything I’ve just learned. Again, my world has flipped and I’m probably not thinking straight. I’m existing on pure adrenaline. Because I’m in danger. Because there is someone out there looking for me, and when they find me, they’ll kill me.
But they already know I’m here.
They’ve already breached Nikolai’s walls.
Already hunted me in the darkness.
I think back to the man stalking me as I hit under the bed.
About the fear that took over my body as I waited for him to find me.
They will come back.
With a shaking hand, I quietly pick up the receiver and dial Andrei's number with trembling fingers.
It rings once. Twice. Three times.
"Hello?" His voice is groggy with sleep.
"Andrei." My voice comes out as a cracked whisper. "It's Holly."
"Holly?" I hear him sit up, suddenly alert. "What's wrong? It's five in the morning."
